HomeMy WebLinkAbout10222018 City Council Minutes City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 22, 2018 Volume 40, Page 553
CALL TO ORDER
The October 22,2018 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00
p.m. by Council Member Sue McClure.
OPENING CEREMONY
Lieutenant Alan Nickell led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
SWEAR IN NEWLY ELECTED OFFICIALS:
1. Sharyl Seese, Council Member, Term Expiring October, 2021
2. John Osenga, Council Member, Term Expiring October, 2021
3. Kelley Lane, Council Member, Term Expiring October, 2020 *
* Council Member Kelley Lane was sworn in on Friday, October 19, 2018 because she would be
travelling tonight with the 50`"Anniversary Sister City delegation to Obihiro, Japan.
ROLL CALL
There were present:
Sue McClure presiding and
Suzanne Towsley Sharyl Seese
John Osenga
comprising a quorum of the Council; and
Jeff Bridges, Interim City Manager
Brenda Ballou, City Clerk
Absent—Horn, Lane, Squires
CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR
PUBLIC HEARING
Justin Sternberg was the new Blue Pipeline manager;the K.M. Rae Building would be his
new office. Six applicants from Seward had applied for the incubator;there would be two rounds of
interviews to review the applicants. Sternberg thanked the Chamber of Commerce for their support,
and Jenn Elhard at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. There would be a conference on May 23 &
24, 2019 at which Sternberg was hoping to bring 50 people to Seward from around the world,plus
between 50 and 100 Alaskans, to discuss fishing and marine industries.
Brad Snowden brought an image of the cruise ship dock he wished to see built. He wanted
to then build a parking lot where the waterfall was.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 22, 2018 Volume 40, Page 554
Christy Terry said, although Norm Regis was out of state, she wished to speak about the
success of the Harbormasters Conference held in Seward two weeks ago. Terry thanked local
businesses for their support, and commended the Harbor Department for their hard work.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA
Motion (Towsley/Seese) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda
McClure noted that the proclamation for Lee Poleske was included in the city calendar,but was not
on the agenda for tonight; this item would come on November 26, 2018.
McClure added an item to Other New Business to appoint Lynda Paquette and Erin Lemas to the
Port & Commerce Advisory Board with terms to expire July, 2021.
Motion Passed Unanimous
The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items:
Approval of the October 1, 2018 Special Meeting Minutes.
Approval of the October 8, 2018 Regular Meeting Minutes.
Resolution 2018-084, Approving Amendment #1 To The Employment Agreement With The City
Clerk And Appropriating Funds.
SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS
Proclamations & Awards—None
Chamber of Commerce Report. Jen Leahy welcomed the newly-elected officials to
council and invited them to reach out for any information.Chamber membership was staying solid at
about 400 members, thanks to Kris Harris. Last week there was a Pioneers Conference, and
Harbormasters Conference;the chamber assisted with both,and local businesses reported a bump in
business during both events.
Bear glacier would be featured on the statewide visitors guide. The Seward destination guide
would be created in-house at the chamber for 2019.Small Business Saturday,November 24,2018.
City Manager Report. Interim City Manager Jeff Bridges reported the following
purchase order between$5,000 and $30,000 had been approved by the City Manager since the last
council meeting: $548,376 to Jaffa Construction for the Lowell Canyon water storage tank
refurbishment project.
The Parks & Recreation Department has released a Request for Proposals for cleaning
services with the following criteria:
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 22, 2018 Volume 40, Page 555
Clarity of the Proposal 5%
Performance, Experience, and Quality of Work 35%
in Providing Services of a Similar Nature
Organizational Structure (including financial 20%
stability), Equipment and Personnel
Qualifications& Resources Available for
Performance of the Agreement and timeliness
of similar projects
Additional Services That May Be Provided 5%
by the Proposer
Cost to the City 35%
100%
Bridges congratulated Harbormaster Norm Regis for receiving the Harbormaster of the Year
award, and Police Chief Tom Clemons for being sworn into executive committee for the
International Association of the Chiefs of Police. Kris Erchinger had been selected to serve on
Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) special review committee for excellence in
financial reporting.
