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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11122013 City Council Minutes City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes November 12, 2013 Volume 39, Page 22N CALL TO ORDER Ism The November 12, 2013 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Jean Bardarson. OPENING CEREMONY Police Chief Torn Clemons led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: Jean Bardarson presiding and Marianna Keil Vanta Shafer Ristine Casagranda Christy Terry David Squires comprising a quorum of the Council; and Jim Hunt, City Manager Johanna Kinney, City Clerk Brenda Ballou, Deputy City Clerk Absent—None Vacant— One CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Paul Paquette spoke about the Lowell Point wastewater treatment facility. He said the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation(ADEC)and governor's office were fully aware that the lagoon needed to be dredged and the sludge removed. He urged council to act quickly. Tim McDonald said he was concerned about the Lease Agreement and Maintenance and Operating Agreement contracts between the City of Seward and Seward Ship's DryDock(SSDD). He thought the contract was unfair to the city,and left the city with no ownership of the property but all the responsibility for its maintenance and liability. He called for council to perform a forensic audit on these agreements between the city and SSDD. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Terry/Keil) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes November 12, 2013 Volume 39, Page 229 Squires requested to reorder the items under Other New Business by moving Items#3 and#4 (Vole and appoint qualified candidate to fill the council vacancy with a term to expire October 2014) into the second and third positions, respectively, and moving all other items down. Casagranda requested Resolution 2013-102 be pulled from the consent agenda. Terry requested Resolution 2013-104 be added to the consent agenda. Shafer requested to add a new item#7 under Other New Business to schedule a work session to discuss the Federally Qualified Healthcare Center (FQHC). Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Resolution 2013-104,Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into An Agreement With The Army Corps Of Engineers To Inspect The Lowell Creek Flood Diversion,With An Agreement Total Of$50,000,And A City Share Of 50%,Shared Amount Of$25,000,And Appropriating Funds. Non-objection to the liquor license renewals for Peking Restaurant,Gateway Liquor&Food Mart, Seward Brewing Co. Restaurant, and Seward Brewing Co. Brewpub. Mayor Bardarson communicated her wishes for council procedures going forward and solicited council's feedback, which yielded no objections. The adjustments to council procedures included: 1. Remove the Mayor's Report because the mayor and city manager often attended the same meetings and events; she would add any additional information necessary following the city manager's report; and, 2. The City Manager's Report would be more administrative and high-level, and less departmental and duty-related; the report would also include administration's responses to any unanswered questions council asked at the previous City Council meeting; and, 3. Council Members would be more involved in presenting proclamations; and, 4. In order to make the City Council meetings more business-like and efficient, items coming before council that resulted in lengthy discussions or an abundance of questions would be scheduled for a work session; council members would be welcome to ask questions and have discussion, but if an abundance of questions and discussion occurred a work session should be scheduled. SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Proclamations & Awards Introduction of Teen and Youth Council Members eri Recognition for outgoing members of council: City ofSeward, Alaska City Council Minutes November 12, 2013 t'oltrme 39, Page 230 • Mayor David Seaward • Council Member Bob Valdatta Borough Assembly Report,Sue McClure stated the assembly had had two meetings since her last report. The new assembly president of the assembly was Hal Smalley,and Bill Smith from Homer was the new vice president. McClure had recently joined the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District (KPEDD) as a borough representative, replacing Linda Murphy. At the October 2013 meeting, the assembly had passed a$43 million revenue bond to expand the clinic at Central Peninsula Hospital. At the November 2013 meeting,the assembly authorized$1.9 million to close the Homer landfill; the bond sale of$23 million was authorized for the school roofs; and, a disaster was declared officially due to the flooding throughout the borough, and appropriated $500,000 for flood damage repairs. The next meeting would be December 3,2013 at 6:00 p.m. and would be