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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04252016 City Council Minutes City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes Apri125, 2016 Volume 40, Page 47 CALL TO ORDER The April 25, 2016 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Jean Bardarson. OPENING CEREMONY Lieutenant Doreen Valadez led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: Jean Bardarson presiding and Marianna Keil Ristine Casagranda Dave Squires Dale Butts Sue McClure Deborah Altermatt comprising a quorum of the Council; and Jim Hunt, City Manager Johanna Kinney, City Clerk Absent—None CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Christy Terry thanked retiring employees Shari Adelmann and W.C. Casey for all of their hard work for the city and their support over the years with the Alaska Railroad Corporation. She noted city employee Kari Atwood was also retiring and she had always been a great help to the railroad as well.The first cruise ship of the season would be in port tomorrow.Terry introduced new Assistant Port Manager Lynn Hettick to the council and stated she was happy to have Hettick with the Alaska Railroad. Jess Sweatt said he was applying for the City of Seward seat on the Board of Directors for the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association (CIAA). He was born and raised in Seward and enjoyed living here.He commercial fished most of his life and was now semi-retired so he had time to serve on the board. Sweatt stated he would like to improve recreational fishing on this side of Cook Inlet, such as enhancing the king salmon fisheries. John French said he was the other applicant for the CIAA position.He'd previously served 13 years on this board and applied this time to ensure the city had a qualified candidate.French was unaware Sweatt had also applied, so French requested his name be withdrawn or requested council vote for Sweatt. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Casagranda/McClure) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April25, 2016 Volume 40, Page 48 Bardarson moved item 6E1, Washington, D.C. and Seattle, Washington Travel Report by Mayor Bardarson and Vice Mayor Keil, up to item 6B and re-ordered the agenda items accordingly. Bardarson added the following item under Other Reports and Presentations: Presentation by the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens'Advisory Council regarding changes to the Alaska Unified Plan for Oil Spill Response. Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Ordinance 2016-001, Amending The Land Use Plan And The Zoning Designation Of City Owned Lot 11A-2, Fort Raymond Subdivision, Replat No. 4, (Replat Pending), Located At Approximately 2200 Dimond Boulevard, From Park(P) To Multi-Family (R-3). (Introduced and set for public hearing and enactment May 9, 2016) Resolution 2016-032,Adopting The Planning And Zoning Commission Priorities From April 2016 To April 2017. Approval of Restaurant Designation Permit Endorsement on Existing Liquor License#177 for Breeze Inn. SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Proclamations & Awards Seward Volunteer Fire Department Awards. Recognition of retiring staff Shareen Adelmann and Steven Audette. Recognition of retiring Public Works Director W.C. Casey. Washington, D.C. and Seattle, Washington Travel Report by Mayor Bardarson and Vice Mayor Keil. Chamber of Commerce Report. Cindy Clock reported the last of the spring sports and recreation shows were behind the chamber. The Seward Migration Festival last weekend was a success. The chamber was ready and excited to greet the cruise ship passengers on the Crystal Serenity tomorrow. The Seward Business Network Group had an idea of member volunteers joining chamber staff to help greet the cruise ship passengers this year,which they were going to try. The chamber was gearing up for the Mount Marathon Race this year. There was a record number of lottery applicants this year,the race was growing and growing. It was the 89th year this year. The Seattle partners visit was a critical piece in their marketing strategy and Clock stated Seward should be proud of the group that represented the community each year. Borough Assembly Report. Brandii Holmdahl was not present. City Manager's Report. Jim Hunt reported there were no purchases authorized by him between $10,000 and $50,000 since the last meeting. He attended the Alaska Department of City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April25, 2016 Volume 40, Page 49 Transportation Seward Airport focus group meeting last week and was not pleased with most of the solutions presented. He was primarily concerned that the river and mitigation weren't addressed at all. Hunt stated he had been working with Seward's lobbyists and legislators to secure unused earmark federal funds to further assist with paving Seward's roads.Dedicating these funds to Seward would be going before the state finance committee soon. It wasn't guaranteed, but Hunt said this looked very promising for Seward. Electric Utility Manager John Foutz informed the council that there was an erosion issue near the transmission line by Snow River. Foutz passed out photographs showing the river had changed directions and was undermining one of their structures and putting other structures at risk. This was considered an emergency, so Foutz was planning to work with an engineer recommended by the borough to do this work.Permits from Alaska Department of Transportation,Fish and Game, and the borough would be needed, so Foutz would be utilizing a permitting specialist. There were grant funding opportunities for this repair that the city would be seeking. McClure said there was some confusion about the city's status of how they would be allowing commercial marijuana