HomeMy WebLinkAbout02262018 City Council Minutes City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
February 26, 2018 Volume 39, Page 369
CALL TO ORDER
The February 26, 2018 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
Christy Terry was in favor of Seward Marine Industrial Center(SMIC)Plan.The Port and
Commerce Advisory Board(PACAB)had taken into consideration citizen comments,and there had
been good attendance at their meetings. PACAB did not believe the Vigor vacation of the shiplift
facility required another revision to the plan.Terry recognized the contributions made by Ron Long,
Norm Regis, Matt Chase, Jackie Wilde, Stefan Nilsson, Eddie Athey, and John Foutz; she also
thanked the city clerk for providing meeting support, and Latesha Layne for plan documentation.
Carol Griswold wished to address the public document requests. She thought that adding a
new column with a name of the requestor was intimidating and went against the spirit of public
records access. Griswold also thought that the number of records requests made would diminish if
more information was made publically available;she suggested adding more information to the city
website for public access.
Rebekah Ivy had attended some recent meetings,and appreciated that council was bringing
up the discussion to hire a third party consultant tonight. She thanked council for listening to the
employees.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
February 26, 2018 Volume 39, Page 370
Lynda Paquette referenced the work of Jonas Salk, and wished Seward would become a
compassionate place to live where employees were respected and could express opinions without
fear of reprisal. Paquette suggested the city should receive training on what it means to be of public
service; citizens should not be considered by employees as "bothersome".
APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda
Assistant City Manager Ron Long removed Resolution 2018-015 and Resolution 2018-018 from
the consent agenda.
Casagranda removed Resolution 2018-014,Resolution 2018-016,and Resolution 2018-017 from the
consent agenda.
McClure requested to clarify the City Attorney Report in the February 12,2018 minutes: "Earnhart
added that, when there was a difference between council and administration, like with the BDO
contract,he was handing those issues off to others in the firm to handle so that the decisions were not
made by him, but rather by a another skilled municipal attorney in the firm."
Casagranda added an item to Other New Business: Schedule a work session to discuss the year end
budget.
Casagranda added an item to Other New Business: Schedule an Executive Session to discuss
threatened litigation.
Motion Passed Unanimous
The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items:
Approval of the February 12, 2018 Regular Meeting Minutes.
Appoint Nathaniel Charbonneau and Kelli Hatfield to the Planning & Zoning Commission
with terms to expire February,2021.
Approval of Liquor License Renewal for The Seward Alehouse, License #324, Beverage
Dispensary.
SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS
Proclamations & Awards—None
Chamber of Commerce Report.Cindy Clock thanked Ron Wille for coming tonight as a
board representative. Clock also thanked Carol Griswold for bringing attention to the birders group
who visited Seward over the weekend. The SMIC relaunch ceremony would be held April 20 &
21,2018,following the SERVs Spill Drill;the Alaska Railroad would be hosting the reception on
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
February 26, 2018 Volume 39, Page 371
April 20,2018.The Rotary International Conference would be May 18-20,2018,coinciding with
the Seward Harbor Opening Weekend,the Blessing of the Fleet, and the Mermaid Festival.
In response to Casagranda, Clock said there was an event calendar on the chamber's
website at seward.com,but the chamber would be interested in having someone take it over due to
staff limitations.Casagranda suggested perhaps the Seward Prevention Coalition or Seaview would
be interested.
In response to McClure,Clock confirmed the Mount Marathon race registration would start
on March 1, 2018 and close on March 31, 2018.
City Manager's Report.Jim Hunt reported the following purchase orders between$10,000
and $50,000 had been approved by the city manager since the last council meeting: $10,287.16 to
Metco for sand; $17,387.20 to Kachemak Electric for surge protectors for the SMIC water well;
$39,732 to Merritt Enterprises for TYC janitorial services; $19,520 to T2 Systems for two Luke II
pay stations;and,$17,508.92 to T2 Systems for an extended warranty for the campground electronic
pay stations.
Long said he had met with a contractor to begin addressing the remodel of the City Hall
restrooms to make them ADA compliant restroom for both genders.
Administration was working on developing a coordinated fleet maintenance program that
would create a uniform approach to maintaining equipment and vehicles, and would result in
common training protocols, checklists, and log books for each piece of equipment. This program
would include all departments with vehicles: Electric, Harbor, Public Works, and Parks &
Recreation.
In Juneau,the city's delegation was invited to attend SMIC relaunch.The American Boat&
Yacht Council would have a nationally recognized certification program in Seward;this represented
a big step forward for Seward,and the state of Alaska.Also while in Juneau,the governor had talked
about a boat and ship building initiative; this could lead to having a positive impact on developing
small boat fishing fleets,fleet consolidation,and support for the tradespeople who knew how to run
and fix boats.
In response to Casagranda, Electric Utility Manager John Foutz confirmed that Lee
Thibert,CEO of Chugach Electric, would be willing to come to a council meeting to discuss the
proposed ML&P merger.Foutz said he would confer with Thibert on scheduling that,and notify the
city clerk when he had something planned.