broadcast on the radio at FM 88.1. City Manager's Report,City Manager Jim Hunt stated the following purchase orders had been approved since the last meeting: Anchorage Sand&Gravel for$16,845 for Jersey Barriers for Lowell Creek Bridge,to be reimbursed under the September 2012 flood event; CMI for$15,500 for the lease of a Volvo 460 excavator,to be reimbursed under the October 2013 flood event; Potelcom Supply for $22,500 for the purchase of electrical wire. Administration and Public Works met with representatives from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and Loren Leman from M.L. Foster about the Lowell Point Lagoon; they discussed sludge removal, odor control and permitting requirements. Lowell Point residents would be informed of the goals and timelines pertaining to the lagoon. A contract had been signed with Harmon Construction in an amount not to exceed$22,200 to complete siding repair on the Fire Station;this project would be completed by year end. The Seward Volunteer Fire Department wanted to recognize the following status changes: Jonathan Gage to the rank of Captain,Michael Vander Vegt to the rank of Lieutenant,and Michael McHone,Terry Moon and Wally Corrigan to the rank of Engineer. The Port and Commerce Advisory Board (PACAB) had reviewed the preliminary design report for a new public crane, and had scheduled further review on December 4, 2013. The washdown pad rules and rates were also being revised and reviewed by PACAB. Abatement of asbestos in the Harbormaster Restrooms was completed on November 7,2013. The concrete floors in the restrooms were currently being sawed and jackhammered.Harbor staff had resumed work on a proposal to make guest (transient) moorage rates more flexible. Moorage contract renewal letters would be mailed this week via first class USPS mail. The City of Seward and the Seward Community Health Center(SCHC)had been awarded an Affordable Care Act Grant to establish a new Federally Qualified Health Center(FQHC)in Seward in the amount of$775,000 for the first year and $650,000 for the second year. Homeland Security had finally recognized the emergent nature of the Lowell Canyon water issue,along with U.S.Army Corps of Engineers, which may result in monitoring equipment being installed. Shafer reminded administration that council had supported spending $5,000 to obtain a City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes November 12, 2013 Volume 39, Page 231 second opinion on the Lowell Point Sewage Lagoon issue,and said she would like to see that moved forward. Long responded that administration was currently preparing the Request for Proposals for that project. In response to Casagranda, Hunt said the sludge removal for the Lowell Point Sewage Lagoon project was completely contingent on funding, and that the city would need a source of funding before releasing a Request for Proposals. Bardarson reported that, as a Seward Community Health Center board member, she had attended a conference in Seattle relating to Community Health Centers. Other Reports, Announcements and Presentations Presentation by Ed Morrison of Strategy-Nets on the Seward Economic Growth Plan. Statements from applicants interested in the vacant City Council seat: Robert Thomas, Dale Butts, Tim McDonald, and John French. PUBLIC HEARINGS Resolutions Requiring Public Hearing Resolution 2013-097,Amending The Wastewater Tariff By Upward Adjusting All Rates And Fees By 5.2% Effective The First Billing Cycle In January 2014. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Tim McDonald categorically objected to passing any of these budget resolutions because the Seward Marine Industrial Center (SMIC) fund was deficient. No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed. Motion (Terry/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2013-097 Keil said no one liked to raise rates,and previous councils had not raised rates commensurate with infrastructure and maintenance issues. She would vote for the rate increases, even though she didn't like to. Casagranda suggested that there were other things that could be done within the budget rather than raise rates. Terry was in favor of this resolution and said the focus should be on fixing the city's infrastructure. Shafer was in favor of raising the rates at this time, but said for the next budget cycle there should be better infrastructure reporting on what had been repaired versus what needed to be repaired. She also suggested council revisit this issue again in the future to determine whether to continue tying the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to various budget funds. City of Seward, Alaska C'i/v Council Minutes November 12, 2013 Volume 39, Page 232 Hunt said when the city applied for loans through the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation(ADEC), it was necessary for the city to demonstrate the ability to repay those