HomeMy WebLinkAbout12112017 City Council Minutes City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
December 11, 2017 Volume 39, Page 326
111 CALL TO ORDER
The December 11, 2017 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at
7:00 p.m. by Mayor David Squires.
OPENING CEREMONY
Police Chief Tom Clemons led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
ROLL CALL
There were present:
David Squires presiding and
Marianna Keil Ristine Casagranda
Sue McClure Erik Slater
Suzanne Towsley Jeremy Horn
comprising a quorum of the Council; and
Jim Hunt, City Manager
Brenda Ballou, City Clerk
Will Earnhart, City Attorney
Absent—None
CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR
PUBLIC HEARING
Jackie Wilde reminded everyone that there were a lot of families in need of food in our
community. The He Will Provide food shelter was in need of items,particularly spaghetti sauce and
canned tuna. The food shelter had distributed provided 74 turkeys over Thanksgiving, and was
ramping up for Christmas.The food shelter was located in the basement of the city Annex building,
and the entrance was on the alley side. Donations were accepted on Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. or
Thursdays from 2:00-6:00 p.m. To make a cash donation,or to make an appointment,contact Valerie
Rose at (907) 224-7671. Wilde said tonight, she was challenging the community to fill the pantry
shelves.
Carol Griswold had been thinking about the last council meeting, had listened to the
recording again,and thought perhaps we should all focus on being professionals rather than trying to
be a family.Griswold wanted to summarize her research from an article called,"10 Golden Rules To
Professional Ethics In The Workplace"by Leandro Valente: (1)always strive for excellence,(2)be
111 trustworthy,(3)be accountable,(4)be courteous and respectful,(5)be honest,open,and transparent,
(6) be competent and improve continually, (7) always be ethical, (8) always be honorable and act
with integrity, (9) be respectful of confidentiality, and (10) set good examples.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
December 11, 2017 Volume 39, Page 327
Karin Sturdy said a citizen told her today how he was feeling beat down about so many
people talking about how Seward was not a great place to live; Sturdy said both she and the citizen
disagree with that sentiment and thought that Seward was a great place to live. She wanted to share
some of the fun things that Seward Parks and Recreation Department were offering the community:
Breakfast with Santa would be Saturday, December 16,2017 at the Senior Center,and Rotary would
be helping to put on the event;at the AVTEC gym there was a rock wall,basketball,volleyball,and
racquetball. There would be two weeks of winter day camps at TYC while K-6 school was on break
for the holidays. Parks and Recreation helped host"Grateful Skate"on Thanksgiving Eve where they
collected food and cash donations for the He Will Provide food bank. There was a volunteer named
Matt who was working on maintaining the ice at Second Lake for the ice skaters to enjoy.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda
Keil added an item under Other New Business called Transparency.
Casagranda pulled Resolutions 2017-086, 2017-087, and 2017-090 from the consent agenda.
Casagranda added an item under Other New Business to schedule a work session to discuss the
Grievance Procedure.
Motion Passed Unanimous
The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items:
Resolution 2017-088,Rescinding Section 1 Of Resolution 2015-015 Which Authorized A Loan
In The Amount Of $1,201,196 Representing The Second 10% City Cost Share On The
Breakwater Construction Project, Authorizing Final Payment In Full In The Amount Of
$1,265,195.91 And Appropriating The Remaining Balance Of$63,999.92.
Resolution 2017-089,Adopting An Alternative Allocation Method For The FY 2018 Shared
Fisheries Business Tax Program, And Certifying That This Allocation Method Fairly
Represents The Distribution Of Significant Effects Of Fisheries Business Activity In The Cook
Inlet Fisheries Management Area.
Approval of the November 27, 2017 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes.
Appoint Cliff Krug to the Historic Preservation Commission,with a term expiring May,2020.
SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS
Proclamations & Awards—None
Borough Assembly Report. Kenn Carpenter reported that the assembly met on
December 5,2017 for a short meeting.The assembly postponed the bed tax discussion to March 6,
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
December 11, 2017 Volume 39, Page 328
2018.Carpenter was ready and willing to assist with a long-term solution to the Lowell Point Road
damage.
City Manager's Report. Jim Hunt stated he had approved the following purchase orders
between $10,000 and $50,000 since the last council meeting: $22,650 to Harris Computers for
Deployment Customer Connect,and$30,100 to Harris Computers for the Meter Exchange Project.