In response to Squires, Hunt said Fire Chief Eddie Athey was not available for tonight's
meeting,but would provide a report to council on the tsunami event.McClure added that she wished
to see a tsunami inundation map publicized to educate citizens.Towsley requested an update on the
status of the Jesse Lee home for the next meeting.
Other Reports,Announcements and Presentations
Introduction of the Leadership Councils of the Teen,Junior, and Youth Councils
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
February 26, 2018 Volume 39, Page 372
Providence Seward Medical & Care Center Year End Report
Mayor's Travel Report on AML Winter Legislative Conference
PUBLIC HEARINGS—None
UNFINISHED BUSINESS—None
NEW BUSINESS
Resolution 2018-014,Supporting A Building Remodel And New CT Scanner For Providence
Seward Medical And Care Center.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2018-014
Casagranda wondered if this support resolution would obligate the city to any funding;
McClure said this resolution was strictly to support the hospital's efforts to seek their own grant
funding, and confirmed there was no intent with this resolution to commit the city to funds. The
current situation at the hospital, as reported earlier by Joe Fong, was that the CT scanner had just
died and was beyond repair, so this resolution was even more timely.
Motion Approved Unanimous
Resolution 2018-015, Adopting The Updated 2018 Seward Marine Industrial Center
Development Plan.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2018-015
Long commended the Port&Commerce Advisory Board(PACAB)for updating this plan so
expeditiously.He added that many of the improvements realized at SMIC were a direct result of the
public's requests and input.
In response to Casagranda regarding what the future revenue stream would potentially be that
would support future development at SMIC, Long said there was opportunity for new revenues, as
well as reduced costs;as the increased level of activities continued at SMIC,it would be anticipated
that those revenues would offset additional costs for development.
Motion Approved Unanimous
Resolution 2018-016, Retroactively Amending The 2017 Budget To Record Expenditures Of
$77,780.02 Paid By The State Of Alaska On Behalf Of The City Toward The City's Public
Employees Retirement System Liability For The Period July Through December,2017,And
Appropriating Funds.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2018-016
Long said this was a true up for the city's contribution to PERS state retirement.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
February 26, 2018 Volume 39, Page 373
Motion Approved Unanimous
Resolution 2018-017,Approving An Amendment To The Legal Services Agreement With Birch
Horton Bittner & Cherot.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2018-017
Earnhart said this was an at will contract with rates frozen for the next two years, and
included a slight CPI adjustment. No travel was charged, and there were no additional special
projects rates.
Casagranda wished to go out for a Request For Proposals, but understood there were other
more demanding issues the city was currently facing.
Motion Approved Yes: Slater,Horn,Towsley,McClure,Keil,
Squires
No: Casagranda
Resolution 2018-018, Authorizing A Sole Source Purchase Of A Bobcat Toolcat 5600 From
Craig Taylor Equipment Co. Utilizing NJPA Discounted Pricing Available For Governments,
In An Amount Not To Exceed $55,084.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2018-018
Long said this was a motor pool budgeted item. This would allow for interoperability for
snow, forks, and gravel. Having this machine would cut down on overtime as there would be less
waiting time for the staff waiting to free up a small machine. There were a lot of advantages to
having a small machine like this, including versatility and flexibility.
In response to Slater,Long confirmed the city had previously contracted sweeping of parking
lots. In response to Casagranda, Long said they had looked at outside the state, but shipping rates
were not cost effective. In response to Casagranda,Hunt said this would come from the Motor Pool
budget. In response to Squires the city currently owned one other toolcat. Long confirmed that the
price included delivery. In response to Casagranda, Long did not recall the cost of outsourcing the
sweeping.
Motion Approved Yes: McClure, Keil, Horn, Slater, Squires
No: Towsley, Casagranda
Other New Business Items
Discuss the process of conducting a third party investigation of city personnel matters.
Towsley had several citizens ask her to look into this option, and she thought it warranted
having a conversation. Earnhart said approaching an investigation would entail defining the scope
and the goal;this could range anywhere from having an employee poll to a full-blown investigation.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
February 26, 2018 Volume 39, Page 374
Typically,he added,these types of investigations were charged at hourly rates,so defining the scope
would be important, but could be difficult to do.
Long said administration would whole-heartedly support this concept, but he admonished
council to set aside $50,000 or$75,000 and do it right.
Casagranda inquired how council would handle the process.Earnhart suggested working with
administration to create a Request For Proposals (RFP) and then have a committee evaluate the
candidates. He said in order to get the best results, this should be a collaborative effort between
council and administration.
McClure wanted to know if the tax payers would wish council to spend this kind of money to
settle the squabbles of employees.
Towsley was concerned with potential city liability.
Squires didn't think unionizing had any influence on this, and he would wish to have this
come out of council's budget.
Slater wanted to see some kind of real estimate on the cost before any decisions were made.
