HomeMy WebLinkAbout11272017 City Council Minutes City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
November 27, 2017 Volume 39, Page 307
CALL TO ORDER
The November 27, 2017 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at
7:00 p.m. by Mayor David Squires.
OPENING CEREMONY
Police Chief Tom Clemons led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
ROLL CALL
There were present:
David Squires presiding and
Marianna Keil Ristine Casagranda
Sue McClure Erik Slater
Suzanne Towsley Jeremy Horn
comprising a quorum of the Council; and
Jim Hunt, City Manager
Brenda Ballou, City Clerk
Will Earnhart, City Attorney
Absent—None
CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR
PUBLIC HEARING
Matthew Nelson said wanted to thank everyone who had a part in saving his job.It felt good
to be heard.
Carol Griswold said the city employees were the most valuable asset of the city and
deserved to have a voice in their working conditions, have their grievances fairly addressed in a
timely fashion, and work in a respectful environment free from bullying. She urged council to
support the formation of a police union. At the November 21, 2017 Kenai Peninsula Borough
Assembly meeting,Assembly Member Hal Smalley submitted a written report for his recent trip to
the Alaska Municipal League (AML) Conference. Smalley said he thought that it was important,
whenever he traveled on someone else's dime, to file a report on what the event was and the
activities he participated in.In contrast,Griswold said,at the October 23,2017 Seward City Council
meeting,the City Manager was absent and no one seemed to know where he was,and it wasn't noted
in the City Manager's Report or in the packet calendar. She was interested to know where he had
been,and so filed a request for public records; she discovered through that process that he had been
at an ICMA Conference in San Antonio,but no expenses had been documented.Griswold wondered
how much the trip cost the tax payers,and what the value to the community was. She felt that under
current budget conditions,all city travel should be scrutinized. Griswold felt a citizen should not be
required to file a public records request to find out why a city manager was not at a council meeting.
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November 27, 2017 Volume 39, Page 308
Linda Lasota said she was speaking tonight as the Chairperson of the Historic Preservation
Commission. The 2017 HP Plan has been completed; a state CLG grant funded the editing of the
Plan. On behalf of the Commission, Lasota was formally asking council to direct administration to
release the Plan to both the Planning&Zoning Commission and the City Council so that those two
bodies could review and approve it.
Council suspended the rules to speak with Lasota.
In response to Casagranda,Lasota said she was asking council to have administration release
the HP Plan to council and P&Z, not to have the document edited because that work had already
been completed.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda
Casagranda pulled Resolutions 2017-075, 2017-080, 2017-081, and 2017-082 from the consent
agenda.
Casagranda added an item under Other New Business to schedule a work session to discuss City,
State, and Federal Priorities. Note: This work session was later edited to include only the City and
State priorities, as the Federal Priorities resolution was approved by council.
Squires pulled Resolution 2017-076 from the consent agenda.
Motion Passed Unanimous
The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items:
Ordinance 17-004, Amending Section 2.10.015 Of The City Code, "Election Of Mayor And
Council Members", To Align With Seward City Charter Amendments Approved By The
Voters. (Introduction only)
Resolution 2017-071, Authorizing A Contract Through December 31, 2019, With TriDelta
Incorporated For Display Advertising In The Seward Journal At A Rate Of$214.50 Per Week.
Resolution 2017-072, Urging The Alaska Legislature And Governor To Fully Fund The
Municipal Harbor Facility Grant Program In The Fy2019 State Capital Budget.
Resolution 2017-073, Authorizing Additional Matching Funds In The Amount Of$400,000
Towards The City's Share Of Funding For The Lowell Creek Flood Diversion Feasibility
Study, And Appropriating Funds.
Resolution 2017-074, In Support Of Senate Bill 92: An Act Relating To Abandoned And
Derelict Vessels.
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November 27, 2017 Volume 39, Page 309
111 Resolution 2017-079, Supporting The Seward Coordinated Transportation Group
Prioritization For The Independent Living Center Taxi Voucher Project FY19 To Be
Submitted To The State Of Alaska Department Of Transportation And Public Facilities.
(McClure)
Resolution 2017-085, Accepting Funds From The Alaska State Library For A Continuing
Education Grant In The Amount Of$1,250.00, And Appropriating Funds.
