Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout10142024 City Council MinutesCity of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes October 14, 2024 Volume 42, Page 546 CALL TO ORDER The October 14, 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 Crites comprising a quorum of the Council; and Kat Sorensen, City Manager Jason Bickling, Deputy City Manager Kris Peck, City Clerk Jodi Kurtz, Deputy City Clerk Sam Severin, City Attorney Excused — None Absent — None CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Christiana Smith, outside city limits, spoke about the city's arrangement with the Boys & Girls Club. As a parent, she had never received any type of survey or interview to provide feedback on the services. Smith recalled an evaluation process being part of the contract. Rhonda Hubbard, inside city limits, spoke to the proposed bed tax increase and mentioned the Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB) was also looking to implement a bed tax. On another topic, Hubbard wondered if the Public Works budget could pay for road access to the undeveloped lots in Forest Acres. Casie Warner, inside city limits, spoke as a parent of children who go to the Boys & Girls Club. There was a lot of concern about the club and a lack of oversight. Warner noted the current club City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes October 14, 2024 Volume 42, Page 547 director was amazing, and she hoped the director was supported by the contract. On the topic of the KPB bed tax, Warner clarified that the current percentage would be subtracted from the KPB amount. Lastly, Warner spoke in support of the Chamber of Commerce. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Osenga/Calhoon) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Approval of the September 23, 2024 City Council Meeting Minutes Resolution 2024-055: Authorizing the City Manager to Approve Amendment #1 to the Agreement with Confluence Strategies for State Lobbying Services from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2027, for $85,500 Annually Resolution 2024-056: Recommending Kenai Peninsula Assembly Approval of the 2024 Kenai Peninsula Borough Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, which will include the City of Seward Certify the results of the October 1, 2024 Regular Municipal Election No grounds for protest to the renewal of the liquor license for the Seward Marketplace Package Store #3909 SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS, AND REPORTS City Manager Report City Manager Kat Sorensen thanked the linemen crew for responding to the power outage on Friday evening. The outage was due to a tree falling on a transmission line which took out the power to the entire city. The generators were up and running within an hour and stayed on until Monday morning. She thanked Sturgeon Electric for their help and thanked everyone for their patience while the power was out. On other topics, Sorensen said Touch -a -Truck was the city's flagship event. All the city departments brought out their biggest trucks for kids to enjoy. She announced the Seward Fire Department had received the Blue Planet Award from the Alaska Sealife Center. Sorensen provided an update on the Shorepower Grant award deadline. Lastly, Sorensen said negotiations were still in the works for a power supply agreement and would be coming back for council approval soon. Deputy City Manager Jason Bickling congratulated the Seward High School Girls Cross Country Running Team for winning the State Championship three times in a row. He also congratulated the Seward High School Football Team for becoming back-to-back State Champions. Bickling said there was an executive session scheduled for tonight, however due to delays there was no need to hold the executive session. 1 1 1 City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes October 14, 2024 Volume 42, Page 548 McClure noted community feedback on the generators running during the power outage and asked the City Manager for more details. Sorensen explained that running the huge generators was very expensive. In a power outage situation, the city would determine if the situation was fixable within a few hours. If the fix was estimated to take longer, then the city would resort to turning on the generators. Sorensen noted the generators were tested monthly at peak demand for energy which resulted in a savings for all the rate payers. City Clerk Report City Clerk Kris Peck spoke to the General Election on November 5, 2024 and Absentee In -Person Voting would be available here in Council Chambers on weekdays starting Monday, October 21, 2024 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. City Attorney Report City Attorney Sam Severin introduced fellow attorney Kody George. Severin provided an update on the McDonald Case and said the next step was to collect the attorney fees. On another topic, Severin said fellow attorney Rob Palmer recently did a presentation at a Planning & Zoning meeting regarding quasi-judicial proceedings. They were quite a bit different than regular legislative items. City Attorney Kody George provided an update on the Chugach Electric Association (CEA) Rate Case. A decision was issued that would save Seward about $60,000 a year. George hoped the city could get a partial refund that would be a credit on future CEA bills. George also updated council on the Railbelt Transmission Organization (RTO) working group. He also explained how the RTO created a network with all the utilities which would lower the transactional costs of the utilities. Sorensen said she was very grateful for Kody George's legal help on the RTO. Severin noted George had risen up to tackle this complex topic. NEW BUSINESS Other New Business Approve letter to officially invite the State of Alaska Board of Fisheries to Seward for their 2026 conference [Sponsored by Mayor McClure] The invitation letter was provided as a laydown. Council approved a letter to officially invite the State of Alaska Board of Fisheries to Seward for their 2026 conference. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes October 14, 2024 Volume 42, Page 549 Boards and Commissions Minutes Planning & Zoning Meeting Minutes from September 3, 2024 Planning & Zoning Special Meeting Minutes from September 11, 2024 PACAB Meeting Minutes from September 4, 2024 Other Items A Resolution of the Port and Commerce Advisory Board of the City of Seward, Alaska, Recommending City Council Reinstate the Allocation of 50% of the Previous Year's Bed Tax to the Seward Chamber of Commerce for Marketing Services Upcoming City Council Meetings and Work Sessions Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. Work Session Topic: Budget Monday, October 21, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. Work Session Topic: Budget Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. Work Session Topic: Budget Monday, October 28, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. Work Session Topic: Budget Monday, October 28, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. City Council Meeting CITIZEN COMMENTS Christiana Smith, outside city limits, continued her previous comments on the contracted services with Boys & Girls Club. She encouraged teen & youth to attend City Council meetings because this was the decision -making body. COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS & RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Sorensen thanked the public for the comments on the Boys & Girls Club. She said thank you to all city departments. Sorensen announced that Christmas light decorations were underway. Lastly, Sorensen gave a big thank you to outgoing Council Member Calhoon and said it was a pleasure to work with him. Bickling said the city attorneys were excellent, and he appreciated their expertise. He thanked Calhoon for his service on council and appreciated his teamwork. Barnwell thanked Sorensen and said it was a good start tonight at the budget work session. There was a collaborative atmosphere and openness to the proceedings. He thanked Severin and George for their attorney report. Barnwell congratulated the girls running team and the boys football team. He thanked Calhoon for his astute and careful work at the dais. 1 1 1 1 1 City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes October 14, 2024 Volume 42, Page 550 Crites congratulated the Seward Seahawk sports teams. She thanked the city attorneys for the explanations. Wells echoed previous comments. Wells had recently met with property owners from the Forest Acres Subdivision. He was available and hoped to meet with more property owners. He thanked Bruce Jaffa for his articulate comments at a recent town hall meeting. Lastly, Wells said it was a pleasure to work with Calhoon and he would be sorely missed. Finch echoed previous comments. He thanked the Electric Department for their work during the power outage. Finch noted the absentee voting for the General Election. Finch liked the idea of re-routing bed tax to help Boys & Girls Club, TYC, and the Senior Center. He wanted to invest in locals rather than tourism. Seward had wasted a lot of money on tourism. Lastly, Finch thanked Calhoon for his service and hoped he returned to council soon. Calhoon congratulated the girls cross country team and the football team. He thanked the Electric Department for their work during the power outage. He noted the power outage occurred during American Legion's Friday Steak Night and, luckily, they had propane grills. Calhoon was also pleased to report that all of the Legion's emergency lights worked. On other topics, Calhoon urged council to be conservative on the budget. He hoped council would continue to work on wells and septic approval as an important piece for housing inside city limits. He congratulated John Osenga and Casie Warner on their wins at the Municipal Election. Calhoon spoke to the importance of voting and said his only disappointment was the 19% voter turnout. Lastly, Calhoon announced that during that same Friday Steak Night, his wife Clare Sullivan, was awarded Veteran Advocate of the Year. Osenga noted that was a tough act to follow. He congratulated the high school cross country team and the high school football team. He thanked lineman and the whole Electric Department for their work during the power outage. He thanked City Administration, Finance Department, and all the department heads who had been working on the budget. Osenga thanked the 19% who voted in the Municipal Election regardless of who they voted for. He hoped for higher voter turnout in future elections. Osenga thanked Calhoon for his service on council and said he would be missed. Lastly, Osenga lamented missing the Touch -a -Truck event and he looked forward to checking out the vehicle collection next year. McClure echoed previous comments. She congratulated the girls cross country and the football team. She congratulated Casie Warner and John Osenga for their election wins. McClure addressed the 19% voter turnout and said the voter rolls could be cleaned up to reflect a more realistic number. The Municipal Election results were certified tonight and there was only a 5-vote difference between Osenga and Calhoon. Every vote counts here in Seward. McClure addressed the high school students in attendance tonight and noted the council meetings were much shorter than in the past. McClure congratulated Calhoon on his retirement from council and she hoped to see him return. She explained the re -organization of council and shuffling of the seats at the next meeting. Calhoon thanked all the council members he had served with over the past three years. He thanked community mentors that he had regarding finance and community development. Calhoon was City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes October 14, 2024 Volume 42, Page 551 optimistic that good things and positive changes were coming to Seward. He thanked everyone for their help and support. EXECUTIVE SESSION Per Seward City Code 2.10.033 E (3): Matters which by law, municipal Charter, or ordinances are required to be confidential Discussion with city attorney for potential litigation regarding Heat Loop Project contractor There was no executive session held. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:56 p.m. Kris Peck Sue McClure City Clerk Mayor (City Seal) sstsc-1 V•.''fOAFO �': SEAL •= aFSF/v'•. .Z F• %,•CFO; A;'�.. 1 1 1