Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout08122024 City Council Minutes1 1 1 City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes August 12, 2024 Volume 42, Page 518 CALL TO ORDER The August 12, 2024, 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 Mike Calhoon Kevin Finch Randy Wells Robert Barnwell Julie Critea comprising a quorum of the Council; and Kat Sorensen, City Manager Jason Bickling, Deputy City Manager Kris Peck, City Clerk Sam Severin, City Attorney Excused — Crites Absent — None CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Becky Dunn, inside city limits, provided information on how to tune into City Council meetings on YouTube and the radio. Dunn asked for council's support for her application to be on the Port and Commerce Advisory Board (PACAB). She noted council had two vacancies coming up in October. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Osenga/Wells) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda McClure removed the two PACAB applicants from the consent agenda because there were now three applicants for the two vacancies. Motion Passed as Amended Unanimous City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes August 12, 2024 Volume 42, Page 519 The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Approval of the July 22, 2024, City Council Meeting Minutes No grounds for protest to the renewal of liquor license for the Alaska Seafood Grill No grounds for protest to the renewal of liquor license for the Gateway Liquor & Food Mart No grounds for protest to the renewal of liquor license for the Seward Alehouse SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS, AND REPORTS City Manager Report City Manager Kat Sorensen thanked the whole Public Works team for their dredging efforts by the waterfall during the heavy rain. On another topic, Sorensen said she and Mayor McClure had visited the House and Senate Committee and also talked with top budgetary people from the U.S. Coast Guard. Tomorrow, she would be flying to Kodiak for the Alaska Municipal League Summer Conference. She introduced Brian Hickey and Taylor Crocker from the Electric Department to speak to council. Electric Operations Supervisor Taylor Crocker introduced himself to council and told the story of how he made his way back to Alaska. Crocker expressed his admiration for the Seward Electric Department employees for their dedication to this community. Crocker said he was always available for questions. Electric Department General Manager Brian Hickey said he was glad to have Crocker back in Alaska. Calhoon thanked administration for the Development Reimbursement Program (DRP) information in the City Manager's Report. However, he wanted more clarification about what money was available in the DRP fund. Deputy City Manager Jason Bickling explained how some of the money was coming back into the DRP fund. Calhoon brought up the laydown regarding the electric funds. One thing he hoped to see at the next meeting was a little simpler explanation of the funds so council could plan the budget. McClure said she had received several compliments about the Public Works Department for their dredging work at the waterfall. She had also been hearing many nice things about the new City Manager Newsletter. Sorensen said her Executive Assistant Ashleigh Lipsey had been working hard on the newsletters and utilizing the City Clerk's new e-notification system. City Clerk Report City Clerk Kris Peck updated council on the high school exchange program with Obihiro, Japan. The four Obihiro students along with their chaperone had a whirlwind time in Seward jampacked i 1 City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes August 12, 2024 Volume 42, Page 520 with activities. Currently, the Seward group of four students plus Deputy City Clerk Jodi Kurtz were now in Obihiro. There would be a more complete report of the exchange in the next council packet. On another topic, Peck noted council candidacy filing period was still open until Thursday, August 15, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. City Attorney Report City Attorney Sam Severin provided an update on the Chugach Rate Case. In personnel matters, Severin noted that Alaska Occupational Safety and Health (AKOSH) investigations were not unique to Seward. His approach was to quickly provide AKOSH all the information upfront that they needed for their investigation. Lastly, Severin provided an update on the McDonald lawsuit and said it was progressing along as it should. There would be another month or two before the lawsuit was settled. Presentations -None PUBLIC HEARINGS Ordinances for Enactment Ordinance 2024-011: Amending Seward City Code 8.05.045 Hours of Sale for Alcoholic Beverages Motion (Osenga/Calhoon) Enact Ordinance 2024-011 Sorensen said this ordinance would change the hours of sale for alcoholic beverages to begin at 8:00 a.m. instead of 10:00 a.m. Calhoon said he had received feedback from business owners who said there was a demand for early morning service. Businesses would not be required to change their schedules, but rather it would be an option. This ordinance would also meet the morning demand for football games that start at 9:00 a.m. in Alaska. