HomeMy WebLinkAbout06252018 City Council MinutesCity of Seward, Alaska
June 25, 2018
CALL TO ORDER
City Council Minutes
Volume 39, Page 453
The June 25, 2018 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00
p.m. by Mayor David Squires.
OPENING CEREMONY
Lt. Doreen Valadez led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
ROLL CALL
There were present:
David Squires presiding and
Marianna Keil
Sue McClure
Jeremy Horn
comprising a quorum of the Council; and
Ron Long, Assistant City Manager
Brenda Ballou, City Clerk
Absent — None
Vacant — One
Ristine Casagranda
Suzanne Towsley
CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR
PUBLIC HEARING
Todd Marcus said he lived at Lowell Point and asked if it would be possible to trim the
bushes along the side of Lowell Point Road; he thought in some places it might yield an additional
two to three feet of width advantage. Marcus also said that if additional signage along the road was
added, that would also be helpful.
Tim Jagielski came from Michigan, and was a principal with JAG, a company he started in
2011. Jagielski came tonight to introduce himself and request that an open forum be held on
Wednesday, June 27, 2018 between JAG, council, and the public. JAG had already started hiring
local employees, and the company wanted to be part of the community.
Bill Mans wanted to speak about Resolution 2018-053; the city had been unable to put a tape
through the sewer pipe on his property because of the angles of the pipes. He felt he had already gone
above and beyond his duty to try to discover where the sewer lines went, and thought the city should
step in and assist.
Carol Griswold appreciated the two candidates who put in their applications for council, and
expressed her support for Sharyl Seese because of her involvement in community matters.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
June 25, 2018 Volume 39, Page 454
Bob Linville came tonight to support Sharyl Seese as a council candidate because she was
very helpful and involved in the community.
Karin Sturdy said Parks & Recreation revenues were up 19%. The Parking Department
reached $100,000 in June, but permit parking revenues were down. The Teen & Youth Center (TYC)
averaged 50 campers each week. The ALPAR litter patrol group started today; they were still
searching for a leader.
Brooke Andrews was a member of the Port & Commerce Advisory Board (PACAB). She
wished to support Sharyl Seese because of Seese's background in finance.
Iris Darling urged council to appoint Sharyl Seese to council because she was a well -
respected business person in the community, and because she had a background in finance. Darling
thought it was a rare opportunity to fill the vacant council seat with someone so experienced.
Tom Mudgett said he was new to the city, and said he supported Sharyl Seese because her
concerns were with the community.
Sharyl Seese was here to talk about the signs at the Jeep trail; although one of the signs had
been removed, the message to parkers was still unclear, and she worried emergency vehicle access.
Kelley Lane supported Sharyl Seese for the vacant council seat. She encouraged council to
consider the experience that Seese had to offer, particularly the finance area. Lane thanked council
for being dedicated to serving the community.
Tim McDonald encouraged council to consider including all residents out to Mile 8 in the
city's affairs; he thought council needed to step up in the face of opposition and give everyone a
vote.
Patrick Messmer supported Sharyl Seese for council because she has attended council
meetings and was involved.
Lynda Paquette said annexation was a big issue, and there were a lot of considerations that
had to be discussed and addressed. In her recollection, from the last annexation attempts, it wasn't
financially advantageous to annex. Paquette was pleased that Sharyl Seese was throwing her hat into
the ring for council. She agreed that the brush and trees along Lowell Point Road had grown quite a
bit. Paquette implored council to get some kind of signage on Lowell Point Road.
John Osenga was a lifelong Seward resident who worked at Seward Windsong Lodge. He
was a council member for the Qutekcak Native Tribe. Osenga was here to ask for consideration to
appoint him to fill the vacant council seat. He wanted to get involved in the city, listen to citizens,
and learn everything he could about how things worked. He wished to promote the strength and
health of Seward, and to advocate for the City of Seward.
Laura Schneider asked council to have a public work session to discuss JAG; she said there
were a lot of stakeholders in Seward who had an interest in the shipyard.
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June 25, 2018 Volume 39, Page 455
Mary Lutz would be purchasing the property at 408 Madison from the city, and wished to
know where the sewer line was located and when it had been installed.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA
Motion (Keil/Casagranda)
Keil pulled Resolution 2018-053 from the agenda.
Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda
Keil added an item to Other New Business to schedule a work session with BDO, LLC for an audit
presentation.
Keil added an item to Other New Business to schedule a work session with JAG.
Casagranda removed the Introduction of Ordinance 2018-004 from the consent agenda.
Towsley added an item to Other New Business to discuss scheduling an executive session at the next
council meeting.
Motion Passed
Unanimous
The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items:
Resolution 2018-057, Adopting The Planning And Zoning Commission Priorities From
April 2018 To April 2019.
Approval of the June 11, 2018 Regular Meeting Minutes.
SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS
Proclamations & Awards — None
Chamber of Commerce Report. Cindy Clock reported that the final details for the 91"
Mount Marathon Race and Festival on July 4, 2018 were being completed. Chamber membership
had grown to 405 businesses. Kenai Mountains Media (KIBH 91.7 FM) would be moving out of the
chamber building in the next couple of months to allow the chamber to expand their staff. The
Halibut Tournament would end on Saturday, June 30, 2018, and there had been a 212-pound halibut
brought in yesterday. Clock encouraged everyone to reach out to the assembly to support the
borough's marketing budget.
In response to Casagranda, Clock said the job description for the new director position for the
Blue Ocean Incubator Project was posted and encouraged anyone to apply who would be interested.
City Manager Report. Ron Long reported the following purchase orders between $10,000
and $50,000 have been approved by the City Manager since the last council meeting: $227,613 to
Altec for a new Peterbilt; $18,931 to T2 Systems for Luke Pay Stations; $10,560 to Warning Lites
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
June 25, 2018 Volume 39, Page 456
for parking signs, and $10,527 to Puffin Electric for electric rack on N Dock.
Regarding Lowell Point Road signage, Long said the city would be installing cautionary
signs, not traffic signs. Regarding the brush along the side of the road, the city would take a look at
the conditions and if it was safe for workers to access, they could address the problem.
In response to Keil, Long said the Luke pay stations referred to in the purchase order report
were replacements.
Casagranda commented that council had not received any financial reports since December,
2017. In response, Finance Director Kris Erchinger said there had not been enough staffto provide
the reports, and their priority had been working on the meter exchange project and providing
undisrupted billing services. Erchinger said her department would provide them as soon as possible.
In response to McClure, Long said removing the overhead electric lines at the lagoon would
be a two-step process: first, the overhead lines would need to be removed, and second, the poles
would be chopped down to a safe height and the top cross bars replaced to allow birds to perch.
However, the current priority for the city was to address customer issues while the weather was
cooperative. Long added that the underground lines were energized, and the overhead lines were de -
energized.
In response to Towsley, Long did not have an estimated timeframe for getting the signs up on
Lowell Point Road.
Other Reports, Announcements and Presentations
Statements from applicants interested in the vacant City Council seat: John Osenga and
Sharyl Seese.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Resolutions Requiring Public Hearing
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This resolution was pulled from the agenda.
Resolution 2018-055, Approving An Amended And Restated 20 Year Lease With Two Five -
Year Extensions With Icicle Seafoods For Lots 2A, 3A Block 2 Marina Subdivision Replat No.
96-28, Seward, Alaska.
Motion (Keii/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2018-055
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June 25, 2018 Volume 39, Page 457
Long said the current lease was exhausted, and this new lease would update the language and
terms to be more in keeping with current protocols, and would address items such as CPI escalators,
performance clauses, etc.
Notice of the public hearing being posted and publ fished as required by law was noted and the public
hearing was opened.
Carol Griswold said she supported Icicle Seafoods because they had been a strong
community contributor for many years. She remained concerned, however, with the employee
tents/housing situation; she wished to abolish the use of tents for employees entirely, and felt that
employees deserved better. She asked to have language added to the contract to require safe housing
for the employees.
No one else appeared to address the Council and the public hearing was closed.
In response to Casagranda, Long said the original contract had yielded approximately
$75,000 in revenue annually and the new lease would yield $124,000.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2018-056, Approving A License For Real Property With The United States
Government For Continued Use Of A Portion Of Lot 1 Block 10 Fourth Of July Creek
Subdivision, To Be Used For A Weather Radio Transmitter Site.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda)
Approve Resolution 2018-056
Long said this lease was a 15 foot x 20 foot piece of property across the bay that was used by
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for a weather station.
Notice of the public hearing being posted and publ fished 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.
Motion Passed Unanimous
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Ordinances for Introduction
Ordinance 2018-003, To Revise Seward City Code 3.40, Grievance Procedure. The introduction
of this ordinance was postponed from the June 11, 2018 meeting. After introduction tonight, this
ordinance will come for a public hearing on July 9, 2018, and a second public hearing and
enactment on July 23, 2018.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda)
Introduce Ordinance 2018-003
Long said referred to the laydown resolution that had been provided by the city attorney.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
June 25, 2018 Volume 39, Page 458
In response to Squires, Erchinger summarized the suggested changes proposed by the city
attorney. The first difference would be to address any abuse of the grievance process through city
policy. A second change would include alleged violations of city code in the hearing process, along
with questions of substantive discipline. Third, there was a recommendation to eliminate having
citizens act as a hearing board and instead utilize the state Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH)
in order to mitigate blurry lines between legislation and quasi-judicial duties.
Motion to Amend (Keil/McClure) Amend Ordinance 2018-003 by adopting the
substitute version as provided by the city
attorney.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Keil commented that she wished any council member who desired to make amendments to
this ordinance going forward, to please provide the information to administration in advance to
enable ample time to prepare.