loans. Therefore, the rates needed to be raised in order to show that that city could repay the loans; the greater the ability to repay loans, the higher the score and the more ability to obtain finding to perform infrastructure repairs. Casagranda said as long as the rate increases continued to be tied to the CPI, rates would continue to go up every year. She suggested that spending be cut rather than rates be increased. Squires asked if there was a set amount from this rate increase being reserved specifically for maintenance. Long explained that a CPI increase would only cover current costs and would not allow for any additional repairs or maintenance to be performed; therefore, the rates for this fund were being increased beyond the CPI to allow for additional funding for maintenance. Squires referred to what Mr. Paquette had said during Citizen Comments,and Hunt said he was unaware of any ADEC fine for non-compliance of aroma or discharge. Keil said cities could no longer rely upon the state or federal government for helping to fix infrastructure issues. Motion Passed Yes: Shafer,Keil,Squires,Terry,Bardarson No: Casagranda Vacant: One Resolution 2013-098,Amending The Wastewater Tariff By Upward Adjusting All Rates And Fees By An Additional 5.2% Effective The First Billing Cycle In January 2015. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Tim McDonald asked council to wait until next year to consider this resolution. No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed. Motion (Terry/Shafer) Approve Resolution 2013-098 Casagranda agreed that this resolution did not need to be passed right now. She suggested the Wastewater Fund loan repayments be suspended in order to redirect funding towards addressing maintenance issues rather than raise rates. Keil said the citizens of Seward had voted to adopt a biennial budget cycle and that was why this resolution needed to be considered now. Motion Passed Yes: Terry, Shafer, Keil, Bardarson No: Squires, Casagranda Vacant: One City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes November 12, 2013 Volume 39, Page 233 Other Public Hearing Items Resolutions 2013-080 through 2013-090,Adopting the City General Fund,Small Boat Harbor Enterprise Fund,SMIC Enterprise Fund,Parking Enterprise Fund,Electric Enterprise Fund, Water Enterprise Fund, Wastewater Enterprise Fund, Hospital Enterprise Fund, Seward Mountain Haven Enterprise Fund, and Motor Pool Internal Service Fund Biennial Budgets For Calendar Years 2014 And 2015,Adopting the 2014-2015 Capital Improvement Plan,And Setting The Mill Rate. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Bob Linville said he worked in the commercial fishing industry and was exposed to many different ports and harbors around the state, and was able to compare Seward's harbor with others. He said having a crane in the harbor was fundamental to Seward's success,and urged council to add enough funding to obtain a crane. He provided council with a cost analysis laydown based on his own research. Tim McDonald agreed with Mr. Linville that Seward's harbor needed a crane. McDonald was concerned about the SMIC budget and SSDD's contract/lease/operating agreement.He said until those areas were addressed, he didn't believe any of the proposed budget numbers could be trusted and a forensic audit of the city's financials should be performed. John French also supported Mr. Linville's argument for having a crane in the harbor. He believed this would play a vital role in the future development and success of Seward. Skip Reierson said there was no shortage of challenges facing Seward, but there was also a tremendous amount of opportunity. He said SMIC was a good long-term strategy, but there were many short-term priorities that needed to be addressed, including the Lowell Point Sewage Lagoon. He hoped this new council would stay focused and present a unified front when they traveled to Juneau to present Seward's goals for the future. No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed. Terry said, although she understood that the following issue was not included in the budget discussions tonight, she wanted to know when administration would be able to present the actual ramifications as to cost impact of employee healthcare and insurance. Long said administration was waiting to hear from the Alaska Public Utilities Insurance Trust(APUIT),but that the increase was expected to be 5.8% in 2014 and 3.0% in 2015. In response to Squires, administration indicated that there would be future discussions with council relating to the potential of establishing an assessment district at Maple Street. Clerk's Note: These resolutions were before the public for an additional, but not required, public hearing. Action for Resolutions 2013-080 through 2013-090 would be addressed under "New Business. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes November 12, 2013 Volume 39, Page 234 UNFINISHED BUSINESS—None NEW BUSINESS Resolutions Resolution 2013-080, Adopting The City General Fund Biennial Operating Budget For Calendar Year 2014 And 2015 And Setting The Mill Rate. Motion (Terry/Shafer) Approve Resolution 2013-080 Keil reiterated that the current mill rate of 3.12 for Seward would remain unchanged. Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Squires) Delete the transfers out of the General Fund to the SMIC Enterprise Fund in 2015 in the amount of$27,520. Motion to Amend Failed Yes: Casagranda No: Squires,Terry,Keil,Shafer,Bardarson Vacant: One Motion to Amend (Terry/Keil) Add one-third of a new Public Works Project Manager position into the 2014 General Fund budget. Motion to Amend Approved Yes: Squires,Keil,Shafer,Terry,Bardarson No: Casagranda Vacant: One Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Terry) Stop the loan payments in the amount of $76,840 per year from the Wastewater Fund to the General Fund during the 2014 and 2015 budget cycle. Motion to Amend Passed Yes: Terry, Casagranda, Keil, Shafer, Bardarson No: Squires Vacant: One Main Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2013-081,Adopting The Small Boat Harbor Enterprise Fund Biennial Budget For Calendar Years 2014 And 2015. i.. Motion (Keil/Shafer) Approve Resolution 2013-081 Laydown Version. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes November 12, 2013 Volume 39, Page 235 Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2013-082, Adopting The SMIC Enterprise Fund Biennial Budget For Calendar Years 2014 And 2015. Motion (Terry/Shafer) Approve Resolution 2013-082 Keil reminded the public that the city's annual financial audit was available on the city's website, and she encouraged citizens to verify the information they heard using this information. Casagranda was not in support of this resolution because she felt each specific Enterprise Fund should be able to support itself independently from the others. Motion Passed Yes: Terry,Shafer,Keil,Squires,Bardarson No: Casagranda Vacant: One Resolution 2013-083,Adopting The Parking Enterprise Fund Biennial Budget For Calendar Years 2014 And 2015. Motion (Terry/Shafer) Approve Resolution 2013-083 Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2013-084, Adopting The Electric Enterprise Fund Biennial Budget For Calendar Years 2014 And 2015. Motion (Keil/Terry) Approve Resolution 2013-084 Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2013-085, Adopting The Water Enterprise Fund Biennial Budget For Calendar Years 2014 And 2015. Motion (Terry/Keil) Approve Resolution 2013-085 Motion to Amend (Terry/Keil) Add one-third of a new Public Works Project Manager position into the 2014 Water Enterprise Fund budget. Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Squires) Add$673,360 of the Seward Mountain Haven repayment loan to go into the Major Repair and Replacement Fund (MRRF). Casagranda revised her amendment to state "Transfer $1.2 million into the MRRF Fund." City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes November 12, 2013 Volume 39, Page 236 Motion To Amend Died For Lack Of Second Main Motion Passed Yes: Keil,Shafer,Terry,Squires,Bardarson No: Casagranda Vacant: One Resolution 2013-086, Adopting The Wastewater Enterprise Fund Biennial Budget For Calendar Years 2014 And 2015. Motion (Terry/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2013-086 Motion to Amend (Terry/Keil) Add one-third of a new Public Works Project Manager position into the 2014 Wastewater Enterprise Fund budget. Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Keil) Stop the loan payments in the amount of $76,840 per year from the Wastewater Fund to the General Fund during the 2014 and 2015 budget cycle. him Motion to Amend Passed Yes: Terry, Casagranda, Shafer, Keil, Bardarson No: Squires Vacant: One Main Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2013-087, Adopting The Motor Pool Internal Service Fund Biennial Budget For Calendar Years 2014 And 2015. Motion (Keil/Terry) Approve Resolution 2013-087 Motion to Amend (Keil/Terry) Strike$36,000 under Motor Pool for a new parking vehicle and replace it with $18,000 for a used parking vehicle. Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Main Motion Passed Unanimous `,,.• Resolution 2013-088,Adopting The Hospital Enterprise Fund Biennial Budget For Calendar Years 2014 And 2015. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes November 12, 2013 Volume 39, Page 237 Motion (Terry/Keil) Approve Resolution 2013-088 Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2013-089,Adopting The Seward Mountain Haven Enterprise Fund Biennial Budget For Calendar Years 2014 And 2015. Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2013-089 Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2013-090, Adopting The 2014-2015 Capital Improvement Plan. Motion (Terry/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2013-090 Motion to Amend (Keil/Terry) Move the 50-ton washdown pad from the 2015 budget to the 2014 budget. Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Motion to Amend (Terry/Casagranda) Increase the amount budgeted for the 5-Ton Crane from $150,000 to $300,000 in 2014. Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Motion to Amend (Terry/Casagranda) Strike "Replace the blowers at the Lowell Point Treatment Plant"from the 2014/2015 budget. Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Main Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2013-100,Authorizing Expenditures In An Amount Not To Exceed$75,000 For The Seward Community Health Center, And Appropriating Funds. Mayor Bardarson passed the gavel to Vice Mayor Keil and declared a potential conflict of interest because she sat on the Seward Community Health Center Board. Keil ruled that a conflict did not exist and there were no objections. Keil returned the gavel to Bardarson. Motion (Squires/Terry) Approve Resolution 2013-100 Motion to Amend (Terry/Keil) In the 4th Whereas, strike the words "but have not yet" and replace them with "and has"; and, strike the entire last sentence and replace it with, "The city has 120 days from November 1, 2013 to implement the City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes November 12, 2013 Volume 39, Page 23i new health care center and open for business." Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Motion to Amend (Bardarson/Terry) In the 3'"I Whereas, strike the words "evaluating the option of pursuing a look- alike clinic while awaiting FQHC designation;" Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Main Motion Passed Unanimous Council recessed at 9:22 p.m. Council resumed at 9:29 p.m. Resolution 2013-101, Authorizing Expenditures In An Amount Not To Exceed $150,000 To Remodel The Hospital Building To Improve Patient Flow For Clinic Patients And To Prepare For Operation As A Community Health Center, And Appropriating Funds. Mayor Bardarson declared a potential conflict of interest because she sat on the Seward Community Health Center Board. Council raised no objections and allowed Bardarson to continue. Finance Director Kris Erchinger said this funding would come from the 1% sales tax allocation and would result in a more efficient operation/workflow. Motion (Terry/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2013-101 In response to Squires, Erchinger said there had been no city staff involved in the space reconfiguration to date, but going forward the CHC people would collaborate with the city to move the plans forward. Motion to Amend (Terry/Keil) In the 1St Whereas,strike the words"are co- applicants seeking" and replace it with "receiving"; in the 3'`' Whereas, strike the word "would" and replace it with "will"; and, in the 8th Whereas, strike the figure "$600,000" and replace it with "$775,000." Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous L Main Motion Passed Unanimous City of Semard Alaska City Council Minutes November 12, 2013 Volume 39, Page 239 Resolution 2013-102, Supporting And Participating In The Seward Economic Growth Plan (SEGP) Initiated And Maintained By The Seward Chamber Of Commerce,Conference And Visitor's Bureau. Council Member Terry declared a potential conflict of interest because she was a member of the Chamber of Commerce Board. Mayor Bardarson ruled that no conflict existed. Mayor Bardarson declared that she sat on the Core Team. Motion (Terry/Shafer) Approve Resolution 2013-102 Casagranda said she had removed this from the consent agenda so she could propose an amendment. Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Terry) In all instances,change the title of"Seward Economic Growth Plan (SEGP)" to "Seward Economic Growth Plan Process (SEGPP)"; and in the 6th Whereas,add the word "currently"after the word"has"and before the word "identified" so it reads, "...has currently identified..." Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Main Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2013-103, Supporting The Alaska Tobacco Control Alliance's Initiative To Make All Alaska Workplaces 100% Smokefree. Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2013-103 Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Terry) In the Title and in Section 1,strike the word "make" and replace it with the word "encourage." Motion to Amend Passed Yes:Squires,Terry,Casagranda,Bardarson No: Keil, Shafer Vacant: One Main Motion Passed Unanimous Other New Business Items Vote and appoint qualified candidate to fill the council vacancy with a term to expire October 2014. City Clerk Johanna Kinney passed out ballots to council then collected them and read the first City of Setirarcl,, Alaska City Council Minutes November 12, 2013 Volume 39, Page 240 vote count as follows: 3 votes for Dale Butts and 3 votes for Robert Thomas. Kinney explained to council