HomeMy WebLinkAbout10262020 City Council Minutes City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 26, 2020 Volume 41,Page 295
CALL TO ORDER
The October 26,2020 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.
SWEAR IN NEWLY ELECTED OFFICIALS:
City Clerk Brenda Ballou swore in Newly Elected Council Members Sue McClure and Liz
DeMoss.
ROLL CALL
There were present:
Christy Terry presiding and
Sue McClure Tony Baclaan
John Osenga Liz DeMoss
Sharyl Seese
comprising a quorum of the Council; and
Scott Meszaros, City Manager
Stephen Sowell,Assistant City Manager
Brenda Ballou, City Clerk
Jessica Stallard, Deputy City Clerk
Excused—None
Absent—None
Vacant—One
CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR
PUBLIC HEARING
The City of Seward is currently experiencing a declared public health emergency due to Coronavirus
Disease 2019 (COVID-19), so alternate methods for providing Citizen Comments were created.
Unless otherwise noted, the following Citizen Comments were submitted in advance and read into
the record by the City Clerk:
Ristine Casagranda was a candidate for the council vacancy and said in person that Seward
was her home and she loved this community.With perseverance,hard work,and dedication,Seward
could recover quickly from this year's challenges. She asked council to appoint her to serve the
citizens of Seward, and thanked them for their consideration.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 26, 2020 Volume 41, Page 296
Sean Corrigan was a candidate for the council vacancy and said in person that he had served
the Seward community for over 25 years and he wished to continue to serve the community by being
a member of council. He had experience in emergency preparedness and public safety.
Kyle Walker was a candidate for the council vacancy and said in person that the open
council vacancy was an unusual situation, because the citizens of Seward would not be voting for
this council member. He had previous experience sifting information judiciously and impartially.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA
Motion (McClure/Osenga) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda
Motion to Amend (Seese/Baclaan) Move "Vote and appoint a new council
member to replace the vacancy left by
Council Member Dale Butts' resignation.
The candidates are: Ristine Casagranda,
Sean Corrigan,and Kyle Walker"to be the
first item on the agenda.
Council suspended the rules to speak to Ristine Casagranda,Sean Corrigan,and Kyle Walker.
In response to Terry, Casagranda, Corrigan, and Walker each said they had reviewed the
council packet before the meeting.
Council went back on the rules.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Baclaan postponed Resolution 2020-082 to the February 22, 2021 council meeting.
Baclaan removed Resolutions 2020-085 and 2020-086 from the consent agenda.
Terry postponed Resolution 2020-083 to the November 9, 2020 council meeting.
Terry removed"Reschedule the November 23, 2020 regular city council meeting to November 30,
2020" from the consent agenda.
Motion Passed Unanimous
The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items:
Resolution 2020-084, Renaming The North/South Right Of Way Currently Known As Rush
Loop To Dunham Drive, Located Within The Gateway Subdivision.
Approval of the October 12, 2020 Regular Meeting Minutes.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 26, 2020 Volume 41,Page 297
Approval of the October 15, 2020 Special Meeting Minutes.
Confirm that the Port&Commerce Advisory Board(PACAB) should continue to work with
the Electric Utility Department to review the city's Interconnect Policy
Other New Business
Vote and appoint a new council member to replace the vacancy left by Council Member Dale
Butts'resignation.The candidates are:Ristine Casagranda,Sean Corrigan,and Kyle Walker
The clerk passed out Ballot#1 and instructed council to vote for no more than one name.The results
of the first vote were:
Casagranda 3 votes
Corrigan 3 votes
The clerk passed out Ballot#2 and instructed council to vote for no more than one name.The results
of the second vote were:
Casagranda 3 votes
Corrigan 3 votes
The clerk passed out Ballot#3 and instructed council to vote for no more than one name. The results
of the third vote were:
Casagranda 3 votes
Corrigan 2 votes
Walker 1 vote
The clerk passed out Ballot#4 and instructed council to vote for no more than one name.The results
of the fourth vote were:
Casagranda 3 votes
Corrigan 3 votes
The clerk passed out Ballot#5 and instructed council to vote for no more than one name. The results
of the fifth vote were:
Casagranda 3 votes
Corrigan 2 votes
Walker 1 vote
The clerk passed out Ballot#6 and instructed council to vote for no more than one name.The results
of the sixth vote were:
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 26, 2020 Volume 41,Page 298
Casagranda 4 votes
Corrigan 1 vote
Walker 1 vote
Motion (Terry/Seese) Appoint Ristine Casagranda to city council
with a term to expire October, 2022.
