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Home My WebLink About01112016 City Council Minutes City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes January 11, 2016 Volume 40, Page 1 CALL TO ORDER The January 11,2016 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m.by Mayor Jean Bardarson. OPENING CEREMONY Police Chief Tom Clemons led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: Jean Bardarson presiding and Marianna Keil Ristine Casagranda Dave Squires Sue McClure Deborah Altermatt comprising a quorum of the Council; and Jim Hunt, City Manager Will Earnhart, City Attorney Johanna Kinney, City Clerk Absent—Dale Butts CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING—None APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Bardarson added the following item under Special Orders,Presentations and Reports: Presentation by Kenai Peninsula Borough Mike Navarre on the Borough Health Care Task Force. Bardarson added the following item under Other New Business:Discuss the City Attorney's Annual Evaluation. Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Resolution 2016-001, Supporting The Seward Area Public Transit Human Services Community Coordination Plan To Be Submitted To The State Of Alaska Department Of Transportation And Public Facilities. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes January 11, 2016 Volume 40, Page 2 Approval of October 12,2015,October 26,2015,and November 9,2015 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes and the December 3, 2015 and December 7, 2015 Special City Council Meeting Minutes. Non-objection to the liquor license renewal for Chinooks Waterfront#4617. Continue the Port and Commerce Advisory Board for 2016. SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Proclamations & Awards Recognition of Urbach's 100 year Anniversary by State Representative Mike Chenault. Award for the State of Alaska Fire Fighter of the Year presented to Sean Corrigan by the Acting State Fire Marshal Lloyd Nakano. City Manager's Report. Jim Hunt stated there was one purchase order between$10,000 and$50,000 authorized by him since the last council meeting:$14,558.10 to Construction Machinery to the City Shop for repair of city vehicle#116. In addition to his written report, Hunt added an update from the Finance Department. He announced the upcoming seasonal electric rates would be implemented this month. Samuel Hickok accepted the Deputy Finance Director position and they hoped to fill the Human Resources position soon.Finance may or may not be refunding the electric and long term care facility bonds,depending on the market. Audit dates were set this year for March 28 through April 8, 2016. In response to Casagranda, Hunt clarified there was winter camping allowed in the Waterfront Campground,not storage.Hunt said they currently allowed winter camping in more than the area designated in the code as space allowed for it. He hoped to address it in the code soon for revision to formally allow for winter camping in places like Waterfront Campground. Casagranda was concerned with the recent change of having the Personnel Officer moved into the Finance Department as it was not a closed office.Long said human resources conversations could be had in a confidential, quiet room and the city's personnel documents were secured. Long noted he issued Change Order 1 for the Hamilton Construction Breakwater Contract, easing the specifications on the bedding rock which presented no engineering challenges and would be sufficient to hold and protest the breakwater. This would save the city approximately$30,000. In anticipation of state guidelines that would be going into effect soon,Long said the city was handling snow removal differently,they were stockpiling it instead of pushing it into the bay,which was not an environmentally sound practice. This process needed to be refined a bit as the winter progressed and they hadn't completely figured it out. It may have some budgetary impacts. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes January 11, 2016 Volume 40, Page 3 City Attorney's Report.WM Earnhart was happy to be back as the City Attorney.Rather than reiterate the monthly report he submitted to council last week,he gave an educational note on records requesting.Earnhart also stated he had approximately 44 boxes from the old fine that he was going through. Earnhart stated they'd had requests from council members for information,sometimes in the form of public records requests, sometimes not. He said the council was the supervisor of the City Manager,City Clerk,and City Attorney.Ultimately,the council decided what they wanted to see and when they wanted to see it. It was up to the council to waive privileges, even. City Code addressed which documents could and should not be released,but even then council could override any of these reasons; Earnhart noted they were exempted for very good cause. When council asked for records, they didn't need to go through the document request process. They had broader powers and had access to more information than the public.Administration had the right to work with the requester on the details of the request as well. Another type of request could be as a member of the public.Earnhart would like to refine the process to determine what could be asked for as a council member or as a citizen. Public records requests did not indicate that staff had to come up with summaries for requests, either. As supervisors of their staff, council was entitled to more information regarding their staff. The clerk,manager,and attorney had less privacy.Personnel,compensation,and leave time for these employees were subject to public requests, but reminded council should not get involved in other personnel issues,per