HomeMy WebLinkAbout05082023 City Council Minutes City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
May 8, 2023 Volume 42,Page 306
111 CALL TO ORDER
The May 8,2023 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m.
by Mayor Sue McClure.
OPENING CEREMONY
Police Chief Alan Nickell led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
ROLL CALL
There were present:
Sue McClure, presiding, and
John Osenga Liz DeMoss
Mike Calhoon Randy Wells
Kevin Finch Robert Barnwell
comprising a quorum of the Council; and
Janette Bower, City Manager
Brenda Ballou, City Clerk
Brooks Chandler, City Attorney
Excused—None
Absent—None
CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR
PUBLIC HEARING
Karen Corrigan, inside the city,wished to speak as an individual,not as a city employee.
She opposed Resolution 2023-054 to outsource the utility billing because she worried about citizens
having billing questions answered.She was also concerned that Resolution 2023-052 was on consent
and also was for a$3.5 million contract but there was no informative backup or contract included in
the packet;only the bid request had been included,but without the appendices. She asked council to
postpone approving the contract until complete information was provided to the public.
Bruce Jaffa, outside the city, said the city government had been turbulent for the last five
years; employee recruitment and retention were currently insufficient to operate on a professional
and necessary level. Council's decision to promote the sale of the electric utility, and the need to
bond,borrow, and lobby for utility maintenance and improvements, demonstrated a deficiency in
planning. The harbor appeared to be the only department that generated sufficient revenue and
management to stay in good shape.Jaffa said the next city administration and council needed to pay
attention to critical issues that had been taken too casually;the city was underfunding critical needs
while paying attention to such things as a phone call policy. Seward must offer adequate wages and
benefit packages,as well as management stability in order to attract workers.While the city dreamed
of projects and buildings,it was also necessary to maintain the property and personnel it already had.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
May 8, 2023 Volume 42,Page 307
The current wage study and personnel policies in tonight's packet were hardly encouraging. The
fast-tracked items on the consent agenda should be tabled and brought back when there was a new
manager in place. Finally,he said outsourcing jobs was counterproductive to the community; find
another way to handle the billing.
Brad Janorscke, outside the city, was the general manager for the Homer Electric
Association(HEA);he was disappointed by the election results,but appreciated the city's support.
There were no HEA employees who felt their time had been wasted in Seward;the electric industry
was dynamic and evolving with new technologies.
Katie Cornwell,inside the city,was executive director of the Seward Prevention Coalition
(SPC)and wanted to speak about Resolution 2023-053. SPC ran a lot of programs throughout the
community,and had the opportunity to address mental health concerns through grant funding. SPC
had conducted a survey and found that 74% of female teenagers reported they had poor or low
mental health and this was reflected in national reporting as well. These post-COVID grant funds
would be used to address youth mental health issues,in collaboration with Montana State University,
focused on destigmatizing youth mental health and increasing healthy activities.She appreciated the
city working with SPC to bring this program to the community.
Tim McDonald,inside the city,thought there were a lot of things going on in the city right
now; it was important to stay on point. Seward was a small community,but it had opportunities to
accomplish big things. He was disappointed that there had not been more voters who turned out for
the special election; he did not vote. He was hopping mad at the city for the way the city handled
communicating with him about his business last summer; he was considering suing the city. He
thought things were handled strangely,rudely, and unprofessionally.
Christy and Elias Jordan, outside the city, thanked council for their hard work. She
appreciated that council passed the resolution to request an increase in Base Student Allocation.He
recalled that today was the one-year anniversary of the Lowell Point Road landslide and he thanked
the city for cleaning up the road. He hoped something like that wouldn't happen again.
Lynda Paquette,outside the city,had spoken to a lot of people following the special election
because she wondered why people voted against Homer Electric Association. She thought council
and administration had done a lot of work to evaluate both offers to sell and the better option was
chosen. The feedback she heard was that people didn't trust the judgment of council and
administration about HEA.She hoped council would consider as many options as possible on how to
move forward from here.Paquette encouraged council to appoint Thomas Miller for the longer term.
Thomas Miller,outside the city,had applied for a seat on the Port and Commerce Advisory
Board (PACAB). He thought the port was the heart of the city, and he appreciated council's
consideration.