Motion Passed Unanimous
City Clerk Brenda Ballou swore in Ristine Casagranda.
SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS
Proclamations & Awards
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
City Manager Report. City Manager Scott Meszaros reported the following purchase
orders between$5,000 and$50,000 had been approved by the City Manager since the last council
meeting: $10,800 to Electric for 69KV fuse; $18,750 to Public Works for rock fall mitigation; and
$79,099 to Public Works for Vactor truck and shipping per Resolution 2019-088.
Interim Electric Utility Manager Cory Borgeson said there had been five major electrical
outages in the past four weeks;three of the outages were due to tree growth in the power lines and
two outages were due to faulty equipment.He was working on better communication with the public
during outages. There had been 64 electric outages this year. The bi-directional meters arrived and
Phil Kaluza's meter was installed.
In response to Terry, Borgeson said the electric utility agreement with Chugach Electric
would end December 31,2021.All six generators were now functioning and the line personnel was
being trained on how to run them.
In response to Terry,Meszaros said the finance director position had been advertised since
June, 2019 and there had been three applicants since December, 2019. The city had a contracted
Interim Finance Director who completed the end of month journals.
In response to Terry, Assistant City Manager Stephen Sowell said the library museum
director was looking for a contractor that could remedy the museum storage leak long-term.
Terry suggested leaving the City Planner position vacant until council reviewed the
2020/2021 budget. Meszaros said all city departments had significantly reduced expenditures and
staffing shortages were significant in the budget.
Council directed the city manager to look into replacing Mary Lowell's headstone.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 26, 2020 Volume 41, Page 299
City Attorney Report—None
Council scheduled a Special Meeting on November 4,2020 at 5:30 p.m.to go into executive session
regarding the Jesse Lee Home agreement. Meszaros said the city attorney would be available by
phone.
Other Reports and Announcements
Chamber of Commerce Report.Jason Bickling reported telephonically that the Chamber
Board of Director elections would be held November 11-15, 2020. Small Business Start Up Week
was November 16-20,2020 and Shop Small Weekend was November 27-30,2020.There would be
fireworks on New Year's Eve.
CARES Act Funding Update by City Manager Scott Meszaros & Acting Finance
Director Sam Hickok.Meszaros said approximately 44 eligible business grants for Tier 2 had been
received. There was a $364.59 credit that would be applied to November utility bills for residents
inside the Seward city limits. In response to Terry, Meszaros said the disbursement from the Kenai
Peninsula Borough had been received.
Other Presentations
2019 Audit Results Presentation by Altman, Rogers & Co.
PUBLIC HEARINGS —None
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Items Postponed from Previous Agenda
Resolution 2020-078, Amending City Council Rules Of Procedures, Rule 9B, In Order To
Ensure Council Ordinances And Resolutions Have Sufficient Time For Financial,Legal,And
Managerial Review Prior To The Council Meeting Dates. This item was postponed from
September 14, 2020.
Motion to Amend (Osenga/McClure) Amend Resolution 2020-078 by accepting the
substitute resolution.
In response to Terry, Meszaros said the deadline for city staff to have agenda items turned in
to the city manager was the Tuesday two weeks before a council meeting. Osenga said the intent of
this resolution was to allow the city manager, finance director, and city attorney enough time to
review council's products and create a better product. McClure said this resolution was not adding
any rules; it was just pushing back a current deadline by a week.
Motion to Amend Failed Yes: Osenga, McClure,Terry
�■� No: Baclaan, DeMoss, Casagranda, Seese
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 26, 2020 Volume 41, Page 300
Main Motion Failed Yes: Osenga, McClure, Terry
No: Seese, Casagranda, DeMoss, Baclaan
J
NEW BUSINESS
.Postponed to February 22, 2021.