The Public Works Department did not have to get called out over this weekend for weather
issues. Bridges would not close out the city's Declaration of Emergency for a few days until there
was stable weather predicted.
Bridges read a synopsis of the report regarding the investigation regarding: the propriety of
all the statements made by the finance director on August 22,2018 to determine if in violation of the
city's defamation and harassment policy and to determine if there was a violation of confidentiality
or personnel code, and gate the allegations of fraud against Towsley,and to provide a report to the
public. Towsley thanked Bridges for conducting the investigation in a professional and expedient
manner.
In response to Towsley,Public Works Director Doug Schoessler said,although today was a
nice day,there was still a prediction of up to 3 inches of rain starting at 4:00 a.m.tomorrow. There
was a concern about ground water pressure;at this point,all we needed was time to allow the water
to settle.
Seese thanked the Public Works Department for being so attentive and responsive during this
flood event. McClure noted that the borough was paying close attention to this event as well.
Schoessler added that State Representative Chenault and State Senator Micciche had toured the city,
and U.S. Senator Murkowski would be in Seward tomorrow.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 22, 2018 Volume 40, Page 556
In response to Towsley, Assistant City Manager Brennan Hickok said Andy Baker
conducted a site visit to Lowell Canyon.
City Attorney Report. The City Attorney Report is being provided in tonight's agenda
packet, but will not be discussed until the November 26, 2018 meeting when the City Attorney is
present.
Other Reports, Announcements and Presentations
Homeless Connection by Carolyn Roloff, M.D.
Providence Seward Medical & Care Center Report by Joe Fong
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Ordinances for Public Hearing & Enactment
Ordinance 2018-009,Amending The Zoning And Land Use Plan Designation Of City Owned
Lot 7A, Fort Raymond Subdivision Replat Number 1, Located At 2101 Dimond Boulevard,
From Institutional(INS)To Auto Commercial(AC). This ordinance was introduced on October
8, 2018 and is coming tonight for a public hearing and enactment.
Motion (Seese/Towsley) Enact Ordinance 2018-009
City Planner Jackie Wilde said rezoning this Fort Raymond property to allow for different
uses, including commercial and residential.
Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public
hearing was opened. No one appeared and the public hearing was closed.
In response to McClure, Wilde said the Planning& Zoning Commission had unanimously
supported this rezone.
Motion Passed Unanimous
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Motion (Seese/Towsley) Approve the September 24,2018 Regular
Meeting Minutes.
Motion to Amend Amend the September 24, 2018 regular
meeting minutes by accepting the Clerk's
note and clarifications.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 22, 2018 Volume 40, Page 557
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Motion Passed Unanimous
NEW BUSINESS
Nominate, elect, and swear-in a council member as Vice Mayor.
Towsley nominated McClure.No other nominations were asserted. By unanimous consent,council
voted McClure as Vice Mayor.
McClure took her oath of office and returned to her seat at the dais.
Appoint a council liaison or direct individual Boards& Commissions to give periodic reports
to the City Council.
By unanimous consent, council directed the following reporting schedule for 2019:
Planning & Zoning Commission
1Q19 Report in person at a council meeting
2Q19 Submit written report to city clerk for inclusion in council packet
3Q19 Report in person at a council meeting
4Q19 Submit written report to city clerk for inclusion in council packet
Port& Commerce Advisory Board *
1Q19 Report in person at a council meeting
2Q19 Submit written report to city clerk for inclusion in council packet
3Q19 Report in person at a council meeting
4Q19 Submit written report to city clerk for inclusion in council packet
Historic Preservation Commission
Provide annual report to council
* In addition, council appointed Towsley as liaison to the Port & Commerce Advsiory Board.
Appoint a city representative to the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District
(KPEDD).
By unanimous consent, council appointed Lane to be the city's representative for the calendar year
2019.
Appoint City Council Liaison to the Seward Community Health Center Coordinating
Committee.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 22, 2018 Volume 40, Page 558
By unanimous consent, council appointed Seese to be the council's representative on the
Coordinating Committee for the Seward Community Health Center.