Ristine Casagranda,inside the city,had done some research about Resolution 2023-054 for
outsourcing the utility billing.The vendor was located in Canada and they used the same accounting
software as the city. The city had conducted a forensic audit a couple years ago, and council had
chosen not to do anything with the results except let customers figure out how to read their bills and
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
May 8, 2023 Volume 42,Page 308
speak up if they noticed discrepancies.Casagranda knew of an Alaskan company who could perform
an audit on the utility for the city to straighten out all the billing before handing it over for
outsourcing. She supported outsourcing the utility billing,but she felt the previous direction council
gave to administration to clean up the accounts had not been fulfilled; there were still customers
being underbilled or overbilled.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA
Motion (DeMoss/Osenga) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda
Calhoon removed Resolution 2023-052 and Resolution 2033-054 from the consent agenda.
Wells removed Resolution 2023-055 from the consent agenda.
Motion Passed Unanimous
The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items:
Approval of the April 24,2023 City Council Special Meeting Minutes.
Approval of the April 24,2023 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes.
Approval of the April 27,2023 City Council Special Meeting Minutes.
Resolution 2023-051, Authorizing The City Manager To Purchase A New Electric Control
Panel In A Not-To-Exceed Amount Of$158,450, Including Shipping.
Resolution 2023-053, Approving The Memorandum Of Agreement To Serve As A Pass-
Through Agency For Seward Prevention Coalition For The State Of Alaska, Healthy &
Equitable Communities Grant And Submission Of The Grant Application By Seward
Prevention Coalition.
Resolution 2023-056, Approving An Employment Agreement Between The City Of Seward
And Kris Peck For City Clerk Services.
Resolution 2023-057, Clarifying Intended Uses For The ARPA Local Government Lost
Revenue Relief Program ("LGLRRP") From The Alaska Department Of Commerce,
Community And Economic Development To Offset Significant Revenue Loss Due To The
COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.
Resolution 2023-058,Adopting Personnel Policy#2023-01: Phone Use And Recording Policy.
Resolution 2023-059,Adopting Personnel Policy#2023-02: Training Expense Policy.
Resolution 2023-060, Adopting Personnel Policy #2023-03: Travel, Reimbursement, And
Vehicle Use Policy.
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May 8, 2023 Volume 42,Page 309
Resolution 2023-061, Adopting Personnel Policy #2023-04: Field Training Officer Premium
Pay Policy.
Certify the results of the May 2, 2023 City of Seward SPECIAL Municipal Election.
SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS
Proclamations and Awards
National Safe Boating Week Proclamation.
City Manager Report.
City Manager Janette Bower said she appreciated her time in Seward and thought Seward
was a great community.
City Clerk Report.
City Clerk Brenda Ballou did not add anything to the report in the packet.
City Attorney Report.
City Attorney Brooks Chandler said the last month had been fairly busy;there had been a
lot of personnel matters.A number of ordinances on tonight's agenda had been worked on for some
time.His firm had worked on a change to the operating agreement with Providence Hospital.He had
worked on an enforcement issue for community development with the intention of gaining
compliance and was pleased that the majority of enforcement issues had been resolved. There had
been a lawsuit filed by the city against an unlawful short term rental business. Chandler said he
appreciated working with the city manager and wished her well.
Other Reports and Announcements
Port and Commerce Advisory Board Report by Chair Bruce Jaffa.
Presentations—None
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Ordinances for Enactment
Ordinance 2023-010,Amending Seward City Code Title 9—Health And Safety For The City
Of Seward Recodification Project.This ordinance was introduced on Apri124,2023 and is coming
tonight for public hearing and enactment.
Motion(DeMoss/Osenga) Enact Ordinance 2023-010
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May 8,2023 Volume 42,Page 310
City Clerk Brenda Ballou said there was a laydown on the dais which outlined a series of
suggested amendments form the city attorney for council's consideration.
Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public
hearing was opened.
Bruce Jaffa, outside the city, thought there was a lot of time being spent on non-pressing
items; for example,the definition of dog seemed unnecessary;he thought time was being wasted.
No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed.
Motion to Amend (McClure/Osenga) Amend Ordinance 2023-010 by accepting all
the recommended amendments in the
laydown.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Motion to Amend(Finch/DeMoss) Amend Ordinance 2023-010 in the definition
of "Firearm" by changing it to read,
"Firearm means a weapon including a
pistol, revolver, rifle or shotgun that can
discharge a bullet or pellets."
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Wells wanted to understand how Section 9.05.130(A)would be interpreted to justify killing
a dog. In response,Chandler said the important language in this section related to the protection of
life and limb or preventing a further attack.
Motion to Amend (McClure/Wells) Amend Ordinance 2023-010 by striking
Section 9.10.040 in its entirety.