Hunt added that the Customer Connect program would allow customers to access their utility
accounts via an email log in to pay their bill. There had been approximately 35 customers with
billing errors in their water and sewer charges, but the Finance Department had caught the error
quickly and had already reached out to all the customers with apologies;the bills would be corrected
by the end of the week. Municipalities would now be required to pay 100%of the cost to send Police
Officers to the state's training academy;it would cost approximately$10,000 for the police academy,
and $3,100 for correction officers.
Keil inquired about the rebate check for$68,648 that the city received from Chugach Electric
and how much would it equate to if the rebate went back to each customer. Long said he would put
together an analysis to the best of his abilities.In response to Squires,Hunt agreed to also bring back
a scenario where the dividend was used to offset the fuel surcharge. A third scenario, suggested by
Casagranda, would be to invest these dividends for the purpose of earning interest.
City Attorney Report. Will Earnhart did not have a report prepared, but stated there had
been a little uptick in his hours this month due to him attending two council meetings, and his
preparation for the upcoming APEA work session tomorrow night. Earnhart would provide his
presentation for the work session to the clerk for posting on the city website so the public could
access the documents prior to the work session.In response to Casagranda,Earnhart had not planned
to provide a written report for this meeting since he had been here with a report very recently.
Casagranda requested consent from council for her to meet with the city attorney tomorrow,
and there was no objection from council. Earnhart said he would be happy to meet casually with
Casagranda, and would not bill the city for his time. At the request of Keil, Casagranda opened the
invitation up for two other council members to join her.
Other Reports,Announcements and Presentations—None
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Ordinance 2017-004,Amending Section 2.10.015 Of The City Code,"Election Of Mayor And
Council Members", To Align With Seward City Charter Amendments Approved By The
Voters.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Enact Ordinance 2017-004
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.
Casagranda said she would vote in favor of this because it represented the wishes of the
public.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
December 11, 2017 Volume 39, Page 329
Motion Passed Unanimous
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Resolution 2017-080, Amending The City Of Seward's Calendar Year 2018 City Legislative
Priorities.
Motion (Casagranda/McClure) Approve Resolution 2017-080
Motion to Amend (Keil/McClure) Amend Resolution 2017-080 by adding item
#5 under Public Facilities&Infrastructure
to read, "$200,000 for design and
engineering for an indoor ice skating rink."
Motion to Amend Passed Yes: Keil,Casagranda,McClure,Towsley,
Squires
No: Horn, Slater
Motion to Amend (McClure/Casagranda) Amend Resolution 2017-080 by adding the
word "Providence" before "Seward
Medical Center" under Public Facilities &
Infrastructure.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Primary Motion to Amend (McClure/Keil) Amend Resolution 2017-080 by adding,
"(City will provide a match of land)."at the
end of#3 under Public Safety.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Secondary Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley)Amend Resolution 2017-080 by striking
the figure of "$900,000" and replacing it
with "$1 million".
Secondary Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Motion to Amend (Towsley/Casagranda) Amend Resolution 2017-080 under Roads,
Streets,And ADA Accessibility by striking
#2 and replacing it with, "$2.9 million for
design, engineering, and construction to
protect Lowell Point Road from further
coastal erosion. This road is the sole land
access to critical public infrastructure, 111
State Parks trailhead, businesses, and the
community of Lowell Point."
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
December 11, 2017 Volume 39, Page 330
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Motion to Amend (Casagranda/McClure) Amend Resolution 2017-080 under Port,
Harbor And Industrial Area by striking
"G" (Float) in #4.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Motion to Amend (Keil/Casagranda) Amend Resolution 2017-080 by adding a new
#4 under Electric that reads, "The City is
requesting $12 million to upgrade
transmission conductors and substation
transformers to improve the system's
capacity to 115kV over existing 69kV
capacity. This would help unify the
transmission system for the entire
community and expand the system's
capabilities, allowing higher capacity
projects into the future."
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2017-080 by adding a new
#6 under Port, Harbor, And Industrial
Area that reads, "$500,000 for a 5-ton
crane at or near I Dock."
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Keil) Amend Resolution 2017-080 by adding a new
#6 under Public Facilities&Infrastructure
that reads, "$500,000 to envelop and
upgrade windows at City Hall."