Approval of the October 23,2017 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes,and the October 26,
2017 12:00 p.m. and 12:45 p.m. Special City Council Meeting Minutes.
SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS
Proclamations & Awards
Honoring David Kingsland for 17 Years at Seward Elementary School.
Borough Assembly Report.Kenn Carpenter reported the assembly had a short meeting on
November 21, 2017 and had discussed having a borough bed tax; this would be discussed again at
the December 5,2017 assembly meeting.The new borough mayor,Charlie Pierce,had stated he had
a plan for the borough's budget, and Carpenter was looking forward to learning about that plan.
Carpenter had assisted a local Seward resident,Dean Carl,to finalize the purchase of a tricky piece
of land, after having worked on it since 1994.
Chamber of Commerce Report. Cindy Clock said she had the best job in Seward. Clock
thanked Harbormaster Norm Regis for the recent SMIC tour. The chamber had upgraded to receive
membership payments online. The 2018 Seward Destination Guide would be printed in late
December and delivered throughout Seward in January,2018. The Alternative Energy Group had a
class on November 18, 2017 about heat pumps, and there were about 20 people who attended. The
annual Pacific Marine Expo went well and was well attended. In the past 12 months, according to
google analytics,the highest traffic from which Seward.com derived website visitors were Alaska,
Washington, California, Texas, and Florida. Seward was featured in Main Streets Across America
which was an annual designation reflecting strong community values,and Seward had been chosen
to represent Alaska. Clock thanked Bixler McClure for assisting REI with a recent catalog photo
shoot held in Seward; Clock showed the new REI catalog that had just arrived in the mail which
featured photos of Seward and the surrounding area.Small Business Saturday was last Saturday,and
over 25 local merchants participated. Two new members had joined the chamber— Gone Again
Charters and Mountain View Sports. December 8, 2017 would be the next chamber luncheon,
featuring Tim Dillon from KPEDD as the speaker, and then January 12,2018 would feature Cindy
Clock talking about the State of the Chamber.
City Manager's Report. Jim Hunt thanked Jackie Wilde for assisting REI with the
permitting for the photo shoot. Hunt noted that while REI had gone through the proper permitting
process,Vans shoes had recently shot a commercial in Seward and had not requested any permitting
whatsoever. Hunt said, as an AML board member,he would be assisting with the search for a new
director. There was an FAA drone pilot program, and Hunt had applied to create an account on
behalf of the city. The Alaska Man Triathlon would be coming soon. He would be attending the
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November 27, 2017 Volume 39, Page 310
Eastern Peninsula Highway Emergency Service Area board meeting tomorrow night.
Assistant City Manager Ron Long said administration planned to bring forward the HP
Plan to council at the December 11, 2017 meeting.
In response to Keil,Electric Utilities Manager John Foutz said there would be training held
in Eugene, Oregon in March, 2018 for "Understanding the Electric Business" and if any council
members wanted to attend, he may be able to pay for their travel out of his training budget.
McClure requested to have more communications to citizens about the Tuesday/Wednesday
street closures for snow removal;she thought people felt blindsided.In response to Towsley,Public
Works Director Doug Schoessler said local businesses had been contacted and informed about the
parking bans when the signs were erected,but he would be happy to provide more public outreach.
In response to Squires,Police Chief Tom Clemons said he didn't recall if the parking tickets
that had been written under state statute or city ordinance;Squires inquired about a potential amnesty
period for fines.
Casagranda requested that all council and administration provide travel reports which include
the total cost for the travel;also,all travel posted in the shared council/administration calendar,and
travel reports be included in agenda packets going forward. Squires agreed that the travel reports
should be provided in writing to the City Clerk. Specifically, Casagranda requested to see travel
reports from the City Manager for March 22-25,2017, October 10-13, 2017 in Maine, October 19-
25,2017 in San Antonio,and November 12-17,2017 in Anchorage for AML. Squires clarified that
sometimes travel was paid for or reimbursed by another entity,and Casagranda said she did not wish
to see reports for travel if paid for by another entity.
Hunt pointed out that Casagranda's request exactly coincided with a public records request
that was recently submitted by a citizen. Hunt said he could not provide that information to the
citizen because that would be compiling records. Hunt added that he had professional obligations
that required him to travel and attend various meetings, and his attendance at these events yielded
valuable information for him, both personally and professionally.
