HomeMy WebLinkAbout02102020 City Council Minutes City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
February 10, 2020 Volume 41,Page 97
CALL TO ORDER
The February 10, 2020 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at
7:00 p.m.by Mayor Christy Terry.
OPENING CEREMONY
Lieutenant Alan Nickell led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
ROLL CALL
There were present:
Christy Terry presiding and
Sue McClure Shafyl-Seese
John Osenga Tony Baclaan
Dale Butts Vacant
comprising a quorum of the Council; and
Scott Meszaros, City Manager
Brenda Ballou, City Clerk
Excused—Seese
Absent—None
Vacant—One
CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR
PUBLIC HEARING
Liz DeMoss was an applicant for the vacant council seat. She had lived in Seward for 13
years,had children in the schools, and ran a local year-round business;her family had made many
improvements to the building in which their business was located. DeMoss was also a licensed
realtor and was familiar with many of the challenges throughout the community.She wanted to serve
as an open minded individual who believed all groups and persons deserved to be heard; she came
with no personal agendas or special interests.DeMoss admired the professionalism and integrity of
the current council, and she hoped to be a positive, contributing member of council.
Julie Crites was an applicant for the vacant council seat. She was a family nurse practitioner
at Seward Community Health Center (SCHC). She and her family had been in Seward for three
years;her husband was recently promoted to fire chief. Her daughter attended Seward Elementary
School.Crites had previous board experience,having served on Southern Region EMS Council until
recently, and was currently serving as Secretary for the Seward Volunteer Fire Department. Crites
looked forward to serving on council to address housing issues.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
February 10, 2020 Volume 41, Page 98
Bruce Jaffa had spoken at previous meetings on electric rates. He recalled the cold
temperatures in January, and encouraged council to keep an open mind about various alternative
energy solutions and ideas that may come forward,as well as those that are being pursued currently
like the hydro project.
Lynda Paquette spoke as a member of the Seward Airport Committee, and pointed to the
laydowns provided tonight. In Paquette's experience,the message she received when speaking with
the Alaska Department of Transportation(ADOT)directly was very different from what she heard in
council chambers from members of the public and from people who cared about the airport's future.
Paquette thought the ADOT had convinced themselves that their plans for Seward's airport aligned
with what the people of Seward wanted.The airport was the state's property,and they could do with
it what they wished. The Airport Committee wished council would pursue steps towards
transitioning ownership of the airport to the city. She requested that council not approve the airport
resolution tonight. On another note, Paquette endorsed Liz DeMoss for council.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA
Motion (McClure/Osenga) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda
McClure moved the appointment and swearing in of a new council member to the first item of new
business with no objection from council.
Terry removed Resolutions 20-011, 20-012, and 20-015 from the consent agenda.
Motion Passed Unanimous
The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items:
Resolution 2020-010, Adopting The Port And Commerce Advisory Board Priorities From
February 2020 To February 2021.
Approval of the January 27, 2020 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes.
Non-objection to the renewal of liquor license# 177—Beverage Dispensary—Tourism for the
Breeze Inn.
Issue letter of support for the recertification of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens
Advisory Council (PWSRCAC).
Establishing a procedure for scheduling presentations, in keeping with Council Rules of
Procedures, Rule 9(e) Council Meetings—Agenda.
SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS
Proclamations & Awards
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
February 10,2020 Volume 41,Page 99
In Memoriam for John French, PhD
Borough Assembly Report. Kenn Carpenter apologized for missing the last council
meeting;he had been out moose hunting.He congratulated the Seward High School boys basketball
team for playing so well,as well as the girls team. The borough passed the resolution for Japanese
Creek Feasibility Study. Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce met with the school board last week where
he recommitted to funding the school budget to the cap. The borough was being proactive with the
abandoned vehicles on borough roads. In response to Terry,Carpenter said citizens should contact
the borough road department to report abandoned vehicles on borough roads;if on state roads,call
the State Troopers.
City Manager Report.Scott Meszaros reported the following purchase orders over$5,000
had been approved by the City Manager since the last council meeting: No report provided.
Meszaros apologized for abruptly leaving the last meeting.
Meszaros said the proposals for the city attorney firm needed to be scored;he requested that
two members of council join him in scoring the proposals,per city code. Terry said she wished to
conduct the interviews for city attorney in a public forum.Baclaan favored all of council reviewing
the proposals.