McClure thought this was a holdover from post-1964 earthquake days and was no longer
necessary because the city had an established emergency operations plan in place.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Motion to Amend (Osenga/Wells) Amend Ordinance 2023-010 by striking
9.20.010(F)(15),"Trailers,campers,boats
and other mobile equipment stored for
unreasonable periods in unsheltered front
yard areas, 30 days being prima facie
evidence of an unreasonable period;".
Chandler suggested this item was outdated.
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May 8, 2023 Volume 42,Page 311
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Main Motion Passed Unanimous
Ordinance 2023-011, Amending Seward City Code Title 10 — Public Peace, Morals And
Welfare For The City Of Seward Recodification Project.This ordinance was introduced on April
24, 2023 and is coming tonight for public hearing and enactment.
Motion (DeMoss/Osenga) Enact Ordinance 2023-011
Ballou said this ordinance was largely developed by the police chief and city attorney and
would reinstate the fireworks section, remove redundancies to state statute, and clean up some
language.
Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public
hearing was opened.
Tim McDonald,inside the city,said regarding fireworks the city should make an exception
for civil disobedience on the Fourth of July.
No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Ordinance 2023-012, Amending Seward City Code Title 3 — Personnel. This ordinance was
introduced on April 24, 2023 and is coming tonight for public hearing and enactment.
Motion (DeMoss/Osenga) Enact Ordinance 2023-012
Human Resources Manager Tammy Nickell said Title 3 contained the city's personnel
code and this ordinance would codify and clarify current city practices and policies.
Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public
hearing was opened.
Adam Sayler, outside the city, wanted to share his personal comments and not as a city
employee.He was concerned about the proposed changes in the workers compensation section;he
thought getting rid of an employee benefit was not a good practice and may contribute to having
difficulty hiring and retaining employees.He believed allowing an employee six weeks of leave time
for workers compensation was a tremendous benefit, and he had checked with the city's insurance
provider AML/JIA and confirmed that it was not illegal for the city to provide this benefit.If the six
week allowance was going to be retained in code, he suggested clarifying if the six weeks started
from the date of the injury or from another event,like having a surgery. On another section,Sayler
wanted to comment on the section relating to sexual harassment;it appeared the proposed changes
would make it more difficult for an employee to file a sexual harassment complaint.Each person had
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May 8, 2023 Volume 42,Page 312
their own idea of what they believed to be inappropriate, and using words like"objectively severe
and pervasive"would make it more difficult for an employee to address concerns.
Bailey Sayler,outside the city,had concerns about the proposed timeline for implementing
these changes;as well,city employees were not provided the opportunity to review the changes and
the union had not been consulted. She was also concerned about the changes being proposed to the
workers compensation section; allowing injured employees to have six weeks of paid time while
they recovered provided the employee with continued insurance coverage and accrual of retirement.
The proposed changes would require an injured employee to use their personal leave; she had been
informed that the reason for this proposed change was that it would be illegal for the city to provide
this coverage,but she checked with AML/JIA and had received an email from them stating it would
not be illegal for the city to provide this coverage. Her third concern related to the sexual harassment
section where a sexual harassment complaint had to be about something "objectively severe and
pervasive."She wondered who would decide what was objectively severe and said this phrase was
not recognized by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC). And finally,she was
concerned about the proposed changes to the grievance procedures,particularly as it related to filing
a grievance against the city manager because the language proposed to make the city manager the
final decision maker on the grievance. She believed this created a conflict of interest and undermined
the transparency and fairness of the grievance process.Considering that the city council oversaw the
city manager, she thought it would be appropriate for the council to hear the grievance.
No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed.
DeMoss wondered why"objectively severe and pervasive"had been added to the definition
of sexual harassment. In response,Chandler said the intention was to distinguish between a single,
casual comment and repetitive harassment. DeMoss wondered if sexual harassment that was
"objectively moderate"would be tolerated. Barnwell thought the language in the remainder of the
paragraph was fairly descriptive and so he suggested adding"objectively severe and pervasive"was
unnecessary.
DeMoss wondered if the EEOC had a definition for sexual harassment.In response,Chandler
said there was case law that had been developed at the EEOC level;he could do more research and
come back to council.
Motion to Amend (Barnwell/DeMoss) Amend Ordinance 2023-012 in Section
3.75.010 (A) (2) by striking the phrase
"objectively severe and pervasive and is".
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Finch noted he had concerns about some other language that was proposed to be stricken that
stated complaints would be promptly and fairly investigated and that there would be no retaliation.