In response to Long, Casagranda said she wished to see the Travel Authorization Forms,
which pre-authorized travel,ahead of time in the event that a member of council felt they could also
benefit from attending the event. All council members were required to complete a Travel
Authorization Form,and so Casagranda felt that her request was not singling anyone out;she added
that her request for the City Manager's travel reports did,in fact,coincide with the citizen's request
because all of council had received the same email.
Keil was concerned about council micromanaging administration's travel budget,and thought
that a written travel report included in the packet would be sufficient.
Towsley felt there was nothing wrong with citizens asking where their public dollars were
being spent,and was becoming concerned with the defensive posture of providing this information.
In response to Towsley, Hunt said the records request had asked for detailed, confidential
information;he would not release information about his personal time.Hunt added that,in addition,
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November 27, 2017 Volume 39, Page 311
the request had asked for the compilation of records,and he was not required to do that.Hunt said it
was one thing to produce a record that already existed, and another to go into a system and create
something in response to a request.
Squires requested that beginning in January, 2018, any planned travel for council and
administration (not department heads) would require, prior to travel taking place: a Travel
Authorization Form to be completed, dates of travel noted on the council/administration shared
calendar, and an email sent to council informing them of upcoming travel plans.
Casagranda thanked administration and the Electric Utilities Department for getting the
Christmas lights up before Small Business Saturday.
City Attorney Report. Will Earnhart stated last month his firm billed 30 hours, with 10
hours of unbilled travel.He had worked on a variety of contracts,including the City Clerk's contract
and the Air Force Rec Camp;he also had responded to some records requests,and had been brought
in on the unfortunate shooting incident at Safeway.
Earnhart thought it was important to clarify that,in his role as city attorney,he did not make
policy, but rather was there to advise. His duty was to represent the city,and he was not an attorney
for any one individual.Earnhart had recently released a memo to council which,although he had not
marked it as confidential,he considered it to be legal advice;the memo had apparently been released
to at least one member of the public, and he knew that because he received a phone call from a
citizen, almost immediately, who read his memo back to him.
He was also concerned that there was at least one council member who had been approaching
city employees for the purpose of asking them questions about their work; he said no member of
council should be"interviewing"employees about their job satisfaction.Earnhart reminded council
that they were policy makers and should not be getting involved with personnel issues;however, if
council was unhappy with the performance of the City Attorney or City Manager,he reminded them
that the annual evaluations for both of those positions would be coming within the next couple of
months, and that would be the time to address any concerns.
Keil pointed out that any confidential documentation provided to council from the City
Attorney would be clearly marked "Confidential," and that if confidential documentation was
distributed outside of the intended audience, that would be a violation.
Other Reports,Announcements and Presentations
Planning and Zoning Commission Quarterly Report(Commissioner Fleming)
Seward High School Student Presentation on Power Generation and Reduction of
Power Costs.
Alaska Public Employees Association (APEA). (Towsley)
Alaska Municipal League (AML) Travel Report by Mayor Squires and Council
Members Casagranda, Horn, and Towsley.
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November 27, 2017 Volume 39, Page 312
Council recessed the meeting at 8:37 p.m.
Council resumed the meeting at 8:43 p.m.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Resolutions 2017-057 through 2017-067, Adopting The 2018-2019 City of Seward Biennial
Budget. (Clerk's Note: These resolutions had a public hearing on October 23, 2017, and were
coming back tonight for a second public hearing and approval).
Original Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-057 through 2017-
067
Finance Director Kris Erchinger said there had been two main changes in the Operating
Budget since the last meeting:in the General Fund,the funding for the Boys and Girls Club had been
fully restored to $35,000, and in the Electric Fund, there had been an accidental duplication in the
Alaska SeaLife Center's utility bill subsidy where it was listed both as a transfer and under revenues
and expenses, so the transfers out from the Electric Fund to the General Fund had been reduced.
Erchinger moved next to the Capital Improvement Plan,and highlighted some changes there,
including: the cemetery repairs and maintenance was a project that was funded, and was reflected
here,as well as in the operating budget;projects that were already underway,or at least a phase had
been accomplished, were highlighted; and, although council had already approved the Electric
Fund's automated meter reading contract in the Operating Budget, it was also listed here because it
was over the Capital Improvement Plan budget threshold.
