Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout08142017 City Council Minutes City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes August 14, 2017 Volume 40, Page 252 CALL TO ORDER The August 14,2017 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Jean Bardarson. OPENING CEREMONY City Manager Jim Hunt 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 Alterman Erik Slater comprising a quorum of the Council; and Jim Hunt, City Manager Johanna Kinney, City Clerk Will Earnhart, City Attorney Absent—None CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Stephanie Wright said she came to present her comments about social media,particularly in regards to Seward Recreation's Facebook site. Wright said the Seward Parks and Recreation Department(SPRD)staff commonly directed citizens to that Facebook site for information. Wright wanted to know if there was a city policy in place for social media, and if it was enforced. Wright wondered if comments made by SPRD were public record, and if items could be deleted. Wright complained that she noticed some public questions were often"eradicated",and she was concerned because she had been blocked from the site and could no longer obtain news or updates. Wright was also concerned that SPRD "shared" local business Facebook pages, which could be taken to mean they were promoting certain businesses over others. Wright urged council to review and update guidelines if there were any in place. Sharyl Seese came tonight to air her feelings about city employees,and her concern that over the last few years the city has lost several good employees. Seese added that other employees had been overlooked for promotion. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 14, 2017 Volume 40, Page 253 APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Bardarson rescheduled the start time for the August 28, 2017 work session to discuss the Seward Community Health Center's Grant Budget to 5:30 p.m. with no objection from council. Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Resolution 2017-044,Accepting The Resignation Of City Clerk Johanna Kinney And Setting The Terms For Her Departure From City Employment. Resolution 2017-045, Authorizing Advertising Expenditures In An Amount Not To Exceed $1,500 To Provide Public Education Which Could Influence The Outcome Of An Election Concerning A Ballot Measure Addressing Council And Mayoral Terms Of Office. Approval of the July 24, 2017 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes. Schedule a Work Session to discuss the 2018 Grant Year Budget for the Seward Community Health Center for Monday, August 28,2017 at 5:30 p.m. SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Proclamations & Awards Borough Assembly Report. Kenn Carpenter said the assembly would be meeting tomorrow;the top two issues were the bed tax and the tax cap. Carpenter reported he had submitted his Notice of Candidacy for assembly for the upcoming election. City Manager Report. Jim Hunt reported that the following purchase orders between $10,000 and $50,000 had been approved by the City Manager since the last council meeting: $15, 735 to Dryden&Larue for Transmission Line Design at Fort Raymond;and,$18,274.44 to Kendrick for a VOAC Retro Kit for the 50-Ton Travelift. Harbormaster Norm Regis gave an update on the Seward Marine Industrial Center(SMIC) Breakwater Project: surveying was being done this week to make sure nothing was missed, and all navigational aides had been installed. Hunt said he had attended a meeting of the Eastern Peninsula Emergency Service Area Board and they were trying to address covering emergency services from Girdwood south. In response to Bardarson, Hunt said the timeline for the Air Force Recreation Camp was to have the restoration of the property completed by late fall. Bardarson requested a work session be added to the next council agenda to discuss the future of that property. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes August 14, 2017 Volume 40, Page 254 In response to Bardarson,Hunt said the next electric rate study/adjustment would be October. Electric Utilities Manager John Foutz said Mr.Hubbard,the contractor who provided the first rate study,was scheduled to attend the September 11,2017 council meeting. Foutz said Hubbard would be reviewing the rates to analyze for proposing adjustments, reviewing the seasonal rates and analyzing how well those changes had worked, and lastly, presenting three options for council's consideration:adjust the energy charge,return to the pre-seasonal rate structure,or increase the base charge and lower the energy charge.Foutz' impression was that the third option would potentially be the most viable. McClure asked if the bird diverters would be reused elsewhere when the lines at the lagoon came down, and Foutz said they would do everything they could to reuse them. In response to Keil,Hunt said there was a social media policy in place for the city.Keil asked for administration to distribute that to council. Casagranda asked if administration considered having an internal audit conducted.Assistant City Manager Ron Long said investigations for personnel matters were handled internally. Long said,with only one exception,the investigations conducted all resulted in no wrong-doing findings. Casagranda requested administration include a brief introduction of new employees when someone was hired. Long announced in Community Development,Jackie Wilde was the new City Planner,and Amy Lui was the new Planning Technician.As well,for Administration,Latesha Layne had been hired as the Executive Liaison,and in the Library/Museum,Heather Bardarson was hired as the Program Technician. City Attorney Report. Will Earnhart said last month had been fairly slow. Earnhart had addressed some out-of-state public records requests, and worked on an engineering contract. Earnhart said he would be working with Foutz in the future for electric utility issues,particularly the Bradley Lake expansion. Regarding a social media policy, Earnhart offered to work with administration. Earnhart provided his annual goals to the City Clerk as requested by council. Other Reports, Announcements and Presentations PUBLIC HEARINGS Resolution 2017-042,Approving A Lease Agreement For Up To One Year With Exit Marine, LLC For Land At The Seward Marine Industrial Center. Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-042 Long said there weren't very many one-year leases, but this one was necessary to allow for proper platting and to iron out details for a longer-term lease to come in one year. Regis said Exit Marine, LLC was currently working on a vessel at SMIC and wanted to invest in that area. Regis City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 14, 2017 Volume 40, Page 255 added that the lot, itself, was not square and had some pre-existing drainage issues on it, both concerns the contractor was willing to work with. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Laura Schneider said she and her husband had recently moved to Seward and decided they wanted to put down roots. They owned Exit Marine, LLC. No one else appeared to address the Council and the public hearing was closed. Squires questioned the wording which related to hazardous materials; noting the lease language did not allow for the use of hazardous materials. Long said this was a standard clause on every lease,and asked for the opportunity to research this matter and confer with the attorney before changing the language on this lease because it could potentially impact every other lease currently in place. Keil suggested adding the word"improper"before the use of hazardous materials,but Long still wanted to have the time to review language. Earnhart agreed with Long and wanted to do more research,but added that the intent of this lease language as it was not to prohibit operations,but to avoid long-term storage or dumping on the property. At council's behest, administration agreed to review all leases for this hazardous language. Squires said he did not want to inhibit business,but rather wanted to protect businesses and allow them to conduct their business. He was concerned that the language as it was currently written did not provide for that intent, but instead clearly stated that hazardous material was prohibited. Earnhart and administration agreed to create a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City Manager and the leaseholder to allow for this clarification. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2017-043,Recommending Kenai Peninsula Borough Approval Of The City Owned Fourth Of July Creek Subdivision, Seward Marine Industrial Center (SMIC), Exit Marine Replat; Creating A New Lot To Be Known As Lot 4, Block 4, Exit Marine Replat, Located Within The Industrial Zoning District. Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-043 City Planner Jackie Wilde said the Planning and Zoning Commission held a regular meeting on July 18,2017,and approved the plat in its irregular shape,including the drainage ditch. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published 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. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 14, 2017 Volume 40, Page 256 McClure stated this would go to the borough planning commission for approval; administration agreed. Motion Passed Unanimous UNFINISHED BUSINESS—None NEW BUSINESS Resolution 2017-046, Authorizing The City Manager To Purchase A L70 Loader From Construction Machinery Industrial,Utilizing The NJPA Government Purchasing Contract In An Amount Not-To-Exceed $160,600.00, Placing Administrative Fees From The SMIC Development Grant Into The SMIC Fund For SMIC Infrastructure Improvements, And Appropriating Funds. Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-046 Hunt said historically,the Harbor Department received only hand-me-down equipment,and Hunt thought the time had come for SMIC to have its own equipment. Regis said the old loader would be put into the city's surplus sale.The funding for this equipment would come from the SMIC state grant;the funds were required to be spent at SMIC.The loader was necessary for snow clearing; with all the activity and expansion at SMIC, the yards needed to be kept clear year-round. In response to Squires, Regis said the warranty was one year; for an additional $4,000, he could get an additional four or five years added. Motion Passed Unanimous Other New Business Items Discussion of the procedure for the hiring of the City Clerk position. (Clerk) Council directed the City Clerk to advertise the position in local newspapers for a three week time period. Applications would be due September 5, 2017. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS On-going City Project and Goal List. 2017 Goals Established for City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Manager. COUNCIL COMMENTS Slater said it was great to see everyone come out for the Silver Salmon Derby. Slater thanked Kinney for her service. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 14, 2017 Volume 40, Page 257 Altermatt thanked Stephanie Wright for coming and speaking tonight, and thanked her for making her aware of the issue.In response to Sharyl Seese,Altermatt said she thought administration did a good job in following through, and losing staff was the natural course of things. Casagranda thanked Kinney for her service and was sad to see her go. Casagranda thanked Stephanie Wright and Sharyl Seese for speaking about uncomfortable things.Casagranda thanked the clerk's office for being transparent and for holding high standards to uphold citizens' rights. McClure was sad to see Kinney leave,and was glad she would still be in town. She thanked Kenn Carpenter for putting in for the borough assembly again. The borough needed Seward representation, as well as on the Bear Creek Fire Board. McClure announced that Founder's Day would be Monday, August 28, 2017 and there would be a celebration from 1:00—4:00 p.m. at the Library Museum; all public was invited for a presentation and refreshments. Squires thanked Kinney for her service and support. Squires would not be at the September 11,2017 council meeting,but would instead be attending a Fallen Firefighters Service in Anchorage to honor a personal friend. Keil attended the animal shelter's open house and especially appreciated the new cattery.She thanked Dorothy Urbach and CarolAnn Lindsay for the cat scratching posts. Keil congratulated Kinney. Keil wanted the social media issue to be looked at. Bardarson thanked the City Clerk's office for the student exchange program,and said she enjoyed the activities with the students. She thanked the Alaska Railroad for painting the roundhouse; it looked great. Hunt echoed the sentiments about the Silver Salmon Derby. Long invited everyone to Donna Glenz' retirement open house from 5:30—7:00 p.m.at the City Hall Annex on Monday, August 28, 2017. Long appreciated the newly-paved roads in town. CITIZEN COMMENTS Norm Regis announced that someone had just caught the Silver Salmon Derby tagged fish for a brand new truck. Sharyl Seese requested that Assistant City Manager speak louder during the meetings,and complimented the City Attorney on speaking up. Amy Lui introduced herself as the new Planning Technician and said she was excited to start her career in planning with the city. Laura Schneider said she was new to the community and would appreciate suggestions on how to get involved in the community. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes August 14, 2017 Volume 40, Page 258 COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION Altermatt said the Port and Commerce Advisory Board(PACAB)was a great way to meet people and get to know the city. She thanked Regis and the harbor staff for doing a great job. Squires said the Fire Department and the ambulance corps were always looking for volunteers. Casagranda suggested people get on the City Clerk's email list, and the Chamber of Commerce's email list to stay aware of events and issues. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:41 p.m. 111J ik&tC4n61,ein-J•hanna Kinney, MC Jan Bardarson City Clerk Mayor (City Seal) . "' OF SEW,,,, .. ►a • O • g • *y A J Vf • •�:.•• .l'L °°° :.4:7 OF ak-r; Q1/:/6.GYi 4•�.