Motion (Terry/McClure) Schedule a Special Meeting on February 24,
2020 at 5:00 p.m. to review and score the
city attorney proposals.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Meszaros wondered which council members would be travelling to Washington, D.C. in
April for the legislative meetings.In response,Terry directed the city clerk to include an agenda item
on February 24,2020 to make that decision,and to include the city's Federal Legislative Priorities in
the packet.
In response to Baclaan,Public Works Director Doug Schoessler said he was still on track
to present the results of the Water&Wastewater Rate Study to council on February 24, 2020.
In response to Baclaan,Schoessler said the FEMA funding paperwork for Lowell Point Road
came through last week, and Hamilton Construction was busy procuring rock for the road repairs.
In response to Baclaan,Schoessler said the city had a Mutual Aide Agreement(MOA)with
the Alaska Department of Transportation(ADOT) for snow removal and vegetation cutting along
Third Avenue. For the recent snow removal project, the state pulled the snow to the center of the
road, and then the city removed it; in return,the state painted the yellow and white lines on all the
city streets. In response to Baclaan, Schoessler said he hadn't researched whether grooving lines
under the street painting helped to preserve the paint longer,but he would be willing to look into it.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
February 10,2020 Volume 41,Page 100
Teary wondered if the borough had provided the city's 4Q19 sales tax figures yet. Finance
Director Tammy Stromberg said she had received those figures.Terry requested for the sales tax
information to be distributed as soon as possible,and requested the budget books be released as soon
as possible as well.
Other Reports, Announcements and Presentations
Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council(PWSRCAC)report by Rob
Chadwell
NEW BUSINESS
Other New Business
Vote and appoint a qualified candidate to fill the council vacancy with a term to expire
October, 2020. Applicants are: Julie Crites, Brad Snowden, and Liz DeMoss.
City Clerk Brenda Ballou passed out ballots to council,collected them,and read the first vote
counts: 5 votes for Crites and 1 vote for DeMoss.
Motion (McClure/Osenga) Appoint Julie Crites to the vacant council
seat with a term to expire October, 2020.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Swear-in and seat a new council member with a term to expire October, 2020.
City Clerk Brenda Ballou swore in new council member Crites and she took her seat at the
dais.
Resolution 2020-011,Authorizing Signatures For All City Bank Accounts And Rescinding
All Previous Resolutions In Conflict Herewith.
Motion (McClure/Osenga) Approve Resolution 2020-011
Terry had removed this item from the consent agenda because she wished to make an
amendment.
Motion to Amend (TerryBaclaan) Amend Resolution 2020-011 by striking
"Sam Hickok, Assistant Finance
Director" and replacing it with "Norm
Regis,Harbormaster."
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
February 10, 2020 Volume 41,Page 101
Terry wished to make the amendment in order maintain some consistency and longevity.
Meszaros added that the harbormaster was often put in acting status when the city manager
traveled.
Motion to Amend Passed Yes: McClure, Butts, Crites, Baclaan,
Terry
No: Osenga
Motion to Amend (Baclaan/Terry) Amend Resolution 20-011 in Section 2 by
striking the word"one" and replacing it
with the word "two" so that it reads,
"Any two of the above persons..."
Motion to Amend Failed Yes: Baclaan
No: McClure, Osenga, Crites, Butts,
Terry
Motion to Amend (Baclaan/ ) Amend Resolution 20-011 in Section 3 by
striking the word "one" and replacing it
with the word "two" so that it reads,
"Any two of the above persons..."
Motion died for lack of second.
Main Motion Passed Yes:McClure,Butts,Osenga,Crites,Terry
No: Baclaan
Resolution 2020-012,Approving A Contract For External Audit Services With Altman,
Rogers & Co. For The Years 2019, 2020, And 2021, And Extending The Deadline For
Completion.
Motion (McClure/Osenga) Approve Resolution 2020-012
Stromberg said the city was fortunate to receive three very good proposals from financial
audit firms, and added that any one of these firms would do a good job.
Motion to Amend (Baclaan/Terry) Amend Resolution 20-012 in Section 3 by
adding the word "first" so that it reads,
"...following the close of the first year,
with the understanding it will be
completed within 160 following the close
of the first year end..."
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
February 10, 2020 Volume 41,Page 102
Main Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2020-013,Supporting Seward Airport Alternative 2.2 And Notifying The State
Of Alaska Department Of Transportation (ADOT) And The Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) To Move Ahead With Construction.