Long said the RFP language could be positioned so as to not obligate the city to award a contract or
incur any costs associated with responses.
Keil suggested that council direct administration to conduct exit interviews for the next six
months,and then council could consider if they should move forward with an investigation based on
those results. McClure concurred.
The mayor appointed an Ad Hoc Committee consisting of Council Member Horn, Council
Member Casagranda, and Mayor Squires to work with administration to develop a Request
For Proposals.
Schedule work session to discuss year end budget.Council postponed this discussion item to the
next meeting.
Schedule an executive session to discuss threatened litigation.Council requested to add this item
to the next meeting agenda.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS
On-going City Project and Goal List, updated February 12, 2018.
December, 2017 Financial Reports for the City of Seward and Providence Seward Medical and Care
Center.
COUNCIL COMMENTS
City of Sewarcl Alaska City Council Minutes
February 26, 2018 Volume 39, Page 375
Casagranda thanked administration and the Public Works for provided on-the-job student
training. The Teen Rec Room event tonight was great. She appreciated the presentation and update
from Joe Fong, and congratulated to Nathaniel Charbonneau and Kelli Hatfield for their
appointments to the Planning&Zoning Commission.
Keil reminded everyone that there would be a work session tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at the
library to determine employee eligibility for the union.There was another work session the following
day with the Planning & Zoning Commission to discuss the Air Force Rec Camp property. She
encouraged council to read about the Janus case before the Supreme Court regarding unions
collecting agency fees. And she thanked the Teen Councils for tonight's event.
McClure thanked the Teen Rec Room, and also Assembly Member Kenn Carpenter for
coming to the meetings. She had been told by a resident of Nash Road that their power had gone out
a few weeks ago, and the Electric Department had been very responsive.
Towsley thanked PACAB for doing a great job putting together the updated SMIC
Development Plan. She thanked Cindy Clock and Joe Fong for their presentations tonight.
Squires thanked Nathaniel Charbonneau and Kelli Hatfield.The teens at the Teen Rec Room
tonight were great, although they were sharks at air hockey and Skee-Ball (wink). Squires was
concerned about council's image in the public,and admonished council to be careful to separate their
private lives from their public responsibilities.
CITIZEN COMMENTS
Carol Griswold had not been able to attend the last council meeting and work session,but
she had listened to it on the radio.She was excited to see progress being made in the city,particularly
with the grievance procedure. Regarding exit interviews, Griswold offered a laydown of an
organization chart;she thought hiring a new Human Resources manager would be an opportunity to
make a change. Some employees did not have the opportunity to have an exit interview;she offered
a laydown she crafted that might help.Griswold was supportive of the city having a 360 degree peer
review, and said it should be considered a tool, not a threat. Regarding creating a standing appeal
board to consider employee grievances,Griswold had created an application for the city to consider.
COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS
Hunt said Seward's reputation in Juneau was tarnished. Hunt said three cars had followed
him home following his departure from the last council meeting;he added that people in his cul-de-
sac were paying attention and taking down license plates.Hunt stated he wished to have his annual
evaluation held in public.
Squires said thanked Griswold for the work she had done on the grievance and employee
procedures.
Council recessed at 9:25 p.m.
Council resumed at 9:35 p.m.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
February 26, 2018 Volume 39, Page 376
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Go into Executive Session to discuss the City
Manager's evaluation.
Mayor Squires stated the City Manager wished to have his evaluation conducted in a public
session.
Keil stated that the Tabulation Team had received one evaluation after the deadline, and so
two tallies were conducted: one excluding the late evaluation,and one including the late evaluation.
Council unanimously approved the inclusion of the late evaluation.
Council recessed at 9:38 p.m.
Council resumed at 9:42 p.m.
Council approved Keil's request to spell check and fix grammar on the final version.
In response to Squires, Hunt said he didn't have his self-evaluation form with him, but he
recalled that he scored himself fairly high or very high on most of the areas. Hunt said he had been
very efficient with the budget,proactive with the community,receptive to new ideas and criticisms,
and responsive to council.
McClure offered her copy of Hunt's self-evaluation for him to use.
Hunt stated that all his goals had been achieved with the exception of the South Harbor
Uplands, and that was a work-in-progress. The projects that he oversaw had been consistently on
time and within budget; he had not dipped into contingency funds. Hunt said he had a good
relationship with the balance of council, and in the last four years he had pulled in $89 million in
grant funding for the community. Hunt read aloud his accomplishments from his self-evaluation.
On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being Unacceptable and 5 being Excellent, council gave the
following individual averaged scores: Casagranda 2.76; Keil 4.53; Slater 3.62; McClure 4.55;
Towsley .975; Horn 4.2; and, Squires 4.76.
McClure reported that the Tabulation Team's overall averaged score for the city manager was
3.65. On advice of the city attorney, council unanimously approved that the city manager's
evaluation documents used in tonight's meeting were now public record.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 10:27 p.m.
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