In response to Squires,Erchinger said one water storage tank had already been grant funded
for repair/refurbishment.
Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public
hearing was opened.
Carol Griswold said she had spent a lot of time looking at the budget, and was concerned
about a number of items, including the increase in the real and personal property mill rate.As well,
she wanted council to consider some of the unnecessary expenses included in the budget: in the
Capital Improvement Plan postpone or reduce the utility sites in Waterfront Park,reduce Parks and
Recreation playground improvements,eliminate the ranger cabin at Two Lakes Park,delete the Fort
Raymond campground restroom and shower,add ADA compliant parking office,and eliminate the
dredging of the north end of the lagoon for fear of a negative fish and wildlife impact. Griswold
urged council to eliminate subsidized winter RV camping;the original intent of the measure was to
promote business in the downtown area,but it had morphed into a de facto long term campground at
the city's expense. She thought that doubling the vehicle and trailer parking fee from$100 to$200
was an enormous jump and people would be upset, particularly the city's loyal boat owners.
No one else appeared to address the Council and the public hearing was closed.
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November 27, 2017 Volume 39, Page 313
Keil said she received an "expression of opinion" from a group of concerned citizens
regarding the electric rates in which they request council to work diligently to reduce electric rates;
she asked the clerk to scan and email it to all of council.
Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Keil) Amend Resolution 2017-057 by striking the
words "2018 and 2018" in the title and
replacing it with "2018 and 2019."
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Consent
Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2017-057 by striking the
4th Whereas completely.
Motion to Amend Failed Yes: Casagranda, Towsley
No: Horn, Keil, McClure, Slater, Squires
Motion to Amend (Towsley/Casagranda) Amend Resolution 2017-067 by removing the
Capital Improvement Plan budget line item
for Ranger Cabin in the amount of$20,000.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
In response to Casagranda, Long said the voters of Seward agreed to the road bond. Long
explained that the difference between real property and personal property was that real property
stayed put, and personal property came and went, like cars and boats. Property taxes went into the
General Fund to pay for the road bonds; the water, sewer and electric tariffs went into Enterprise
Funds and didn't pay off the road bonds.Any funds collected toward the road bond must go toward
paying off the road bond and could not be used for any other purpose.
In response to Squires,Long said the voters went to the polls last October about this proposed
mill rate.In response to Casagranda,Erchinger said debt service was broken down specifically in the
budget.
Main Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2017-077, Amending The Sewer Tariff To Provide For A 2.1% Rate
Adjustment Beginning The First Billing Cycle Of The 2018 Calendar Year, Adding A
Seasonal Turn-On/Turn-Off Fee,Clarifying That Metered Rates Apply Only To Class D
Customers, And Other Minor Housekeeping Changes.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-077
Schoessler said this resolution reflected some seasonal changes, as well as some language
updates. Schoessler said the water fund was in a precarious position because if there was a need to
replace some water lines,the fund may not be able to cover it. Long added that the turn-on/turn-off
was an important feature;because of the large number of seasonal customers,there was was more of
a hardship on year-round residents.In response to Squires,Schoessler said Group A was residential,
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Group B was small business, Group C was large business,and Group D was metered industrial and
large commercial. Long said Groups A, B, and C used water that was incidental to their purpose;
Group D was non-incidental, or, the use of water was an integral part of their operations.
Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public
hearing was opened
Lynda Paquette said she didn't pay for sewer because she was outside city limits, but she
had to live next to the sewer treatment facility. She was concerned that maintenance would soon be
required again on the Lowell Point treatment plant, and she didn't see plans for that in this budget.
No one else appeared to address the Council and the public hearing was closed.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2017-078, Amending The Water Tariff To Provide For A 2.1% Rate Increase,
Clarifying Metered Versus Non-Metered, Increasing Base Rate For 1 1/2" - 2" Meters,
Changing The Seasonal Definition, And Other Minor Housekeeping Issues.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-078
Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public
hearing was opened No one appeared to address the Council and the public hearing was closed.