Construction To Replace The Detaining Wall A t The i ittle i e e Field A t Foul th Avenue
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.Postponed to November 9,
2020.
Resolution 2020-085, Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into A Contract With
Municipal Emergency Services For The Purchase Of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses
Equipment For The Seward Fire Department In An Amount Not To Exceed$269,532.90,And
Appropriating Funds.
Motion (McClure/Seese) Approve Resolution 2020-085
Fire Chief Clinton Crites said the self-contained breathing apparatuses equipment for the
Seward Fire Department had been on the Capital Improvement Plan(CIP) for quite some time. The
Fire Department had applied for two federally-funded grants that they did not receive. The
equipment was past its service life and could no longer be updated.
In response to Baclaan,Crites said there were some funds allocated towards this equipment in
the 2018/2019 budget and upgrades had been completed on the compressors.Baclaan was concerned
that the funding for this equipment would be coming from the CARES Act money when funds had
been allocated for this equipment in previous budgets.
In response to McClure, Crites said the requested funds would come from the CARES Act
funding and Meszaros said this was a legal expenditure.
In response to Baclaan, Meszaros said this was not budgeted for in the 2020/2021 budget.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2020-086, Revising Municipal Camping Fees.
Motion (McClure/Osenga) Approve Resolution 2020-086
Motion (Baclaan/Casagranda) Schedule a work session to discuss revising
municipal camping fees on November 9,
2020 at 6:00 p.m.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 26, 2020 Volume 41,Page 301
In response to Osenga,Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Florence said the target date
for opening up campground reservations was February 1, 2021.
Motion Passed Yes:Casagranda,DeMoss,Seese,McClure,
Baclaan, Terry
No: Osenga
Motion to Postpone (Terry/McClure) Postpone Resolution 2020-086 to November
23, 2020.
Motion to Postpone Passed Unanimous
OTHER NEW BUSINESS ITEMS
Reschedule the November 23, 2020 regular city council meeting to November 30, 2020.
Council did not reschedule the November 23, 2020 council meeting to November 30,2020.
Organization of Council
Nominate, elect, and swear-in a council member as Vice Mayor.
The floor was opened for nominations.
Osenga nominated McClure for Vice Mayor. Seese nominated Baclaan for Vice Mayor.
No other nominations were made and the nominations were closed.
The clerk passed out Ballot#1 and instructed council to vote for no more than one name.The results
of the first vote were:
Baclaan 4 votes
McClure 3 votes
City Clerk Brenda Ballou swore in Vice Mayor Tony Baclaan.
Appoint a City Council Liaison(s) to the Planning& Zoning Commission.
Liz DeMoss was appointed to serve as City Council Liaison to the Planning&Zoning Commission.
Appoint a City Council Representative to the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District
(KPEDD).
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 26,2020 Volume 41,Page 302
Council appointed John Osenga to be the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District
(KPEDD)representative. Tony Baclaan was appointed as the City Council liaison for the Port and
Commerce Advisory Board(PACAB).
Appoint a City Council Liaison to the Seward Community Health Center's Coordinating
Committee.
Sharyl Seese was appointed as the council liaison to the Seward Community Health Center
Coordinating Committee.
Review the current status of existing council committees and take action: 1) continue by
replacing outgoing council members, or sunset.
The City Council Policy Work Group was sunset.The Special Ad Hoc Citizens Advisory Committee
for the Seward Airport was sunset. Osenga, DeMoss, and Terry were appointed. The Special Ad
Hoc City Council Budget Committee was continued with McClure as an alternate.
Schedule council's attendance for the Alaska Municipal League (AML) Local Government
Conference in November and direct the city clerk to register attendees.
City Clerk Brenda Ballou said AML was offering a group registration for their virtual
conference this year for a total of$750 for three or more attendees.This registration could include
city staff,city council,and boards and commissions.A few members of PACAB had shown interest
in attending this virtual conference.
The city clerk was directed to register all council members for the AML Conference.
