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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06272022 City Council Minutes City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes June 27,2022 Volume 42,Page 55 CALL TO ORDER The June 27, 2022 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m.by Mayor Christy Terry. OPENING CEREMONY Police Chief Alan Nickell led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: Christy Terry presiding and Sue McClure John Osenga Liz DeMoss Ristine Casagranda Mike Calhoon Randy Wells comprising a quorum of the Council; and Janette Bower, City Manager Brenda Ballou,City Clerk Brooks Chandler, City Attorney(arrived at 7:10 p.m.) Excused—None Absent—None CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Donnie Lane,inside the city,was the president of the Seward Public Employees Association (SPEA). He supported the collective bargaining agreement and said the membership had provided the items for negotiation through their own requests; 80% of the current membership had voted unanimously to ratify this contract.He appreciated the city staff who worked with them so positively, and thanked them for coming together during the negotiations. Patrick Messmer, outside the city, echoed those sentiments, and said administration had been very professional and pleasant to work with. Bob Valdatta, inside the city,celebrated his 496 1 year in Seward yesterday.The city didn't feel quite the same as it used to; it was getting too commercial. He was dismayed by the current condition of the Little League fields because they were dusty and unkempt;the fields needed water so the grass would grow and he wished more attention would be paid toward the upkeep of the fields. He recalled that Gene Thorn had been responsible for building the fields 45 years ago,and suggested dedicating the fields to Thorn's memory.Secondly,Valdatta wondered what became of the satellite- operated lawn mowers that the Parks &Recreation Department had purchased. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes June 27, 2022 Volume 42, Page 56 Bruce Jaffa, outside the city, was on the Moose Pass Planning Commission and said the borough had recently updated their website to reflect Seward's new KPB Planning Commissioner, Troy Staggs. In Moose Pass,there was a highway project being planned by the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT) that would severely impact the residents; the DOT was asking to perform right of way(ROW) clearing. Karen Corrigan, inside the city, supported Resolution 2022-080. The union had been the best thing for employees and she felt like she had the support she needed. She hoped to be with the city for another seven years and accomplish retirement at 30 years. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (McClure/Casagranda) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda McClure removed Resolutions 2022-077 and 2022-079 from the consent agenda. McClure put Resolution 2022-081 onto the consent agenda with no objection from council. Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Resolution 2022-078,Authorizing The City Manager To Purchase From Cleveland/Price,Inc. (Anixter) A Unitized Vertical Break Switch In A Not-To-Exceed Amount Of $66,257 For Installation At The Intersection Of Nash Road And The Seward Highway,Allowing Seward Crews To More Effectively Control The Flow Of Electricity On The Local Grid And Isolate Service-Related Issues For Repair And Appropriating Funds. Resolution 2022-080, Approving The Agreement Covering Terms And Conditions Of Employment Between The City Of Seward, Alaska And The Seward Public Employees Association (SPEA) Effective January 1, 2023 And Ending December 31, 2025. Resolution 2022-081,Requesting State Of Alaska Leadership In Response To The Documented Concerns Regarding Bear Mountain And Probable Future Devastation To The City Of Seward And Lowell Point Community. Action Memorandum 2022-002,Appoint Chief Alan Nickel(Primary)and Deputy Chief Karl Schaefermeyer(Alternate)to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Communications Center Advisory Board. Approval of the May 9, 2022 City Council Special Meeting Minutes. Approval of the May 9, 2022 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes. ri City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes June 27, 2022 Volume 42,Page 57 Approval of the May 23,2022 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes. ism Approval of the June 13, 2022 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes. Proclamations and Awards Seward "Freedge" Proclamation for Maren Bickling Recognizing Seward Historic Preservation Award Recipients: • Doug Capra • Mary Tougas • HP Commissioners Cheryl Seese (Chair), Sue Ward (Vice Chair), Tanguy Libbrecht, and Mary Ann Benoit • Cheryl& Gary Seese City Manager Report. Community Development Director Jason Bickling provided an update on