In response to Towsley, Schoessler said there was not currently as provision in Group A
residential to allow for in-ground heat pumps. If someone was using city water, it would be
processed right back into the sewer system. Schoessler said he was aware of one heat pump currently
in use in town at this time, but he agreed that this issue should be addressed.
Motion Passed Unanimous
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Discuss the Sister City 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2018. Council formed an ad hoc
committee to discuss the plans and bring back suggestions to council.The committee was comprised
of Council Members Casagranda and Slater, and City Clerk Ballou.
Discuss the City Clerk's goals. Council amended the City Clerk's goals:
2017/2018 Goals for City Clerk
1. Upgrade Meeting Recordings (make more user-friendly, improve volume control, pause,
fast forward, rewind abilities)
2. Give advice on rules/procedure on remote electronic participation in council meetings
3. Complete records destruction Ongoing annual process
4. ! :.. . • Obtained in January, 2017
5. Give four informational reports a year(Robert's Rules, procedural, etc.)
6. Assist in the upgrade of the city website New
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7. Provide council with monthly reports of public records requests New
NEW BUSINESS
Resolution 2017-075 Authorizing Signatures For All City Bank Accounts And Rescinding All
Previous Resolutions In Conflict Herewith.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-075
Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2017-075 by striking
"Deputy Finance Director"and replacing it
with "City Clerk".
Casagranda wanted to keep this resolution consistent with the past procedure outlined in
Resolution 2017-004. Squires said he would like to see the Deputy Finance Director remain as a
signer because it was part of their duties. In response to Slater, administration confirmed that both
the Deputy Finance Director and the City Clerk could be added as signers.
Motion to Amend Passed Yes: Slater, Horn, Towsley, Casagranda
No: McClure, Keil, Squires
Main Motion Passed Yes: Towsley, Casagranda, Slater, Keil,
Horn, Squires
No: McClure
Resolution 2017-076,Accepting A Grant In The Amount Of$13,079 From Kenai Mountains—
Turnagain Arm(KMTA)National Heritage Area,Requiring A Local Match Of$1,674 From
Parks And Recreation, To Update Interpretive Panels,And Appropriating Funds.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-076
Motion to Amend (McClure/Casagranda) Amend Resolution 2017-076 by striking
"Kenai Mountain Tourism Association
(KMTA)" and replacing it with "Kenai
Mountains — Turnagain Arm (KMTA)
National Heritage Area" in the title and in
Section 1.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Main Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2017-080, Amending The City Of Seward's Calendar Year 2018 City Legislative
Priorities.
Motion (Casagranda/McClure) Approve Resolution 2017-080
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November 27, 2017 Volume 39, Page 316
Motion to Postpone (Casagranda/McClure) Postpone Resolution 2017-080 to the
December 11, 2017 meeting.
McClure wished to know what the borough's deadline was for including this in their book;
she was concerned that postponing this item would potentially miss the borough's deadline. Keil
thought it would be important to have a work session on this topic.
Motion to Postpone Passed Yes: Slater, Towsley, Horn, Casagranda,
McClure, Keil
No: Squires
Resolution 2017-081,Amending The City Of Seward's Calendar Year 2018 State Legislative
Priorities.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-081
Motion to Postpone (Casagranda/Towsley) Postpone Resolution 2017-081 to the
December 11, 2017 meeting.
Motion to Postpone Passed Yes: Keil, Slater, McClure, Towsley,
Casagranda, Horn
No: Squires
Resolution 2017-082, Establishing The City Of Seward's Calendar Year 2018 Federal
Legislative Priorities.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-082
Motion to Postpone (Casagranda/Towsley) Postpone Resolution 2017-082 to the
December 11, 2017 meeting.
Hunt recommended staying on course with this item,and not postponing it. Keil absolutely
agreed with that because they were the same priorities that the city had been working on for some
time.
In response to Towsley, Hunt and Squires said this priority list was the same in 2016 and
2017.
Casagranda withdrew the motion to postpone with no objection from council.
Main Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2017-083, Approving The City Of Seward's Participation In The Battle Creek
Diversion Project Which Expands The Volume Of Water To Produce Hydroelectric Power
Through The Bradley Lake Project, Of Which The City Has 1% Ownership Interest, And
Approving The Execution Of An Agreement For The Sale And Purchase Of Electric Power
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November 27, 2017 Volume 39, Page 317
(Power Sales Agreement)Relating To The Battle Creek Diversion Project And Appropriating
Funds.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-083
Long said this was an opportunity to participate in a good,clean power project,and it would
put the city in a good position.Foutz said the city was already a member of the Bradley Lake Project;
this would improve synergies and would only get more economical into the future.