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Norm Regis, outside city limits, said he had seen a lot of cruise ship passengers wandering around town in the early morning looking for a place to relax and enjoy a drink. He thought it was a good ordinance. Becky Dunn, inside city limits, spoke in support of locals who worked nightshifts and might want to enjoy a drink after their shift ended. No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes August 12, 2024 Volume 42, Page 521 Barnwell said he was not a big fan of this ordinance. He was opposed to Seward encouraging more alcohol consumption early in the morning. The ordinance sent a message to our kids about our culture that he didn't approve of. McClure noted that Anchorage had recently passed something similar that allowed for alcoholic beverage service in the early morning. Motion Passed 5-1 Yes: Finch, Wells, Osenga, Calhoon, McClure No: Barnwell Ordinance 2024-012: Amending Seward City Code Title 3 Personnel Anniversary Date Definition Motion (Osenga/Calhoon) Enact Ordinance 2024-012 Sorensen read an example of how this ordinance would apply to real -life employee scenarios. She said the current city code was not flexible to an employee changing departments because it threw off the cycle for evaluations. This ordinance would change the anniversary date to correlate with the current job position of the employee. 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. Wells asked if the anniversary date change would discourage people from changing positions. Sorensen explained the anniversary date would reset to stay on the same cycle. Being promoted to a higher position would outweigh a step increase at the current position. Wells asked for a negative example how it could impact an employee. Sorensen said any employees who would be negatively impacted would be given the option to stick with their previous anniversary date. Finch asked why the anniversary date was based on completing the 180 days of probation rather than the date the employee started. Sorensen clarified that the employee start date was different than the anniversary date. Motion Passed 5-1 Yes: Barnwell, Wells, Osenga, Calhoon, McClure No: Finch 1 1 1 City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes August 12, 2024 Volume 42, Page 522 Resolution 2024-041: Authorizing the City Manager to Negotiate a Land Swap for a Portion of City Property at 1000 Hemlock Avenue in Exchange for a Portion of Private Property at 2405 Seward Highway Motion (Osenga/Calhoon) Approve Resolution 2024-041 Public Works Director Doug Schoessler said the city owned a sliver of land that was not usable. His idea was to do a land swap acre -for -acre for an adjacent sliver of land. The swap would provide the city with more access to the city snow dump area. The private landowners were excited about the swap idea and it was a win -win situation. 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. Motion Passed UNFINISHED BUSINESS - None NEW BUSINESS Unanimous Resolution 2024-042: Authorizing the City Manager to Upgrade the Exterior Doors on Main Entrance of the Seward Community Library & Museum With ADA-Compliant Sliding Doors, Using a Combination of Donated and Appropriating Funds Motion (Osenga/Wells) Approve Resolution 2024-042 Sorensen said the current ADA doors were difficult to use because they required the person to push the button on the hinge side of the door and then navigate around the door to enter. Winter conditions and windy weather added an additional layer of difficulty to using the swing -out door. The replacement doors would instead be sliding doors and would be impervious to the high winds. Sorensen thanked the City Clerk for providing a diagram in the packet of the current door situation. Lastly, Sorensen noted the majority of the funding came from a generous donation to the library. Wells asked about the fate of the old doors at the library since they could be re -utilized at a different location. McClure said this sliding door would be a great improvement. There had been complaints in the past about the difficulty of navigating around this particular door. Motion Passed Other New Business Discuss wells and septic tanks within city limits Unanimous Sorensen said there would be a work session coming up on this topic and she was looking for feedback on what exactly to discuss during the work session. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes August 12, 2024 Volume 42, Page 523 Finch would like to see what Soldotna and Anchorage city codes have to say on wells and septic. McClure noted that Seward had no water tanker truck. She also wanted to know how many lots would be affected by the wells and septic. Osenga would like to know more about safety protocols that would need to be followed. Sorensen added the Seward Fire Department was concerned about lack of fire hydrants. Barnwell wanted more information on if wells and septic could be in a separate zone rather than being opened up to the whole city. He wanted to know more about septic tanks being located in a flood zone. Lastly, Barnwell wanted to hear Bear Creek Fire Department having some input on the topic. Wells wanted to know the city attorney's opinion on the city's responsibility and liability. Public discussion and input was also welcome on this topic. Discuss Work Session calendar Sorensen mentioned a couple possible topics were