He thought those items needed to remain in code.
111 Motion to Amend (Finch/DeMoss) Amend Ordinance 2023-012 in Section
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May 8,2023 Volume 42,Page 313
3.75.010 (C) by: 1) adding "and city
manager"to the end of the first sentence so
that it reads, "...should report the
incident(s) to the employee's supervisor
and/or the human resources manager and
city manager." and 2) retaining items #2
and#3 and renumbering them as#1 and#2
in subsection C.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Wells inquired as to whether the proposed language in the workers compensation section
violated any union contract language. In response, Chandler said the union contract trumped city
code for union members.
Motion to Amend (McClure/Wells) Amend Ordinance 2023-012 in Section
3.20.020 (A) by striking the words "the
local newspaper and" so that it reads,
"...and otherwise publicize vacancies
through such media including, but not be
limited to,the city's website."
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Motion to Amend (McClure/DeMoss) Amend Ordinance 2023-012 in Section
3.30.035 by striking the words "rating
officer" and replacing with "department
head."
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Motion to Amend (McClure/Wells) Amend Ordinance 2023-012 by striking
Section 3.30.035 in its entirety.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Main Motion Passed Unanimous
Council recessed the meeting at 9:10 p.m.
Council resumed the meeting at 9:16 p.m.
Ordinance 2023-013, Enacting Seward City Code, Section 3.50.040 - Floating Holiday. This
ordinance was introduced on April 24, 2023 and is coming tonight for public hearing and
enactment.
Motion (DeMoss/Osenga) Enact Ordinance 2023-013
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May 8, 2023 Volume 42,Page 314
DeMoss said this ordinance would provide for a floating holiday and was a token of
appreciation more than anything because the city still needed to have larger discussions about
employee wages.
Osenga added he thought this would be a good thing for employees to have.
Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public
hearing was opened.
Bruce Jaffa, outside the city, supported the city having a floating holiday for employees.
No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Ordinance 2023-014,Amending Seward City Code,Chapter 2.30-Boards and Commissions.
This ordinance was introduced on April 24, 2023 and is coming tonight for public hearing and
enactment.
Motion (DeMoss/Osenga) Enact Ordinance 2023-014
Bower said this ordinance came from the Port& Commerce Advisory Board(PACAB).
Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public
hearing was opened.
Bruce Jaffa,outside the city, said PACAB had spent a number of meetings discussing this
topic and encouraged council to enact this ordinance.
No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed.
Osenga wondered why infrastructure had been added to PACAB's powers and duties.
Council suspended the rules to speak with PACAB Chair Bruce Jaffa.
Jaffa said city code directed PACAB to look at port and commerce issues,as well as quality
of life issues. He said there was no other board or commission in the city, except for council, that
looked at the issues that PACAB did.
Council went back on the rules.
Motion to Postpone (McClure/Osenga) Postpone Ordinance 2023-014 to May 22,
II
2023.
McClure put the council at ease at 9:30 p.m.
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May 8, 2023 Volume 42,Page 315
McClure called the meeting back to order at 9:32 p.m.
Assistant City Manager Stephen Sowell said in Section 2.30.325 (A)(3) there was
reference to PACAB providing input to council on improving the quality of life and protecting the
public's best interest. He added that PACAB had a very broad mandate and encompassed anything
that affected the lives of Seward residents.
The motion to postpone was withdrawn with no objection from council.
DeMoss thanked PACAB for all their work and reminded council that the board was
advisory to council so should be used as such.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolutions Requiring Public Hearing
Resolution 2023-050,Amending The Harmon Developer Reimbursement Program Application
From The "Reimbursement Method" To The "Assessment District Method" And
Appropriating$161,565,The Other Half Of The Estimated Cost Of Improvements.
Motion (Osenga/DeMoss) Approve Resolution 2023-050
Community Development Director Jason Bickling said the applicant had requested to
change the reimbursement method from having the developer pay up front to having the developer
reimburse the city.
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.
Calhoon wondered how this would work if there were no funds in the DRP fund. Bickling
said the city would pay up front,which would cause a depletion in the DRP fund account,but would
not change the city's expenditure in the end.
Motion Passed Unanimous
UNFINISHED BUSINESS—None
NEW BUSINESS
Resolutions
Resolution 2023-052,Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into A Contract With Electric
Power Constructors, Inc. (EPC) In A Not-To-Exceed Amount Of$3,595,106.62 To Replace
Aging Equipment And Upgrade The Voltage Capacity To 115kV At The Fort Raymond
Substation.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
May 8,2023 Volume 42,Page 316
Motion (DeMoss/Osenga) Approve Resolution 2023-052
Electric Utility Manger Rob Montgomery said this project was a complete rebuild of the
Fort Raymond substation. The Request for Proposals (RFP) had been handled by the city's
engineering firm.