Erchinger said this project would be financed by the Battle Creek participants, and the
entities currently participating in the Bradley Lake Project had the option to opt in or out. The total
project would be financed and amortized over the life of a 30-year clean and renewable energy bond,
and the city was being asked to contribute up to a maximum of$42,000 for the purpose of funding
bond reserves,the portion which could not be financed under this particular type of bond. As well,
during the initial two years of the construction project,the city may be asked to contribute up to an
additional $10,000 for capitalized interest on the bond. The electricity cost for this project was
approximately 30% less than any other source.
In response to Squires, Erchinger confirmed that this project would not increase the city's
utility rates.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Council suspended the order of business to take Citizen Comments.
CITIZEN COMMENTS
Pat Messmer said the grievance process had not been fair up to this point, and the police
officers felt like they didn't have representation following critical incidences. Messmer said the
police officers were interested in having a union to have representation, and they were not after
money. There was a lot of angst amongst the officers right now, wondering if they would be
supported if something bad happened.
Carol Griswold suggested a change on the agenda to include a note for citizens to know how
much time they had to speak during a public hearing.Griswold appreciated council being sensitive to
how the public's money was being spent. She wished there was a speaker in the back of the room so
the audience could hear council better. She provided a swan report;she was hoping that the overhead
power lines at the lagoon would get put underground as soon as possible. Griswold appreciated the
work on the trail at Two Lakes Park,and hoped the public would respect the work that was done by
staying on the trails. She felt like she had been heard tonight and she appreciated that.
Towsley requested that the work session for that would be scheduled with the APEA be
broadcast over the radio, if possible.
Council recessed the meeting to November 28, 2017 at 9:00 a.m.
Council resumed the meeting on November 28, 2017 at 9:00 a.m.
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November 27, 2017 Volume 39, Page 318
ROLL CALL
There were present:
David Squires presiding and
Marianna Keil Ristine Casagranda
Sue McClure Erik Slater
Suzanne Towsley Jeremy Horn
Resolution 2017-084,Authorizing The City Manager To Purchase A Road Grader Using The
State Of Alaska Lowest Bid Pricing From Airport Equipment Rental In The Amount Not To
Exceed $309,989.00, And Appropriating Funds In The 2018 Budget.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-084
Long said it had taken a while to navigate through the state's procurement process.
Schoessler said the current road grader was 22 years old, and could potentially be a good piece of
equipment at SMIC where it didn't have to travel great distances. The state bid process had been
used to identify this piece of equipment.
In response to Casagranda,Long said the purchase was being funded out of the Motor Pool.
In response to Towsley, Schoessler said the life expectancy for this grader would be 15 years. In
response to Squires, Schoessler said this model was a John Deere, and the other grader that public111
works had was a Volvo. Schoessler said at this point there were no accessory pieces planned; he
would be using this grader particularly in the downtown area because it was more navigable through
the streets.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Other New Business Items
Schedule a work session with the Alaska Public Employees Association (APEA). Council
scheduled a work session on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. Council directed the City
Attorney and administration to review Seward City Code,Section 3.65,and prepare materials for the
work session.
Schedule a work session to discuss the City, State,and Fedefal Priorities. Council scheduled a
work session on Monday, December 11, 2017 at 5:30 p.m.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS
On-going City Project and Goal List.
September Financial Reports for the City of Seward and Providence Seward Medical and Care
Center.
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November 27, 2017 Volume 39, Page 319
COUNCIL COMMENTS
Casagranda thanked the citizens,administration,and council for allowing her to travel to the
AML Conference. She expressed her condolences to the Toloff family. Casagranda congratulated
downtown Seward for being the "best street in the state". Casagranda gave a shout out to Linnea
Hollingsworth for bringing the play called Church&State to Seward. She congratulated the chamber
and all businesses for a successful Small Business Saturday, encouraged everyone to attend the
Holiday Craft Fair at the cruise ship terminal this weekend, and to shop local for the holidays.