the Seward Airport update, and a city -owned apartment complex. She was looking for feedback on adding more topics for future work sessions. Calhoon wanted to schedule a work session about a sale of Providence assets to Providence and paying off the bond in 2026. Finch wanted to see a work session on the ADA fishing improvements in regard to the budget. Discuss City Manager 2025/2026 travel Sorensen wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page for city manager travel. She confirmed that council still wanted her to attend the Seatrade cruise ship conference in Miami. Three PACAB applicants for two vacancies with terms set to expire July 2027 Norm Regis applied for PACAB after the council packet was released and his application was considered as a laydown. The other two applicants were Elizabeth "Becky" Dunn and Jesse Groom. The results of the paper vote sheets: Elizabeth "Becky" Dunn: 1 vote Jesse Groom: 5 votes Norm Regis: 6 votes Re -advertise the vacancy: 0 votes 1 1 1 City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes August 12, 2024 Volume 42, Page 524 Norm Regis and Jesse Groom were appointed to the Port and Commerce Advisory Board with a term set to expire July 2027 INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes from July 2, 2024 August 26, 2024 Work Session at 6:00 p.m. Topic: Discuss wells and septic tanks within city limits August 26, 2024 Regular Meeting at 7:00 p.m. Providence Financial Information CITIZEN COMMENTS Kevin Quitberg, inside city limits, provided information on the Anchorage's laws regarding septic systems and wells. He spoke in favor of having septic systems and wells inside city limits and said there was no chance of contaminating the city water supply. Quitberg said his property value had been diminished to worthless because he couldn't develop due to the city water requirement. Doug Schoessler, inside city limits, wanted to take into account the streets in regard any new developments. He said it would be difficult for the city to provide maintenance if the streets weren't up to standards to accommodate the heavy equipment. Jesse Groom, outside city limits, thanked the council for the appointment on PACAB. He said all three applicants were good candidates. COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS & RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Sorensen thanked council for all the great discussion. She thanked the Public Works team again for their efforts at the waterfall. Sorensen thanked the PACAB applicants and congratulated the new members. Bickling said the new football field at the Seward High School looked amazing. It was a great thing to see the quality of the new field. Sorensen also thanked Metco and their whole crew for their hard work on both the waterfall and the new high school track. Barnwell said the new high school track and field was really impressive. He thanked Metco and the Public Works Department for the work. Barnwell anticipated the work sessions on Providence and the Seward Airport would be interesting. He noted that he had a fun time visiting the Obihiro group while they were in town. He thanked the clerk's office for all the work they put into the exchange program. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes August 12, 2024 Volume 42, Page 525 Peck especially wanted to thank clerk's office staff Karen Corrigan and Jodi Kurtz for all their work with the Obihiro exchange program. Finch thanked Metco for their work and thanked everyone that applied for PACAB. He was excited about the new high school football field and Seward's rising star athletes. Wells echoed previous comments. He welcomed Taylor Crocker back to Alaska. He was excited about the Obihiro exchange, and he knew it would an unforgettable experience for the Seward students. Wells thanked all city employees for helping make such a strong community. He congratulated the new PACAB appointees and thanked all the applicants. Regarding the wells inside city limits, he expressed concern over lack of fire hydrants, liability and road access. Lastly, Wells knew how unfortunate it was to own property and have it devalued. Calhoon announced it was his wife's birthday tonight. Osenga thanked Public Works and Metco for their work on the waterfall. He thanked everyone who had donated to the library for the new door. He thanked Becky Dunn for her service on PACAB. Lastly, Osenga wished good luck to all the Silver Salmon Derby participants. McClure echoed previous comments. She announced that Founder's Day was coming on August 28, 2024 and this year it fell on a Wednesday. She would be playing the pump organ at the Founder's Day festivities at the library. There would also be a surprise musician. Calhoon also wanted to mention that early voting was happening for the Alaska Primary Election. There wasn't always a great percentage of turnout in the election and he hoped to see a higher turnout. He asked the clerk to clarify the hours of the early voting Peck said the early voting was being held in council chambers on weekdays between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and would end on Monday, August 19, 2024. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:11 p.m. v�- Kris Peck City Clerk (City Seal) s,y Hof l' S E i''' •` R"""q,Q• ,- Il' O o. SEAL Sue McClure Mayor