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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07252022 City Council Minutes City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 25, 2022 Volume 42,Page 79 CALL TO ORDER The July 25, 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 Mike Calhoon Randy Wells comprising a quorum of the Council; and Janette Bower, City Manager Brenda Ballou, City Clerk Excused—Casagranda Absent—None CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Melody Jordan, outside the city, thanked the Electric Department for resolving a recent issue at her property; the staff had listened to her concerns and had been responsive, and she appreciated that. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (McClure/Osenga) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Calhoon removed Resolution 2022-084 from the consent agenda. Terry added an Election Report to Other Reports and Announcements. Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 25,2022 Volume 42,Page 80 Resolution 2022-083,Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into An Agreement With R&M Consultants To Complete The Limited Source Removal Soil Remediation For The City Public Works And Shop At 434 Sixth Ave,Seward,Alaska,Task Order 2734.11 In An Amount Not To Exceed$41,087,And Appropriating Funds. Approval of the July 11,2022 City Council Special Meeting Minutes. Approval of the July 11,2022 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes. Appoint Benjamin Smith (re-appointment, 2"d term) and Dwayne Atwood to the Port & Commerce Advisory Board with terms to expire July,2025. Proclamations and Awards—None City Manager Report. City Manager Janette Bower said the 2021 financial audit was nearing completion; Providence was in the process of finalizing their audit documents. She welcomed the new Parks&Recreation Director and invited her to speak. Parks&Recreation Director Maggie Wilkins said she had lived in Seward for 18 years, and had previously worked in both the Parks&Recreation and the Harbor departments.There was a lot of work to do in the department,and there was a great staff on board.She appreciated the support she had been receiving from staff and citizens. Terry called attention to the interim summary of findings for the Recreation Center Feasibility Study in the packet under the City Manager Report. She asked if there could be a Facebook post made to share this report with a broader audience;Bower confirmed. In response to Wells, Bower said there would be a public meeting on this topic on September 28, 2022. Other Reports and Announcements Chamber of Commerce Report.Executive Director Kat Sorenson thanked everyone for their support and assistance during the Fourth of July Festival and Mount Marathon Race events. The Silver Salmon Derby would start August 13, 2022; tickets were available online now, and volunteers were still needed. There had been over 2,500 visitors in June; the Chamber had been helping international visitors. The new electric car charging stations would be up and running by the end of the summer. Small Business Development Center(SBDC)Report.Small Business Advisor Kelly Ann Cavaretta thanked the city for supporting her position;she had been in this role for six months now. She was enjoying her work and had seen a positive impact in the community. She had a record number of new clients sign up for her services this quarter. The top three business types she was seeing were accommodation and food, services, and transportation (primarily tour-related). In addition, pre-ventures made up approximately 20% of her clients, start-up business (less than 24 months old)made up about 25%,and established businesses made up about 55%.Cavaretta said one statewide trend being seen was established businesses coming in for advice about an exit plan.More City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 25, 2022 Volume 42,Page 81 recently,she had been getting involved with assisting 14 Lowell Point businesses access low interest loans due to the impacts of the landslide. Election Report Terry stated there would be two elections on August 16, 2022, a special election to fill the remainder of US Representative Don Young's term,and the regular primary election in preparation for the November 8,2022 election.Terry stated that Seward and Lowell Point were in District 5,and Bear Creek and Moose Pass were in District 8; the city clerk would have ballots for both districts during the Absentee In Person voting period of August 1-15,2022. Terry said for the Municipal Election on October 4,2022,candidate packets were available in the city clerk's office or could be downloaded from the city website. Candidates could file their Declaration of Candidate from August 1-15, 2022 with the city clerk. There would be two city council seats and the mayor position on the ballot this year.In addition,Terry said the School Board seat would also be on the borough ballot this year. Presentations PUBLIC HEARINGS Ordinances for Public Hearing and Enactment Ordinance 2022-009,Amending Seward City Code Section 2.25.045 Finance Department.This ordinance was introduced on July 11, 2022 and is coming tonight for public hearing and enactment. Motion(McClure/Terry) Enact Ordinance 2022-009 Bower said this ordinance was a result of suggestions made by Carmen Jackson,the city's contracted Certified Public Accountant(CPA)firm. She added that the Carmen Jackson team was continuing to review the city code and she expected there would be more updates going forward. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. No one appeared and the public hearing was closed. Terry thought this ordinance appeared fairly straightforward. Motion Passed Unanimous NEW BUSINESS Resolutions Resolution 2022-084,Amending The 2022 Budget To Reflect Mid-Cycle Budget Adjustments, --- And Appropriating Funds. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 25, 2022 Volume 42,Page 82 Motion (McClure/DeMoss) Approve Resolution 2022-084 Bower requested to call MC Pehle from the Carmen Jackson firm. Pehle said there was a large adjustment that needed to be made as a result of the Lowell Point Road landslide; $1.2 million of expenses were anticipated,for which the city hoped to receive reimbursement.As well,there was a 15% increase in fuel costs across the board in all the Enterprise Funds. Pehle said in the General Fund, there was an estimated increase of revenues in the amount of$1,137,500, as well as an estimated increase in expenses of$1,275,738(almost all the expenses were related to the landslide). Pehle said the actual 2021 General Fund balance would exceed the estimated fund balance by $1,344,804 due to an increase in sales tax revenue and some decreases in expenses;this was the net result from 2021. Terry stated the$1.3 million would go into the unrestricted reserves fund as a cash balance; this went toward the city's 3-6 months reserve recommendation.Bower confirmed and added the city had eight months of reserves. Terry noted the harbor's reserves was at $1,190,510. In response to Terry, Pehle confirmed that his firm was confident with the numbers as presented. Calhoon appreciated the discussion; he wanted the public to see that the budget was being handled in an open and transparent way. Motion Passed Unanimous Other New Business Items Schedule work sessions to review and discuss the proposed changes to Seward City Code as part of the recodification project. Council scheduled a work session on Saturday, October 22, 2022. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS—None CITIZEN COMMENTS —None COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS & RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Bower thanked council for giving extra time for special meetings and for supporting her efforts to get work done. Wells thanked administration. He had toured Homer Electric Association in Soldotna last week and said their operation was very advanced. r1 City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 25, 2022 Volume 42, Page 83 Calhoon thanked everyone for their work. He welcomed the new commander of the USCG Mustang. The icebreaker Healy was in Seward and their crew was interested in doing some community service work; this was being coordinated through the American Legion. Osenga welcomed Wilkins and thanked everyone for the meeting tonight. Be safe. DeMoss thanked administration for making good decisions for the community. She welcomed Wilkins back to the city and thanked Montgomery for the information and education. McClure welcomed Wilkins; she thought the city had a good staff, and she encouraged people to watch the meetings from home if they didn't come to the meetings in person. She was excited to see the new animal shelter being constructed. She and Lee Poleske had conducted a tour of the first mile of the Iditarod Trail and had a lot of fun doing it. She expressed condolences to the Gage family, Albertson family, and Casey family. Terry thanked Smith and Atwood for applying to PACAB. She appreciated hearing the accolade for the Electric Department. She also expressed her condolences. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m. renda Ballow, MC isty Terry City Clerk Mayor _owl le (City Seal),�s`n OF�SE •A G `'G �0 RP ��.p. : _ • •• SEAL • Fi r 61.0