that, procedurally,a tie vote would require ballots to be recast, and that every candidate must be reconsidered equally for each voting occurrence. Kinney passed out ballots to council then collected them and read the second vote count as follows: 3 votes for Dale Butts and 3 votes for Robert Thomas. Kinney passed out ballots to council then collected them and read the third vote count as follows: 4 votes for Dale Butts and 2 votes for Robert Thomas. Motion (Shafer/Terry) Appoint Dale Butts to the vacant council seat with a term to expire October 2014. Motion Passed Unanimous Consent City Clerk Johanna Kinney swore in Dale Butts as a council member and he took his seat at the dais. Mayor Bardarson appointed Dale Butts to be the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District(KPEDD)representative for 2014,and directed individual Boards& Commissions to file quarterly reports to the City Council. .. Council postponed scheduling a work session to discuss transient merchants on the South Harbor Uplands until January 13,2014. Cancel the November 25, 2013 and December 23, 2013 City Council Meetings. Motion (Keil/Shafer) Cancel November 25,2013& December 23, 2013 regular city council meetings. Motion Passed Yes: Terry,Shafer,Keil,Casagranda,Butts, Bardarson No: Squires Council scheduled a work session to discuss FQHC on November 25,2013 at 6:00 p.m.in City Council Chambers,and directed administration to invite the CHC Board and City Attorney to attend. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS Cost Summary for the Electric Warehouse Project. Terry encouraged council to keep a close eye on these expenses. In response to Bardarson,Long said there were no known large expense line items omitted or missing from this report. City ofSeward, Alaska City Council Minutes November 12, 2013 Volume 39, Page 241 COUNCIL COMMENTS Keil congratulated the Parks&Recreation Department for a successful Halloween Carnival turnout and she congratulated everyone for their promotions at the Seward Volunteer Fire Department. Casagranda thanked everyone who ran for the vacant council seat. Squires thanked everyone who ran for the vacant council seat,and welcomed Dale Butts to council. He was concerned that funding for remodeling the hospital building to ready it as a Community Health Center might run short because he didn't see any engineering expenses built into the request. He was also concerned about the donation to the city of the boat Gipsy, to which administration responded that the Harbonnaster and City Attorney were addressing the issue. Squires thanked Mr. Linville for doing research on harbor cranes. Shafer wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Terry thanked everyone who ran for the vacant council seat, and encouraged people to volunteer for the city's other Boards and Commissions. She thanked the members of the CHC Board and Providence Hospital people who contributed their time and effort to move the project forward. And she wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Hanukkah. Butts thanked council for voting him in,and encouraged people to apply for the Planning and Zoning Commission. Bardarson thanked everyone who ran for the vacant council seat, and thanked all Veterans for their service. CITIZEN COMMENTS John French thanked council for considering him as a candidate for council. Speaking as the Vice Chair for the Historic Preservation Commission, he requested that the SEGPP report be provided electronically to the commission so they could coordinate efforts. He encouraged administration to look into the Environmental Justice Program that was offered by the Environmental Protection Agency to see if Seward qualified for federal funding or assistance with the Lowell Point Sewage Lagoon. Tim McDonald thanked council for considering him as a candidate,and congratulated Dale Butts for being voted onto council. Harkening back to his earlier comments, he said his concern about the SSDD contracts was that the city received no financial benefits yet was responsible for critical environmental issues. He suggested that the media and federal agencies be alerted. Skip Reierson congratulated council and administration on their hard work on the budget, and wished them luck in dealing with the legislators in Juneau. He was looking forward to $2.9 million in newly-paved roads and hoped it would be completed by next winter. C.'i/v o/.Sni'ard, Alaska Ciiv Council Minutes November 12, 2013 Volume 39, Pugc 2-12 COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Keil clarified that the mill and sales tax rates had remained the same for many years. Long said contracts were a public process,and he thanked everyone for their collaboration on the budget. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 10:23 p.m. , /a1-4/67/1. Jo'ianna Kin 11114 Jan Bardarson Clerk Mayor (City Seal) ©F SEA/ 44, To . SEAL = • ti•,,E OF A P��• ......... • L