code. He pointed out Rule 17 of the City Council Rules of Procedure,which stated council's employees could respond to individual council requests,but only if it did not conflict with the wishes of the majority. If the direction was questionable,it should be requested in a public meeting so the body had the opportunity to give support or not. Other Reports,Announcements and Presentations Mayor Navarre presented on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Health Care Task Force. Proposed Seward Area Salmon Plan by Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association City Representative Tim McDonald. Annual Port and Commerce Advisory Board Report by Chair Darryl Schaefermeyer. PUBLIC HEARINGS—None UNFINISHED BUSINESS—None NEW BUSINESS—None Other New Business Items City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes January 11, 2016 Volume 40, Page 4 Schedule a work session to discuss the state's direction on developing a Transmission Company and an Independent System Operator and the impacts to the Seward Electric Utility. A work session was scheduled on February 22, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. Select up to three council members to attend the January 22, 2016 Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority/Seward Marine Industrial Center stakeholders meeting in Anchorage.The following council members were selected to attend:Mayor Bardarson and Council Member Altermatt. Discuss the City Attorney's Annual Evaluation.Because the council was starting the year off with a new legal fine,they opted not to conduct a formal, annual evaluation of the City Attorney at this time. Instead, the body decided to conduct a mid-year informal evaluation. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS Quarterly Planning and Zoning Commission Report. COUNCIL COMMENTS Bardarson stated there had been changes to the Federal J1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program. She sent an informational link to the City Clerk,who could provide the new information to anyone interested. She would be in Juneau February 15-18,2016 for the Alaska Municipal League's Winter Conference and to meet with legislators.Bardarson congratulated Louis Bencardino on his retirement from the Alaska Railroad and thanked him for all his contributions to Seward. Squires congratulated Sean Corrigan on his award tonight.The Seward Fire Department had won a lot of awards on the state level. He asked when the Borough Marijuana Task Force meeting would be; Long said they'd have a report coming to council soon. Squires also congratulated Bencardino on his retirement. McClure congratulated Dorothy Urbach and Sean Corrigan. She thanked Borough Mayor Mike Navarre, Borough Assembly Representative Brent Johnson, and State Representative Mike Chenault for coming tonight. She welcomed Earnhart back aboard and thanked him for his presentation tonight. Casagranda echoed congratulations to Corrigan, it was a big award. They had so many volunteers in the community, and council was grateful for them. The Polar Bear Jump Off was a great economic boost and was this coming weekend. She encouraged everyone to get out and show support to businesses and to the event. Casagranda stated she would be unavailable January 29— February 9,2016. She wished a Happy New Year to everyone,and noted she foresaw 2016 as having a lot of momentum. Casagranda hoped this year would be a year of civic pride, growth, and new beginnings. Altermatt echoed the comments made tonight and wished everyone a Happy New Year. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes January 11, 2016 Volume 40, Page 5 Long thanked their visitors for coming tonight.He wished everyone a Happy New Year and congratulated Sean Corrigan. Hunt said he was nominated to be a representative of the Alaska Municipal Management Association and, therefore, also had a seat on the Alaska Municipal League Board. Bardarson received a text that Dorothy Urbach was going to be a great grandmother very soon. CITIZEN COMMENTS Brent Johnson, President of the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association, came on his own tonight to hear McDonald's presentation tonight and had some insights to offer.The association had the Trail Lake Hatchery,was starting a new hatchery,and was taking over a different hatchery.When those three were up and running,the cost recovery would be spread out to those three areas.It was a wonderful thing to talk about habitat,but it took money to make improvements. They made money with a two percent tax and from cost recovery. Johnson studied some of the history of Seward, noting in 1900 there was a census in Seward of seven adults. The 1900 census in Kenai revealed there were several hundred residents with hunting as their occupation.The City of Seward decided to capitalize on sport fishing,and established the Silver Salmon Derby probably because there wasn't a lot of commercial fishing. Seward was a place that needed aquaculture enhancement.Johnson looked forward to a wonderful partnership with Seward. Tim McDonald commended Johnson for his comments. The Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association was Seward's partner.He had a different perspective,and felt Seward used to have a lot more fish. McDonald thought the council made a mistake when they did not pursue a new sewage system and stated again sewage was being dumped into the bay. They should have gotten newer technology. COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS—None ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. C 40/04d/' oh a KiCMC an Bardarson i Clerk Mayor as',t OF Sebfrioo (City Seal) c 0,+°'s+� ' `Ji ,,;..";°�_."`t>®°o e.- e y - 0— o a B e0 ° b �' O B -fi _ cool -.'b `4' y' `ta:::.Y:.azaoa a tis