the status of the ground clean-up at the Jesse Lee Home. Coldfoot had discovered additional traces of fuel in the ground while they were doing the final clean-up,and so another report would be required by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation(DEC)to make them aware of the situation; Coldfoot would have to wait for DEC approval to continue the remediation work. Casagranda complimented the Community Development Department for creating new zoning brochures to help people understand what they could do in their zoned areas.She appreciated that the brochures were posted on the city website for easy access. Fire Chief Clinton Crites stated the burn suspension was still in effect for the entire Kenai Peninsula; only fires under three in diameter were allowed, and even those should be closely monitored. Burn barrels were not allowed under the burn suspension. He admonished everyone to please make sure fires were completely extinguished before leaving them unattended.The Fourth of July fireworks show would be held at 12:01 a.m. on July 4,2022 from the harbor uplands;the fire trucks would be staged on site and the public was requested to stay back from the barricades and areas that were taped off. There were 145 active wildfires currently throughout the state; the environment was extremely dry right now,and he encouraged everyone to be vigilant with their fire watches. McClure wondered what the rules were about personal fireworks.Police Chief Alan Nickell said fireworks were not allowed inside the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Bower said the new Parks & Recreation director would start on Wednesday and the new gardener would start on July 7,2022.She added that another campground attendant was hired today. Bower thanked city staff for pitching in to weed flower beds, and Public Works for taking over watering all the flower beds.Bower said the satellite lawnmowers that Parks&Recreation ordered were not effective and had been returned. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes June 27,2022 Volume 42,Page 58 DeMoss thanked Public Works for addressing the condition of alleyways; they looked so much better with the new gravel fill. She suggested discussing long term planning for alley improvements during the upcoming budget process. DeMoss asked for an update on the memorial bench for Ron Stallings. In response,Bower said there were currently three memorial benches pending installation.Terry asked the city manager • to inform council when the bench installations were completed. DeMoss suggested it may be beneficial if the city furnished hard copies of the new zoning brochures to the title company and the various real estate offices in town. DeMoss asked for an update on the Hemlock Subdivision. In response, Assistant City Manager Stephen Sowell said he included some information in the city manager report. At this point, administration would not bring the item back to council until or unless directed to do so by council. However, he had included information in tonight's packet to help clarify some of the misunderstandings the public may have about some of the other options that were available.Sowell said he was thinking about hosting a community discussion in the fall or winter to address housing concerns. Terry wondered if a work session would be helpful. DeMoss said she would prefer that council have the opportunity to review the options available and have a discussion about next steps because money had already been invested into this concept. Council directed the city manager to bring an action memorandum at next council meeting to schedule a work session to discuss Hemlock Subdivision housing options. Casagranda requested an update on the relocation of the public works shop. In response, Bower said she was planning to have a special meeting soon to discuss potential new location options.Casagranda followed up with a request to include a discussion about the property that would be vacated where the current shop was.Terry recalled soil samples being taken from that property for analysis. Bower stated the final mitigation for the property at the current location would be on the July 11,2022 council agenda. Terry asked administration to reach out to the Little League to see what could be done to help with the fields. Terry asked when council could expect to see the mid-cycle budget adjustment for 2021 revenues come forward. In response,Bower said that would be on the July 25,2022 council agenda at the latest. Bower said one of the police dispatchers had resigned due to the inability to find housing. Following up on what was mentioned earlier, Bower said she was brainstorming the possibility of hosting an open dialogue with the community about housing in order to get input from everyone. Terry inquired about when the results from the community survey about a Community Recreation Center might be available.In response,Sowell said he would have a meeting with Victus Advisors on July 6, 2022 and expected to receive the survey results at that time. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes June 27, 2022 Volume 42,Page 59 Borough Assembly Report. Borough Assembly Representative Cindy Ecklund was not present. Other Reports and Announcements Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association (CIAA) Report by Robert Barnwell stated he became the city's representative since last fall and had attended a few CIAA meetings so far,but he already felt that Seward was somewhat underrepresented. He did not support the practice that the Chamber of Commerce be solely responsible for funding the Silver Salmon smolts put into Resurrection Bay,and hoped to have a discussion to find a new funding source.Barnwell said there was no natural run of Silvers,Reds,or Kings in Resurrection Bay,so Seward was entirely dependent upon the hatcheries. He thought it would be wise for the number of Silver smolts stocked to be consistent and predictable, and not vary from year to year depending on what the Chamber could afford to purchase. The Red Salmon run that was currently underway in Seward, which Barnwell witnessed to draw approximately 500 fishermen in one afternoon,was produced entirely for Cook Inlet Aquaculture to achieve cost recovery;there were seiners on the water intermittently scooping up fish and selling them to make money for Cook Inlet Aquaculture.He said that was the only reason why Reds were there,and the sports fishing for Reds was incidental and had been created almost by accident. He wondered what the cost of that sports fishing was to the city for providing outhouses and clean up, as well as what the value of those fish were to the city. Barnwell believed that CIAA should have more communication with the city. He said fish had been stocked in First Lake,Grouse Lake,and Thumb Cove without any consultation.He thought the city should be informed more about what Cook Inlet Aquaculture was doing.He suggested that if the city demonstrated a little more attention toward CIAA,then CIAA may have a little more respect for their relationship with the city. Lastly, Barnwell said regarding the Bear Creek Fish Weir, the salmon were raised in Bear Lake where fertilizer was dumped to increase the plankton for the fish, and then the fish ran up that creek. If that creek was not maintained in a healthy state,there would not be any salmon;there had not been a lot of discussion about that issue,so he wanted to keep an eye on that concern. McClure asked what the city could do to gain more representation.In response,Barnwell said the city needed to have more communication with CIAA and be more attentive so that CIAA knew the city cared about what they were doing. Barnwell thought CIAA was doing good things,and the city needed the hatchery fish,but the city needed to pay more attention. Wells had contacted Barnwell with questions,and subsequently,Wells had gotten in touch with CIAA.Wells learned that CIAA released 150,000 Coho(Silver Salmon)for the Department of Fish&Game, and also charged one dollar per smolt. The Chamber had paid for 30,000 Coho,and the rate of return was under 2%. Barnwell added that Fish & Game also released 300,000 King Salmon fry,with the hopes that there would be 5,000 caught in Seward.Wells said he asked CIAA how they determined that rate of return and they explained that they track the fish through otolith scraping.Wells said he learned that there were between 300,000 and 450,000 King Salmon released and the return was less than 4,000 fish. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes June 27, 2022 Volume 42,Page 60 Chamber of Commerce Report by Executive Director Kat Sorenson. Sorenson appreciated the discussion about the salmon because that impacted the Silver Salmon Derby and the Fish Restoration Project. She passed out copies of the Fourth of July Festival and Mount Marathon Race schedule for this coming weekend and said the Chamber had made some adjustments in the layout this year to concentrate the crowds near Adams Street rather than Washington Street. There would be games and children's activities set up on Church Street,and there would be a boat parade shortly before the fireworks show. There were over 40 vendors signed up this year, which was 15 more than they've had in the past,and the vendors would start setting up on Friday afternoon.For the race this year,there would be about 200 first-time runners this year because of the 50%rule that was initiated last year. Terry appreciated the safety measures that were taken for the festival and race,and asked if there would be extra measures taken this year due to the hot weather. Sorenson said there would be water stations at the topof the mountain and at the finish line, and first responders would be p stationed at the finish line for assistance. In response to DeMoss,Sorenson confirmed that Fourth Avenue would only be closed for the race on July 4, 2022. Presentations—None PUBLIC HEARINGS Ordinances for Public Hearing and Enactment Ordinance 2022-008, Amending Seward City Code 15.10.222 Development Requirements— Table Notes,Letter E To Allow More Density In The Auto Commercial And Central Business Zoning Districts.This ordinance was introduced on June 13, 2022 and is coming tonight for public hearing and enactment. Motion (McClure/Osenga) Enact Ordinance 2022-008 Bickling said this ordinance would allow for greater housing development density with the Auto Commercial (AC)and Central Business(CB)zoning districts. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Carol Griswold, inside the city, stated that the Planning & Zoning Commission had not conducted a public hearing on this topic on May 3,2022,and the packet had not included a zoning map. This ordinance was about reducing the lot square footage required for larger, multi-family dwellings in the Auto Commercial, Central Business, and Resource Management districts. Multi- family units of five or more units would be built on a minimum 9,000 square foot lot in the AC and CB districts, and discussion about the RM district had not happened. As well, she believed this City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes June 27,2022 Volume 42, Page 61 ordinance would result in destroying existing single-family homes and landscaping,as higher density housing would be allowed from Van Buren to Railway. Allowing higher density housing would degrade the quality of life in the community. No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed. Terry said she noticed that the city attorney had not reviewed this ordinance, and suggested the ordinance be postponed to allow the attorney to review the ordinance. Bower added that current city code required that Planning & Zoning Commission hold a public hearing,and since that did not happen,she requested council refer this ordinance back to P&Z for a public hearing. Motion (Terry/Casagranda) Refer Ordinance 2022-008 to the Planning & Zoning Commission for a public hearing, and have the city attorney review the ordinance. City Attorney Brooks Chandler concurred with Bower that this ordinance would be should have a public hearing at P&Z.Chandler stated he would consult with the Community Development director to make sure the language matched the intent of this ordinance. Casagranda asked if the ordinance could also be clarified relating to the Resource Management zone. Motion Passed Unanimous NEW BUSINESS Resolutions Resolution 2022-077,Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into A One Year Facility Use Agreement Between The City Of Seward And The Alaska Vocational Technical Center For The Use Of The Student Services Building For Public Recreation And Appropriating Funds. Motion (McClure/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2022-077 Assistant City Manager Stephen Sowell stated he met with AVTEC representatives to discuss how important public access to the AVTEC gym was to the community, and maintaining programming at AVTEC was a priority. Sowell said they came to a daily use fee of$400,which was essentially a pass-through of AVTEC's actual operating costs. In response to Casagranda, Sowell said the contract would be in effect from September through December this year at a rate of$400 per day; the city would only pay for days utilized. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes June 27, 2022 Volume 42, Page 62 Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2022-079,Supporting Seward Community Health Center,Inc.'s Application For A Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) 2022 Service Area Competition (SAC) Funding Opportunity As A Standalone Entity. Motion (McClure/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2022-079 Bower said this grant application would make the SCHC be completely independent from the city and would enable the SCHC to apply for even more grants. Motion to Amend (Terry/Casagranda) Amend Resolution 2022-079 by striking the 4th Whereas entirely. Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Main Motion Passed Unanimous Other New Business Items Action Memorandum 2022-001,Provide City Council Direction To Administration Concerning The Port And Commerce Advisory Board Resolution 2022-006: Recommending The City Council Direct The City Manager To Enter Into A Professional Services Agreement With Your Clean Energy To Consult With The Heat Loop Ad Hoc Committee And Provide Services As Authorized By The City Manager As Requested By The Ad Hoc Committee In An Amount Not To Exceed $19,520,And Appropriating Funds. Motion (Terry/DeMoss) Approve Action Memorandum 2022-001 Bower stated administration supported this. Terry said she had attended two Ad Hoc Committee meetings and believed this vendor would be helpful to the committee in finding funding sources. Motion Passed Unanimous INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS Proclamation to recognize Retired Lieutenant Colonel Scott Beach for his life saving efforts. Letter of commendation for Asa Turner from Governor Dunleavy for his life saving efforts. Happy Youth Programs &Educational Resources (HYPER)Financials for the period ending May 31, 2022. 