Schedule the following onboarding training for newly elected officials:
The Appeals versus Legislation, and Council Involvement training session with City Attorney
Brooks Chandler was scheduled on November 23, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.
Understanding the Budget and Financial Statements work session with Acting Finance Director Sam
Hickok was scheduled on November 16,2020 at 6:00 p.m.
City infrastructure tours with department heads was scheduled for December 2,2020.
A work session to review and discuss the city's wage and classification study results was scheduled
on November 4, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS
September, 2020 City and Providence Financials.
Extra Mile Day Proclamation.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 26, 2020 Volume 41,Page 303
Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council(PWSRCAC)SeptemberReportfrom City
Representative Rob Chadwell
COUNCIL COMMENTS—None
COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS
Meszaros welcomed the new council members.
Sowell welcomed the new council members and said he was looking forward to working with
council. City administration was here to serve council and work with them to the best of their
abilities.
Casagranda said she was looking forward to serving on council for the next two years.
Baclaan thanked administration for working really hard and he thanked McClure for her
service as Vice Mayor. He congratulated DeMoss and Casagranda. He was working with the
chamber to host the Small Business Start Up Week and Live Cyber Monday.
DeMoss was looking forward to serving on council.She congratulated Vice Mayor Baclaan.
Seese welcomed the new council members and congratulated Vice Mayor Baclaan. She
enjoyed the 2019 Audit Results Presentation.
Osenga welcomed the new council members and congratulated Vice Mayor Baclaan. He
asked that everyone be careful and follow CDC guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
McClure congratulated the new council members and Vice Mayor Baclaan. She would be
working with Sowell to get a new headstone for Mary Lowell's grave.She reminded everyone to be
cautious this time of year,because it was beginning to get dark earlier and kids would be out trick or
treating.
Terry thanked the Finance Department and the auditors for an excellent audit.She welcomed
the new council members and congratulated Vice Mayor Baclaan. She thanked Julie Crites for her
service. She thanked local businesses for following CDC recommendations and asked everyone to
continue to follow these recommendations.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Go into Executive Session to discuss the city manager's performance,per SCC 2.10.030(b)(2).
Motion (Terry/Casagranda) Go into Executive Session to discuss the city
manager's performance,per SCC 2.10.030.
Motion Passed Unanimous
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 26, 2020 Volume 41, Page 304
Council recessed at 9:37 p.m.
Council resumed the meeting at 9:47 p.m.
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DeMoss declared a potential conflict of interest for voting to appoint a new council member,but she
did not feel that she had a conflict because she worked as an independent contractor and it was not
her primary source of income. She worked as an independent realtor but Casagranda was her real
estate broker. DeMoss paid a commission of her sales to Casagranda to hang her real estate license at
Casagranda's real estate office.
In response to Terry,DeMoss said she did not have a substantial financial conflict of interest.
She did not believe that her relationship with Casagranda would affect how she voted on any council
items.
Terry ruled there was no conflict with no objection from council.
Council went into executive session at 9:55 p.m.
Council came out of executive session at 10:55 p.m.
Motion (Terry/McClure) Extend the meeting until midnight, if
necessary.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Council went back into executive session at 11:00 p.m. „J
Council came out of executive session at 11:24 p.m.
Motion (Terry/Baclaan) Terminate the city manager's employment,
effective immediately.
McClure disagreed with the timing of terminating the city manager's employment and
suggested that council work with the city manager to remedy the problem. Osenga concurred with
McClure. Baclaan was unsatisfied with the city manager for providing an incomplete budget and
then, only providing one solution for it rather than multiple solutions. Meszaros was disappointed.
Motion Passed Yes: Casagranda, DeMoss, Seese, Baclaan,
Terry
No: Osenga, McClure
Meszaros left the meeting.
Motion (Terry/Baclaan) Provide two weeks severance to former
City Manager Scott Meszaros.
Motion Passed Unanimous
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
October 26,2020 Volume 41, Page 305
Motion (Terry/DeMoss) Appoint Harbormaster Norm Regis as
Acting City Manager.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Council added a discussion to the November 4, 2020 special meeting at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the
process for hiring a new city manager.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 11:33 p.m.
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