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Main Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2017-081,Amending The City Of Seward's Calendar Year 2018 State Legislative
Priorities.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-081
Motion to Amend (McClure/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2017-081 by adding the
word "Providence" before "Seward
Medical Center" under Capital Projects.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
December 11, 2017 Volume 39, Page 331
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2017-081 by striking#4,
"Legislative support for feasibility analyses
considering pipeline or multi-modal
delivery methods of making natural gas
available to communities not currently
along a pipeline corridor, and using
Seward's road/rail/barge connections as
demonstration projects." under Beneficial
Legislation.
Long explained that residents have been asking for this form of energy for many,many years,
and administration felt it was important enough to warrant further study and consideration.McClure
said a large portion of the borough was shifting to natural gas delivery, and she had heard
consistently from people that we should have it here, so she wanted to leave this on the list. Keil
agreed because it was a cleaner form of energy that was more environmentally friendly and cheaper,
and she did not want to take this off the table as a future choice. Squires would support keeping this
on the list because it could mean potential new business in Seward in the future.
Motion to Amend Failed Unanimous
Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2017-081 by striking#4
under Capital Projects, "$1.25 million for
storm water discharge infrastructure and
security fencing at the Seward Marine
Industrial Center facility."
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2017-081 by inserting a
new #2 under Capital Projects that reads,
"$12 million to upgrade transmission
conductors and substation transformers to
improve the system's capacity to 155kV
over existing 69kV capacity. This would
help unify the transmission system for the
entire community and expand the system's
capabilities, allowing higher capacity
projects into the future." and moving all
others down.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Motion to Amend (Keil/McClure) Amend Resolution 2017-081 by adding a new
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
December 11, 2017 Volume 39, Page 332
#6 under Capital Projects that reads,
"$1,241,250 for Seward Shipyard
Environmental Discharge Controls."
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Main Motion Passed Unanimous
NEW BUSINESS
Resolution 2017-086, Approving Amendment No. 17 To The Contract With Robertson,
Monagle & Eastaugh,A Professional Corporation, For Federal Lobbying Services Through
December 31, 2019 For A Total Of$92,000.00 Annually.
Motion (Keil/McClure) Approve Resolution 2017-086
Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2017-087, Approving Amendment No. 26 To The Contract With Kent Dawson
Company, Inc. For State Lobbying Services Through December 31, 2019, For A Total Of
$96,504.00 Annually,With An Additional$12,000 Annually From The Seward Association For
The Advancement Of Marine Science For Lobbying On Behalf Of Its Lease And Operation Of
The Alaska SeaLife Center, For A Total Of$108,504.00 Annually.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-087
Long said the additional $12,000 from the Alaska SeaLife Center was not taxpayer dollars,
but was a pass-through.
Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2017-087 by striking the
words,"...With An Additional$12,000..."
and replacing them with, "...Including
$12,000..." and striking, "For A Total Of
$108,504.00 Annually."
Casagranda had reviewed the last contract for the lobbyist, and the city had included the
$12,000 for the Alaska SeaLife Center. Long said this was not an increase over the previous two
contracts.Council looked up previous Resolution 2015-106,which reflected an amount$16,502 less
than the current proposed contract amount;Resolution 2013-109 was also looked up and was for the
amount of$96,500. Long requested council postpone this item so that he could review the figures
and bring back a clean contract and resolution. In response to Squires, Long said it would not be
necessary for council to hold a special meeting to approve this contract due to the long standing
relationship the city had with the lobbyist.
Casagranda withdrew the Motion to Amend with no objection from council.
Motion to Postpone (Casagranda/Towsley) Postpone Resolution 2017-087 to the January
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
December 11, 2017 Volume 39, Page 333
8, 2018 meeting.
Motion to Postpone Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2017-090, To Adopt The City Of Seward 2017 Historic Preservation Plan.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2017-090
Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Keil) Amend Resolution 2017-090 by striking
"Mayor Jean Bardarson" and replacing it
with"Mayor David Squires"in the Historic
Preservation Plan.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Main Motion Passed Unanimous
Other New Business Items
Mayor appoint a member of the Council to receive the completed evaluation forms and
tabulate the results prior to the formal evaluation sessions for the City Manager (February,
2018) and City Attorney (January, 2018). (The City Clerk's initial evaluation will occur in July,
2018) Vice Mayor Keil and Council Member McClure were appointed to be the Tabulation Team.
Discuss cancelling the December 26,2017 regular City Council meeting.Council voted to cancel
the December 26, 2017 meeting by Unanimous Consent.