Motion (McClure/Osenga) Approve Resolution 2020-013
Meszaros stated he had spoken with the ADOT and FAA today;they had completed their
Environmental Analysis(EA),and said they intended to move forward with Alternative 2.2 as
planned.At the last council meeting,the city attorney was directed to investigate the viability of
the city filing an injunction to stop the work from progressing at the airport,Meszaros said,and
the result of that was that the city did not have grounds to file an injunction.
Meszaros said when he first started, he had been directed to send letters to the ADOT
and FAA on behalf of the city in support of Alternative 1.1.The result was that it compromised
his neutrality in the situation,so now he wanted council direction on how to proceed. Meszaros
said the choices before council tonight were to approve either or both of the airport resolutions,
fail either or both of the airport resolutions, or take no action on either or both resolutions.
Council suspended the rules to speak with Bruce Jaffa.
In response to Butts, Seward Airport Committee Chair Bruce Jaffa said the ADOT
had indicated that their intent was to move forward with Alternative 2.2.Jaffa said he believed
that there would be some form of opposition that would stop ADOT from moving forward with
the project,but thought it probably wouldn't be a result of any council action tonight.If council
approved the resolution tonight, then council would be ceding valuable property from the
Resurrection River, with no protection of important Seward infrastructure, and would be
deeming the views,opinions,and work of the citizens of Seward to be worthless. Jaffa said he
had reviewed ten years' worth of meeting notes and found that former City Manager Jim Hunt
and former Assistant City Manager Ron Long both had clear ideas about the importance of
keeping the 4,200 foot runway. He said former Interim City Manager Jeff Bridges did not
understand the situation and accepted the idea that a 4,000 foot runway was equal to a 4,200 foot
runway,and it wasn't.if this resolution was passed,Jaffa said the city would be saying goodbye
to future C-130s, a whole class of aircraft.
Council went back on the rules.
In response to McClure,Meszaros said the ADOT would remove the tarmac from the top
of the current long runway, and would install armor rock against it to protect from river
flooding.
Baclaan noted that council had already approved the city's State Legislative Priorities,
and that included supporting Alternative 1.1.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
February 10, 2020 Volume 41,Page 103
McClure wondered how effective a vote of Seward citizens would be for obtaining a
clear indication that the people were willing to pay for the airport,because the airport affected
so many people outside of city limits.
Terry wished to have a work session with the Seward Bear Creek Flood Service Area
Board (SBCFSAB) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to start talking about
moving the Resurrection River in order to protect the city's infrastructure.
Butts concurred with Baclaan and reiterated that council had made its decision
regarding the airport when it passed the city's State Legislative Priorities. Terry recited the
priority: "$8.1 million for the Alaska Department of Transportation to repair and restore the
existing runway 13-31 in order to accommodate larger aircraft and provide effective disaster
response."
Baclaan was concerned that if the river flooding wasn't mitigated, the entire airport
would continue to be eroded over time. Osenga was concerned about the timing of all the
projects being discussed.In response to Osenga,Meszaros said he was told that Alternative 2.2
would be done,regardless of what the city said; he added that if the city wished to pay for the
additional 700 feet of runway to be added onto the planned 3,300 foot runway, the city would
have to provide a check and a Memorandum of Understanding to the ADOT by September. In
response to Osenga, Meszaros said four years ago, the estimate for the additional 700 feet of
runway was $8.1 million; in today's money, it may be $10-12 million.
Terry asked for council consent that, if this resolution failed tonight, she and Baclaan
would be authorized to speak about other options and alternatives with legislators when they
went to Juneau next week. There was no objection from council.
Motion Failed Unanimous
Resolution 2020-014, Directing The City Clerk To Conduct A Special Election To
Determine If Seward Voters Wish To Fund An Additional Extension From 3,300 Feet To
4,000 Feet Of The Seward Airport Runway In Conjunction With Approved Alternative
2.2.
Motion (McClure/Osenga) Approve Resolution 2020-014
Motion Failed Unanimous
Resolution 2020-015,Amending The City Council Rules Of Procedures,Rule 26 Order Of
Business,And Rule 27 Addressing The Council By The Public.
Motion (McClure/Osenga) Approve Resolution 2020-015
Motion to Amend (Terry/McClure) Amend Resolution 20-015 by moving the
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
February 10,2020 Volume 41,Page 104
Chamber of Commerce Report down to
Other Reports and Announcements.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Clerk's Note: The Chamber of Commerce Report is a standing report delivered monthly. There
was no change made to the frequency of the report.
Motion to Amend (Terry/McClure) Amend Resolution 20-015 by requiring
reporters to provide comments during
Citizen Comments.