'NJ City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes June 27,2022 Volume 42,Page 63 City Clerk's Travel Report for the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) Conference. Deputy City Clerk's Travel Report for the Northwest Clerks Institute (NCI) Professional Development I(PDI) Training. CITIZEN COMMENTS Bruce Jaffa,outside the city,hoped that arrangements were being made to accommodate the transport of emergency medical necessities while the DOT was doing blasting along the Seward Highway. Regarding the Ad Hoc Committee meetings,he appreciated council's support for hiring the vendor to find funding sources. Alan Nickell,outside the city,clarified that the person who resigned due to housing concerns was a corrections officer and not a dispatcher. The corrections officer was married and had three children,so this was a loss of a good employee and a loss to the schools.Nickell was frustrated with the housing problem in town because it made hiring employees very difficult. COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS & RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Bower said she was working with department heads on reviewing city code in preparation for the recodification, and her goal was for city code to be well integrated. Calhoon appreciated the concerns about the housing shortage;housing had been a problem for a long time, but now there were new issues which included the cost of building materials that compounded the problem. The city's responsibility was to make the city code amenable to development, and then private industry would respond to developing the housing. He wished everyone a great Fourth of July and said be safe. Wells thanked administration and said be safe. DeMoss thanked the Seward Wilderness Collective for the farmer's market last weekend;the farmer's market would be held every other Saturday throughout the summer. She thanked administration for their responsiveness in getting the alleyways and gardens tended to. She agreed that private industry would step up to create housing, but the city needed to provide adequate infrastructure.DeMoss agreed that the ball fields needed to be maintained. She wished good luck to all the racers. Osenga congratulated the Historic Preservation Award winners. He had seen some city employees working on the city gardens and thanked them for their work.He wished everyone a fun and safe Fourth of July. McClure received a message from state troopers that they would be changing their Nixle communications to tighten up the geographic area. The Cemetery Solstice Walk on June 21, 2022 City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes June 27, 2022 Volume 42, Page 64 was well attended by about 50 people. She recalled running the Mount Marathon Race 12 times,and said the mountain didn't leave you once you ran the race. Terry appreciated Casagranda and DeMoss working on flower beds,as well. She had been in the harbormasters office over the weekend and had witnessed the abuse of staff by visitors;she asked everyone to be kind to staff, service workers, and everyone overall. EXECUTIVE SESSION Go into executive session to receive advice from the city attorney regarding the forensic audit. Rescheduled from June 13, 2022. Motion (Casagranda/Osenga) Go into executive session to receive advice from the city attorney regarding the forensic audit after a five minute recess. The city manager, assistant city manager, and city attorney were invited to stay. Motion Passed Unanimous Council recessed the meeting at 8:35 p.m. Council resumed the meeting at 8:40 p.m. Council went into executive session at 8:40 p.m. J Council came out of executive session at 10:30 p.m. Motion (Terry/McClure) Using the findings from the forensic audit, with consultation from the CPA firm, institute Best Practices with protocols and procedures, including directing the city manager to continue with the internal audit and corrections. Motion to Amend (Casagranda/DeMoss) Amend the main motion by adding the following word to the end of the motion, "...and direct the city attorney to further investigate the results of the forensic audit." Motion to Amend Failed Yes: Wells, DeMoss, Casagranda No: Calhoon, McClure, Osenga, Terry Main Motion Passed Unanimous ADJOURNMENT City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes June 27, 2022 Volume 42, Page 65 The meeting was adjourned at 10:35 p.m. Brenda Ballo , MC Christy Terry City Clerk Mayor (City Se1laiu"u '"+t,4 .• �ZY OF S •••. G`�oo RPa �,y% • N ;• • ti. • r