Main Motion Passed Unanimous
Other New Business
Ordinance 2018-004, Amending Portions Of Seward City Code 15.10.140 Definitions;
15.10.215 Parking; 15.10.220 Development Requirements; 15.10.220 Development
Requirements Table; And 15.10.226 Land Uses Allowed Table. This ordinance was introduced
tonight and will come for public hearing and enactment on July 9, 2018.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Introduce Ordinance 2018-004
City Planner Jackie Wilde said these proposed code changes were primarily brought
forward by citizens. The Planning & Zoning Commission had held several work sessions and
meetings on this topic, and had considered lots of citizen input. Wilde summarized the impact of this
ordinance: there was a section added to the Notes to require Open Space, a change to parking
requirements, and a definition for Studio Apartment was added. The Open Space of a property would
now be based on the total area of the property minus setbacks.
In response to Casagranda, Wilde said the impact of this code change would support more
high -density housing, and would allow the opportunity to build on a smaller lot. Long concurred that
this would support high -density housing.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Vote and appoint a qualified candidate to fill the council vacancy with a term to expire
October, 2018. Applicants are: John Osenga and Sharyl Seese.
City Clerk Brenda Ballou passed out ballots to council, collected them, and read the first vote
counts: three (3) votes for Osenga and three (3) votes for Seese.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
June 25, 2018 Volume 39, Page 459
Ballou explained that the tie vote enabled council to recast their ballots.
Ballou passed out ballots to council, collected them, and read the second vote counts: two (2)
votes for Osenga and four (4) votes for Seese.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Appoint Sharyl Seese to the vacant council
seat with a term to expire October, 2018.
Motion Passed Unanimous
City Clerk Brenda Ballou swore in new council member Seese and she took her seat at the
dais.
Schedule a work session with City Attorneys Holly Wells and Katie Davies to discuss Conflicts
of Interest, Ethics, and Public Records Requests.
Council scheduled a work session on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Schedule a work session with BDO, LLC for an audit presentation.
Council scheduled a work session on Monday, July 9, 2018 at 4:30 p.m.
Schedule a work session with JAG.
Council scheduled a work session on Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.
Discuss scheduling an executive session at the next council meeting. Towsley wished to schedule
an executive session for matters the immediate knowledge of which would clearly have an adverse
effect on the finances of the city, and matters pertaining to threatened or pending litigation. In
response to Keil, Towsley stated her concern was in response to a letter dated February 14, 2018 and
statements made during the council meeting on May 14, 2018.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS
On -Going City Projects and Goals.
Kenai Peninsula Borough Industry Appreciation Day invitation.
COUNCIL COMMENTS
Keil made an appeal to local residents for homestays for visiting students and adults from
Obihiro, Japan. She thanked John Osenga for applying for the council vacancy, and encouraged him
to consider running in the election in October.
McClure was the city's representative on the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development
District (KPEDD); they met every two months and she had been attending telephonically. She
thanked everyone for attending the June 21, 2018 solstice cemetery walk. McClure thanked both
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
June 25, 2018 Volume 39, Page 460
candidates for being bold and putting in for the council vacancy; she encouraged John Osenga to
apply in the fall. She had attended the last SOS Pets meeting, and the project for the new animal
shelter was moving along. McClure thanked everyone for coming out tonight.
Towsley thanked John Osenga and Sharyl Seese for putting their names in the hat. She
thanked the citizens for coming and speaking.
Casagranda thanked Public Works for responding to citizen requests for signage on Lowell
Point Road, and she thanked administration for listening to the people. She welcomes Sharyl Seese
to council, and thanked John Osenga for running. Casagranda thanked everyone for coming, giving
input, and paying attention, and wished everyone a Happy 4 h of July holiday.
Seese said the cemetery tour was great. She thanked everyone for voting her in, and was
hoping to be able to get into the finances.
Squires thanked Joe Fong for inviting him to a rededication ceremony at Seward Mountain
Haven. Squires had had the opportunity to present a city plaque to the captain of the Norwegian
Jewel for its maiden voyage.
CITIZEN COMMENTS
Bob Linville thanked John Osenga for running; he appreciated everyone who was serving on
council. Linville's main concern was the JAG lease, and he asked if the public would be able to see a
draft lease at the work session. Linville wished to see Alaska employment credits be included in the
JAG lease.
Brad Snowden wanted to talk about his proposal for a cruise ship dock, and shared his
dream of having the Alaska Railroad tracks run right into downtown.
Lynda Paquette said it was time to do something to give residents outside of city limits a
voice; there were a lot of people who were not being represented. One of the fiustrations for Lowell
Point residents was that the landslide along Lowell Point Road had happened in 2012; that was a
long time ago. Paquette wished to see some kind of work done to mitigate the rockslides along that
road. Paquette said she had received an email from one of her customers on June 17, 2018 who
complained about the condition of Lowell Point Road; she would be asking the city to reimburse her
for that lost reservation.
COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS
Keil agreed that local hire was a good thing, but sometimes certain skills required simply
hiring the right person. Regarding annexation, Keil believed that citizens should bring the concept
forward and not wait for council.
Long said the work session with JAG would review the shipyard lease.
Squires agreed with Keil that annexation should originate from citizens.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
June 25, 2018 Volume 39, Page 461
Regarding advisory boards, Squires reminded council that they had no legal authority for
activities outside of city limits.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:08 p.m.
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City Clerk
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David Squires
Mayor