McClure invited everyone to attend the Community Choir Concert on December 7,2017 at
7:00 p.m. McClure was encouraged by the public participation throughout this meeting. She
congratulated and thanked David Kingsland for all his contributions at the school.
Slater thanked the public for coming to meeting last night and this morning.
Towsley thanked Long and Erchinger for walking everyone through the budget. She thanked
the public for coming to the meeting, and was appreciative for being sent to the AML Conference.
Towsley thanked APEA for a great presentation last evening. She said she took very seriously her
duty as a council member to operate transparently, and she planned to follow the example of Hal
Smalley as mentioned earlier.
Squires said he knew he could appear flippant at times, and he apologized to anyone who
thought he was not taking his job as mayor seriously;he assured everyone he was taking his role very
seriously. Squires expressed his condolences to the Toloff and Eads families. He requested that all
council members sign their own Travel Authorization Forms prior to travel, as well as their travel
expense reports after travel was completed. He reminded council that he had requested that each
council member submit three goals to the clerk to add to the priority list.
Long said at AML he had an opportunity to meet with a DOT official regarding the airport;it
appeared that at least some project will play out within the next 4 to 5 years. In the meantime,there
may be some "middle ground" airport projects that the city could consider. Long gave his
condolences to the Toloff and Eads families.
CITIZEN COMMENTS
Norm Regis thanked the council, members from the Port and Commerce Advisory Board
(PACAB),and the citizens who attended the SMIC tour he conducted,and encouraged anyone to feel
free to ask questions.
Lynda Paquette said"great job"to everyone on the meeting last night and today. She said
there were some uncomfortable moments that needed to be acknowledged, and if Seward was to
become the best city it could be, some of these emotional things that came up would need to be
addressed. She had heard a conversation on the radio the week before the election where the host of
the radio program said these meetings were nothing more than a drinking game and fodder for jokes.
Paquette said her initial reaction to hearing that was to stop attending the council meetings because
she didn't want to be laughed at. After she reflected, she decided the comment was actually pretty
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
November 27, 2017 Volume 39, Page 320
accurate because she had witnessed an increasing attitude of bullying, disrespect, ignored phone
calls, refusals to take meetings, and refusals to respond to FOIA requests. She had had one-on-one
conversations with Ron Long in the past about personnel issues she had heard about, and the
approach of administration has always been to say there's no problem. She thought there was a
problem,because when the police department employees sought help from an outside source because
they felt the grievance process had broken down, it was an illustration that there was a problem.
Squires warned Paquette that she was approaching an area of being disrespectful to
employees, and asked her to tone it down.
Paquette apologized if Squires thought that anything she said had been disrespectful. She
was trying to reflect to council what the community saw. She asked council and administration to
take these issues seriously because there had been six years of history now with people voicing
concerns. She wanted to shine a light on the problem,and said that it shouldn't be a surprise that the
union was interested in coming in because history had led them here.
COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS
Towsley said thanked PACAB and the harbor crew for the SMIC tour, and she thanked
Lynda Paquette for sharing her thoughts.
Casagranda thanked Regis for running a good department and keeping council informed,
and thanked Schoessler for walking around to businesses following last night's meeting and letting
them know about the parking ban in effect. Casagranda also thanked Lynda Paquette for speaking.
Squires said he appreciated citizens' comments,and he did understand that there were issues
with employees.He had been in the city for 33 years,and had worked for the city for 30 years.In that
time,he had seen city managers who were really great,and some that were really terrible,but during
his employment he always supported administration for the betterment of the city.He considered that
the city was a family and should support each other during rough times.He did not feel that anyone
in the community was ignored by council or administration, but responses may have been delayed
while other higher priority items were worked on first.
Keil reminded everyone of the protocol for not using personal names during council
meetings.
Hunt passed out responses that administration was providing to a citizen named"Anastacia".
Hunt expressed his concerns regarding the volume of public records requests his office had to
respond to.
Long said if, at any time, he gave anyone an impression that he was unresponsive, he
apologized.He said one contributing cause of the large amount of employee turnover may be due to
seasonal employees. Long said administration was taking employee issues seriously,but they were
also trying to protect employees and personnel matters.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
November 27, 2017 Volume 39, Page 321
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 10:10 a.m.
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