Discuss the Sister City 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2018. (Ad Hoc Planning Committee)
Council agreed to commission a local metalsmith artist to create a unique piece of art for the gift to
the City of Obihiro, and council chose to send a delegation for the first Sunday in October for the
Wine & Beef Festival.
Transparency. (Keil)Keil added this to tonight's agenda because tomorrow there would be a work
session with the union,and she wanted to disclose her historical relationships with unions. Keil said
her father was a member of the Machinists Union, Keil had been a Teamster from 1968-1970, her
husband was a Millwright member from 1981-1983,her husband was a member of the Carpenter's
Union in 2002 and he ended his union membership in August, 2017 because he was preparing for
retirement. Keil said she had an interest in a union through a retirement account, and declared she
had never taken a donation from a union.
McClure was forced to be a member of a Teacher's Union in the past, although she had not
wanted to be. She did not pay her union dues until the point when she was forced to.Her father was a
member of the ILWU.McClure had never received contributions or support from any unions for any
of her elections.
Towsley was endorsed by the ILWU for the 2016 election when she ran for council;that was
her only connection to a union.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
December 11, 2017 Volume 39, Page 334
Casagranda had no union connection, nor Slater, nor Horn.
Squires had belonged to a union when he was younger while working for General Electric for
one year; at the time he did not care for paying dues. Later,when he returned to work for GE he had
to join the union again,again for one year. He was employed with the City of Seward in the mid-80s
when there were union discussions.
Schedule a work session to discuss the grievance process. (Casagranda) Casagranda wanted to
have an opportunity for council to review the city's grievance process and try to uncover where there
might be one or more breakdowns in the process. She wished the city attorney to be part of the work
session, as well. Council scheduled the work session on January 22, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS
On-going City Project and Goal List.
2017/2018 Goals (Revised)for City Clerk
Clerk's Report on Public Records Requests for November, 2017.
COUNCIL COMMENTS
Squires reminded council to forward their projects and goals to the city clerk for compilation
so that council could consider what items to add to the On-going City Project and Goal List.
Horn said liked the idea of each council member providing three goals each.
Slater said everybody drive safe; his wife had hit a moose today.
Casagranda said thank you and congratulations to Cliff Krug for joining the Historic
Preservation Commission.Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone.Casagranda would be
gone from January 3-17, 2018.
Keil wished everyone Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas. She agreed that Seward was a
great place to live,but knew that this time of year could be hard on people.Although there were lots
of reasons to celebrate our community, if anyone felt sad,please reach out to family,friends,clergy
or professionals if you need help.
McClure thanked the community for attending the Community Choir concert last week,and
for all the food and monetary donations they offered for the He Will Provide food shelter. McClure
would not be in attendance for the January 8, 2018 council meeting.
Towsley said thanked the Historic Preservation Commission for sending forward the 2017
HP Plan. Towsley reported that she had stayed at the AML Conference a little longer to attend the
opioid discussion, and would like reimbursement for dinner that night; no objection from council.
Towsley wanted to understand what direction council could give to administration to satisfy the
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
December 11, 2017 Volume 39, Page 335
travel expense report question; Squires responded that the city manager has not been required to
complete a travel expense report in the past, but would be starting in January, 2018. Towsley
clarified that she wanted to see the city manager's travel expense reports after travel was completed,
and Squires said she could file a public records request for that information.Towsley thanked Public
Works Director Doug Schoessler for doing extra public outreach on the parking ban signs.
Squires thanked Cliff Krug for joining HP. As far as Seward being a viable and fulfilling
community to live in,he was most concerned that adult recreation opportunities for the 18-21 year
old population were the most lacking. Squires wished everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year. He hoped that everyone's resolutions come true.
CITIZEN COMMENTS
Carol Griswold said tonight had been a very excellent work session and meeting. She
appreciated council postponing the priorities to tonight's meeting, and all the discussion that
happened. She thought the public would appreciate being informed about how to address council
during meetings. Griswold appreciated that the power stayed on throughout the recent storms. She
suggested that the plans for the Sister City 50th Anniversary include the Jujiro Wada statue. She
wished the city would publish the projects and goals list for community input. Happy and safe
holidays.
COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS
Long said Merry Christmas,and travel safe. He thanked council for the dialogue exchange.
Hunt wished everyone a Merry Christmas.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m.
B n a J. Ballo !MMC David Squires
City Clerk Mayor
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