Discuss rescheduling or cancelling the Wednesday, December 26, 2018 regular City Council
meeting. City offices will be closed from 12:00 p.m. on Monday, December 24, 2018 and all day on
Tuesday, December 25, 2018 in observance of Christmas.
By unanimous consent, council cancelled the December 26, 2018 regular council meeting.
Schedule a training work session to review and discuss City Council Rules of Procedure,
workflows, processes, and practices. (Target early to mid-December)
Council scheduled a work session to review the City Council Rules of Procedure on Monday,
December 10, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Amend the topic for the November 9,2018 work session to be: 1) Discuss procedures for the
permanent city manager hire, and 2) Review and discuss mid-cycle budget amendments.
By unanimous consent, council amended topic of the work session.
Appoint Lynda Paquette and Erin Lemas to the Port & Commerce Advisory Board.
By unanimous consent,council appointed Lynda Paquette and Erin Lemas to the Port&Commerce
Advisory Board, with terms to expire in July, 2021.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS
City Clerk's memo announcing City Clerk's office closure November 13-14, 2018.
On-Going City Projects and Goals.
August, 2018 Financial Reports for the City of Seward and Providence Seward Medical and Care
Center.
Certificate of Achievement awarded to City of Seward by Health Resources and Services
Administration (HRSA).
COUNCIL COMMENTS
Towsley was committed to serving on council and to using transparency,and urged everyone
to be patient with the public process while the call for investigation was made. She was looking
forward to continuing to serve for the next year.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 22, 2018 Volume 40, Page 559
Osenga thanked everyone and said he enjoyed his first meeting and was looking forward to
serving on council.
Seese reported that the Pioneers Conference was well attended last week, and it was a
pleasure having them in town.
McClure congratulated everyone on council,the new PACAB members,and Norm Regis on
his award. She thanked everyone for their responsiveness with the flood event;there had been a good
response from the borough.McClure appreciated the Electric Department for repairing street lights;
she used Seward Listens on the city website to report street light outages, and received a quick
response. McClure thanked her fellow council members for choosing her as vice mayor.
CITIZEN COMMENTS
Patrick Messmer was the president of the Seward Alaska Public Employees Association;he
thanked council, administration, and the employees for supporting the union. It had been one year
since the police officer involved shooting, so this was a tough time,but he appreciated everyone's
support.
Christy Terry welcomed Lynda Paquette and Erin Lemas to the Port&Commerce Advisory
Board, and she was happy to have Towsley as council liaison. Terry thanked Joe Fong for his
dedication to the community of Seward, and Angela Schwertfeger for all her work on the
Harbormasters Conference.
Rissie Casagranda thanked Terry for organizing the Harbormasters Conference. She
congratulated all the newly-elected council members and vice mayor McClure. The investigation
report provided by the city manager created new questions for her;she wondered why two personnel
files had disappeared, and encouraged council to consider conducting a forensic audit on the city.
Thanked Doug Schoessler and the Public Works Department for their responsiveness to the recent
flooding. Casagranda thanked Lynda Paquette and Erin Lemas for submitting applications for
PACAB. She wished to have clarification about who would be conducting the training on the City
Council Rules of Procedure; she did not think it would be a good idea to pay the city attorneys to
conduct any more training due to the expense.
COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS
Seese agreed that the city attorneys did not need to be involved with the training. She
suggested perhaps an outside accountant should conduct a two-tier audit.
McClure said the city clerk would work with administration for the training.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Motion (Towsley/Seese) Go into Executive Session to discuss
negotiation strategy for the APEA contract.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 22,2018 Volume 40,Page 560
Motion Passed Unanimous
Council invited Interim City Manager Jeff Bridges,Assistant City Manager Brennan Hickok, and
Finance Director Kris Erchinger to remain. City Attorney Will Earnhart was contacted
telephonically.
Council recessed at 8:41 pm.
Council resumed at 8:48 pm.
Council went into executive session at 8:48 pm.
Council came out of executive session at 9:21 pm.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9: 21 p.m.
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Brenda J. Ballou, MC Sue McClure
City Clerk Vice Mayor
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