Baclaan was concerned that requiring reporters to speak during citizen comments would
take away from the public's opportunity to speak.
Motion to Amend Failed Yes: Crites, Terry
No: Butts,Osenga, McClure, Baclaan
Motion to Amend (McClure/Terry) Amend Resolution 20-015 by allowing
each reporter five (5) minutes of
speaking time.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Main Motion Passed Unanimous
Other New Business
Update on the work session schedule on February 12,2020 to review and discuss the Capital
Improvement Plan priorities, and the Ongoing Projects & Goals list.
Meszaros wanted to take more time, engage a facilitator, and do a good job identifying the
city's priorities for capital improvement projects.
Terry expressed concerns about the cost of hiring a facilitator, and the timing; specifically,
she was concerned that there were critical projects currently underway that would require decisions
imminently, like the heat loop project.
Baclaan recalled a previous discussion in council about reaching out to David Paperman or
Jen Leahy to facilitate, and he wondered if they had been contacted.
McClure concurred with the sentiment of keeping costs down,but felt the consultants being
suggested had specific expertise.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
February 10,2020 Volume 41,Page 105
In response to Butts,Meszaros said the big picture CIP session could be held in the fall. In
the short term, Meszaros said he would engage the department heads to provide a short list of
immediate CIP needs. Terry said she would like the work session to be rescheduled in the fall.
Motion (McClure/Osenga) Cancel the work session on February 12,
2020 to review and discuss the Capital
Improvement Plan priorities, and the
Ongoing Projects & Goals list.
Motion Passed Unanimous
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS
On-Going City Project and Goal List.
City Clerk's Report on Public Records Requests through February 3, 2020.
December, 2019 City and Providence Financials.
COUNCIL COMMENTS
Crites was happy to be here.
Baclaan attended the ASLC Gala as a volunteer; it was a successful fundraiser. He
congratulated Crites and welcomed her to council.
Butts welcomed Crites,and thanked everyone for submitting their applications.He thanked
everyone who attended the meeting tonight. Butts thought the city was starting to move forward.
Osenga thanked everyone for submitting applications, and welcomed Crites.
McClure welcomed Crites,and thanked everyone for coming to the meeting.She appreciated
the adjustments made to the agenda tonight. McClure reminded everyone the National Ocean
Science Bowl (NOSB)would be held this weekend.
Terry thanked everyone who applied for the council vacancy; she thanked Liz DeMoss for
applying and encouraged her to run in the October election. She welcomed Crites to council.Terry
said the airport project was a "knot" of a situation that involved the river, the runways, and
infrastructure. Terry said she and Baclaan would be traveling to Juneau next week, and would be
bringing the state legislative priorities with them.
CITIZEN COMMENTS
Suzi Towsley encouraged council to include the airport committee members in the discussion
with the flood board.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
February 10,2020 Volume 41,Page 106
Norm Regis had spoken with the U.S. Coast Guard today; the Coast Guard re-confirmed
today that they would be going to SMIC.
Bruce Jaffa welcomed Crites; he appreciated council's efforts, which he knew was not
always easy. Jaffa attended the Gala and enjoyed it very much. Jaffa wanted to see the airport
funding spent wisely.The village of Kaktovich had recently suffered a devastating loss of its school;
he implored the community of Seward to assist that village in any way possible. Regarding the
airport,he considered the primary, critical issue to be flood control.
Lynda Paquette said the original Alternative 1.1 was not exactly what the city wanted;there
had been some modifications based on the wishes of the Seward community.Paquette thought there
needed to be a work session to explore airport ownership possibilities.She added that extending the
runway to 4,000 feet would still not be long enough;it needed to be 4,200 feet.She didn't believe the
state wanted to maintain ownership, and felt strongly that the city could pursue more alternatives.
Rissie Casagranda congratulated Crites. Casagranda was concerned with the level of
communication,which translated to the perception of transparency,particularly with the city attorney
Request for Proposals.She was also concerned that the city manager would have authority to control
presentations, and wondered what would happen if the city manager didn't like someone.
COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS
McClure said the change to council comments at the end of the agenda combined council
comments with response to citizen comments.
Terry confirmed with the clerk that RFP and Bid notices were placed on the city website.
Meszaros said medical transport flights were prohibited from landing in Seward when there
was flooding. He added that C-130s required 5,200 foot runways,not 4,200 feet.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:17 p.m.
Brenda J. Ballou C Christy T
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