operations in Seward. She said there was some miscommunication that Planning and Zoning may be working on this issue and asked for clarification. Hunt believed administration would be preparing legislation to bring forward to the council. In response to Squires, Hunt elaborated on the borough dispatch consolidation meeting he recently attended. The meeting addressed some of the issues that may occur if there were centrally based dispatch offices in Soldotna for the entire peninsula. There were a lot of factors and reasons why this wasn't a good idea for Seward,but Hunt said it was worth looking at figuring those reasons out.The city submitted a list of Seward's concerns and added there were still a lot of unknowns out there. Acting Harbormaster Matt Chase reported the harbor's projects were going very well and should be completed by the end of the month.He added it was exciting to see these projects all come together. Other Reports,Announcements and Presentations Presentation by Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council (PWSRCAC) regarding proposed changes to the Alaska Unified Plan for oil spill response. City of Seward Representative Orson Smith gave a brief PWSRCAC report to the council,noting the council had a new Executive Director and it had been a busy time for oil spill prevention.He stated Alyeska put on the annual Ship Escort/Response Vessel System (SERVS) training last week in Seward. He introduced PWSRCAC Outreach Coordinator Lisa Matlock to discuss the proposed changes to the Alaska Unified Plan.Matlock stated the changes by the State of Alaska would likely diminish the City of Seward's involvement in oil spill response. She handed out a fact sheet showing the differences. The state also had a public comment period which would be ending April 29,2016; Matlock opposed the short comment period and noted other communities had issued letters of opposition to the plan and also requested a longer,more adequate comment period.Council directed the City Manager to submit a letter by Friday opposing these proposed changes and also requesting an extension to the public comment period beyond April 29,2016. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April25, 2016 Volume 40, Page 50 PUBLIC HEARINGS Resolutions Requiring Public Hearing Resolution 2016-031, Amending The Wharfage Rate In The Port & Harbor Tariff And Providing For Automatic Biennial Adjustments To Wharfage Rates By An Amount Equal To The Five Previous Full Years'Average Increase In The Anchorage Consumer Price Index For All Urban Consumers. Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2016-031 Hunt said the city was recommending biennial adjustments on the wharfage rates based on the Consumer Price Index(CPI).The wharfage rates had not changed since 2007.This incremental increase was to avoid future large wharfage rate increases. Hunt listed the changes to the wharfage rates as listed in the proposed tariff. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened No appeared to address the Council and the public hearing was closed Butts asked if this would have a detrimental effect to ports with lower fees. Hunt felt wharfage wasn't a very competitive factor. Altermatt wanted to know about the biennial increase,why every two years?Chase believed it was intended to coincide with the budget. Altermatt stated all other rates increased on an annual basis. Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Squires) Amend Resolution 2016-031 by striking the words "biennial" and "biennially" and replace with "annual" and "annually" respectively in the title, 6th Whereas, and Section 2. Motion to Amend Failed Yes: Casagranda,Butts,Altermatt No: Squires, McClure,Keil,Bardarson Main Motion Passed Unanimous UNFINISHED BUSINESS—None NEW BUSINESS Resolution 2016-033, Authorizing Pursuit Of Grant Funds From the Alaska Department of Fish and Game To Replace The South Harbor Launch Ramp, Authorizing $387,363.68 Toward The City's 25% Match,And Appropriating Funds. Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2016-033 City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April 25, 2016 Volume 40, Page 51 Hunt said this was a critical project in the harbor.The harbor previously depleted the Harbor Major Repair and Replacement Fund(MRRF)in order to finish the almost-completed A,B,C,and S Float Replacement Project. This project came under budget, and some funds were returned to the MRRF.The South Harbor Launch Ramp was determined back in 2011 to be in need of replacement and the grant was an opportunity the city wanted to pursue because it that would likely not be around in the future. This committed the city to apply for a grant and, in the process, show the city's commitment of matching funds. In response to Butts,Hunt stated the entire South Harbor Launch Ramp area would be rebuilt, as in a complete tear out and replacement. Squires wanted to know the total cost of the project. Bardarson had been told they were looking at possibly$1.4 million,but the city wouldn't know the exact cost until the engineering of the project was completed and this approval needed to happen in order for the engineering to be conducted. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2016-034,Contracting With First Student For Operation Of The Seasonal Seward Shuttle Bus Service,In An Amount Not To Exceed $269,150,And Appropriating Funds. Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2016-034 Hunt said the city had been contracting this service since 2010. It was funded by the state's Commercial Passenger Vessel Excise Tax receipts,referred to as the cruise ship tax. Staff went out for Request For Proposals for this service.First Student was the sole proposer and staff found them to be responsive and recommended award of the contract. Squires asked Police Lieutenant Doreen Valadez if busses were exempt from having seat belts; she confirmed that to be the case. Butts wondered if they could incorporate hiring local drivers in the contract. Hunt would inquire about that. Motion Passed Unanimous Other New Business Items Appoint Jess Sweatt or John French as the City of Seward Representative to the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association Board of Directors,with a term expiring May,2019.By a unanimous ballot vote, council appointed Jess Sweatt. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS Annual Financial Disclosure Statement Submission Report. City of Seward and Seward Providence Medical and Care Center Financial Reports through February, 2016. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April 25, 2016 Volume 40, Page 52 COUNCIL COMMENTS Keil thanked Adelmann,Audette, and Casey for their many years of service to the city. She hoped they enjoyed their retirement. When they went to Seattle and Washington, D.C., she noted they heard very positive things about Seward. She saw online that Smithsonian Magazine listed Seward as the number one small town in America to visit. She hoped everyone would keep this positivity moving forward. Squires congratulated Adelmann, Audette, and Casey on their retirement. He also congratulated the winners of the Fire Fighter awards acknowledged tonight. He attended the state open house on the Seward Airport and was disappointed with Alaska Department of Transportation's (ADOT) participation and answers to inquiries. He thought the city needed to be more concerned about what happened to their airport. He disagreed with some of ADOT's proposed solutions to repair the airport. He wished the Harbormaster a speedy recovery. McClure went to the ADOT airport meeting as well and was struck that it was presented that the amount of use an airport received determined the amount of funds it received. She thought that was a catch-22 situation since the airport wasn't getting as much use because it needed repairs. The public needed to be made aware of this issue. She congratulated the retirees and encouraged they volunteer in the community. The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly met last week in Seward and the assembly all praised The Cookery for a great dinner in their assembly comments, which aired over the radio all over the peninsula. McClure invited everyone to attend the Community Choir Concert on May 5, 2016. Casagranda said it appeared the audit was completed and she was excited to see how it went this year. The Seward City Flag Committee would be meeting on April 30, 2016 to judge the submitted designs.The recent Peter Pan production was a raving success for the community.On May 6,2016 there would be a local talent show at the high school which was another way to support the arts. Casagranda thanked the retirees for their long time commitment and also to Kari Atwood for her time with the city.It was spring time and the children were out in the streets so she asked the public to please be careful when driving. Butts congratulated and thanked Adelmann,Audette,and Casey for their many years to the city. He noted the next weekend was the annual Pink Cheeks Triathlon Race, so he encouraged the public to please be careful when driving and also to consider volunteering for the event. It was nice to see people walking around picking up trash around town. Altermatt thanked and congratulated the three retirees recognized tonight as well as Kari Atwood. She thanked the harbor for all their hard work in preparing the agenda items tonight. Altermatt enjoyed having the assembly here last week and it was nice to sit with them and network a bit. She thanked the Public Works Department for their culvert repair work on Second Avenue last week. She was happy to have a full council tonight. It was good to have them all here and working together. Altermatt asked Bardarson if council could please get a copy of the Washington, D.C. report read tonight by Bardarson, as it contained good information. Bardarson thanked Casey, Adelmann, Audette, and Atwood for their service to the city. There were two vacant spots on the Planning and Zoning Commission. She thanked the Police City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April 25, 2016 Volume 40, Page 53 Department on their recent successful, large drug arrest. Bardarson also thanked those who have been cleaning up around town. Hunt gave many thanks for the service given by Casey, Adelmann, Audette, and Atwood. That was a lot of institutional knowledge leaving the city, and he was thankful they were staying in Seward. CITIZEN COMMENTS John French commented on the discussion with the PWSRCAC tonight. The timing for public comments to the proposed changes was critical.French felt the proposed changes by the state were being justified by streamlining planning,but that it was taking away from the transparency of the process and the stakeholders' place in the process. There was a perception that the incident command system needed to be streamlined. This was being introduced as an amendment to the unified plan,but the process in the interim had to allow for public comment as required by the state, and they were choosing to use the minimum amount of time. Sarah Aslam of the Seward Journal said she ran into several people at a recent conference she attended who stated they really enjoyed Seward. COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Butts asked French if he planned to comment on the proposed changed to oil spill response. French said he likely would. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m. e& J Oil/ s 4 11 4 Jo anna KinnMC ean Bardarson C. Clerk Mayor (City Seal) °•° OF Set/7®o, ° 4 e 90 N...9 ® : Att�mO ®0 ea • v— • i O •• �_ e O e 0...,,,u,..;•41.4/. �'oo �1,15° c°cil`0 ...........o,%°