Calhoon stated that, although this project was part of the planned infrastructure
improvements,there were no bond funds available to pay for this project. Montgomery concurred
and said there was money available in the electric reserves account.
In response to Calhoon, Bower confirmed that the resolution would have to be amended to
state that the funds would come from the electric reserves fund rather than the revenue bond fund.
Motion to Amend (Calhoon/DeMoss) Amend Resolution 2023-052 in Section 2 by
striking the words "revenue bond" and
replacing with "electric reserves" and
updating the account number as
appropriate.
Finch wondered if there was a contract available for this resolution. Montgomery said he
hadn't seen a contract yet,but the scope of work had been provided in the RFP.
Calhoon wondered what the impact of postponing this resolution to the next meeting would
be. In response, Montgomery said the work was set to begin in late June or early July.
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Finch asked again what the status of the contract was. Montgomery said a contract was
typically included in the RFP process;he provided the scope of work to the engineering firm and that
was what he would expect to see reflected in the contract.
Wells wondered if council approved this resolution, and if and when the contract was
provided but didn't match the RFP, then would the city be secure. Montgomery said yes.
McClure called for the vote.Ballou stated that if council voted on this resolution they would
be approving a contract sight unseen; an RFP was not legally binding like a contract was. Osenga
asked the city attorney to weigh in.Chandler said the bid document included in the packet referenced
an appendices and one of the items was listed as"contract documents".Chandler said his feeling was
that there was a contract document that was provided as an appendix during the bidding process and
the bidder would most likely be compelled to sign it. Chandler could not tell council what the
contract said.
Wells did not want to vote without a contract,but was sensitive to the timeline.He would be
willing to attend a special meeting this week in order to review the contract.DeMoss did not want to
postpone to the next council meeting,but would be willing to attend a special meeting this week.
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May 8, 2023 Volume 42,Page 317
Main Motion Passed Yes: Barnwell, Osenga, Calhoon, DeMoss,
McClure
No: Wells, Finch
Resolution 2023-054, Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into A Contract With Util-
Assist,Inc.To Outsource The City's Customer Billing Services For Electric And Water/Sewer
In An Amount Not To Exceed$138,000,Including A One-Time Fee Of $36,000 To Complete
Onsite Discovery,Due Diligence And Training.
Motion (DeMoss/Osenga) Approve Resolution 2023-054
Montgomery said since he joined the city two and a half years ago,electric billing has been
an ongoing struggle.The finance department handled the billing,and they have been unable to hire
and retain a second utility desk employee. He said one of the positions had been vacant for the
majority of his time with the city.In addition,he said there was limited knowledge and experience at
the utility desk which has resulted in potential errors and liability for the city. Montgomery said
around 2,800 accounts had not been properly maintained, resulting in the city having around $2
million in receivables for 2022,some of which were most likely uncollectable.Simply put,the work
load was too much for one person;one person could not handle reading meters,managing the billing
functions, and handling customer service without experiencing issues.
Montgomery continued by saying there were limitations in the city's software for net
metering customers. The city's Harris software was not currently capable of handling net metered
customers automatically through its system.The city recently spent money to upgrade the software,
but was not aware this would be an issue at the time.Since the software could not handle processing
these bills,the city's finance department was handling the bills for approximately 30 net metering
customers manually using Excel. He said two months ago, there was no one in the city who could
process the billing,so they brought back a former city employee to help out temporarily,but this was
not a long term solution.The finance department had been working on finding a vendor who would
be capable of managing the billing moving forward;the chosen firm offered the most experience and
capabilities,and also worked in the Harris software platform.Montgomery said this was important to
note because it would ease the transition back to the city should the relationship with the vendor not
work out.Outsourcing the billing would reduce the utility desk head count by one position,resulting
in savings of$85,000 per year including benefits,which nearly offset the vendor cost of$102,000
per year.
Osenga wondered if the platform was perhaps not the right one to use, particularly to
accommodate net metering; he wondered if the system should be changed. Deputy Finance
Director Sully Jusino said the city's current vendor could provide net metering services,but it was
an add-on service. Montgomery said the Harris software worked fine, it was the 30 net metering
customers that could not get the software to work for; Harris could not make it work, and so the
finance department had to process it manually. Osenga responded to say if the city was going to
stand on its own for utility billing, it sounded like a different platform would be required.
DeMoss thought the utility employee position could not be filled due to the complexity of the
system; she was not confident that the city's billing system was in good shape and was concerned
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
May 8, 2023 Volume 42,Page 318
that an out-of-country vendor would be able to adequately help the customers in Seward.There were
still customers in Seward being billed incorrectly,and the utility desk employee would still have to
take the heat from customers even though the billing would be handled elsewhere. She had
expressed concerns about the city's billing system since before she got on council; she wondered
how the vendor would be able to correct accounts that were incorrectly classified and therefore being
billed incorrectly.Montgomery said it was the responsibility of the city to conduct annual audits on
customer accounts to verify the accuracy of the classifications; the electric department had
conducted an audit and discovered about 12 accounts that were reclassified and corrected.
Wells said until or unless a local person applied to fill the vacant utility counter position,he
would support outsourcing the billing.
Motion Passed Yes: Calhoon,Barnwell,Wells,DeMoss,
Osenga,McClure
No: Finch
Resolution 2023-055, Adopting The 2023 And 2024 Pay Plans.
Motion (Osenga/DeMoss) Approve Resolution 2023-055
Bower said this resolution would add longevity steps for long-term employees.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Other New Business
Appoint Thomas Miller to the Port& Commerce Advisory Board with a term to expire July,
2023 OR July, 2026.
Motion (McClure/Osenga) Appoint Thomas Miller to the Port and
Commerce Advisory Board with a term to
expire July,2026.
Motion Passed Unanimous
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS —None
CITIZEN COMMENTS
Tim McDonald, inside the city,was concerned that a$3.5 million contract resolution was
approved without a contract; he thought that was a lot of money to spend without looking at a
contract.He wanted to explain what happened last year with his business;he was upset with how the
city approached his campground business last year which was unique in that the city boundary
dissected his property.He had received a series of notices from the city that included a demand for
back taxes,among other concerns.No one had called him to discuss the city's concerns;as a result,
he felt like fighting the city all the way.
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May 8, 2023 Volume 42,Page 319
Bruce Jaffa, outside the city, thanked council for their attention to the details. He was
encouraged when council had discussions of varying perspectives;he believed healthy discussions
were good because there shouldn't always be a consensus among council members.He thought the
electric utility manager had done a lot of good for the city during his tenure; although, he did not
support outsourcing. He did not believe a position like the utility desk was necessary to be
outsourced;the problem was employee attraction.He wondered why the city didn't pay more for the
position in order to attract applicants; offering employees good pay and hope for a future was
critical. Outsourcing the utility position made no sense to him.
Ristine Casagranda, inside the city, said the electric funds being reported in the various
electric resolutions did not jive.The city was in desperate need for a finance director;it was time to
get creative to find one. She said council voted to approve a$3.5 million contract tonight without a
contract;she hoped that someone on council would bring that resolution back for reconsideration so
that the citizens could see what that contract said. She also concurred with the previous speaker that
having a variety of perspectives on council was a good thing.When all of council voted unanimously
on items,it sent a message that there was no room for argument because all of council was a united
front,everyone was on the same page,and council was a force to be reckoned with;it felt a little like
a dictatorship. She suggested council put the loss of the election behind them and move forward with
making good choices.
COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS & RESPONSE TO CITIZEN
COMMENTS
Bower thanked council.
Finch thanked the US Coast Guard and Auxiliary for their work and service. He was
surprised to hear the landslide was one year ago. He wanted to keep momentum on the DRP
program.
Barnwell thought the DRP program was exciting.
Calhoon said sometimes things happened at the dais and not everyone understood why;
some decisions that were made were done for a reason,and over time people would understand.He
said the contract would be looked at and the public shouldn't worry about it. He wished the city
manager success. He agreed that hiring a finance director was of critical importance.
DeMoss thanked the Seward Prevention Coalition for the work they did. She thanked HEA
for their time and effort in Seward.
Osenga welcomed the newest PACAB member.He listened to everyone and made decisions
the best he could.
McClure said council members held many different opinions and had healthy discussions.
She was proud of the work council accomplished tonight. She participated in Super Saturday Clean
Up this weekend and had collected five bags of trash.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes
May 8, 2023 Volume 42,Page 320
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 10:52 p.m.
SiA41—M ci„
Brenda J. Ballou, MMC Sue McClure
City Clerk ( I CC K Mayor
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