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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07142025 City Council Meeting MinutesCity of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 14, 2025 Volume 43, Page 75 CALL TO ORDER The July 14, 2025 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Sue McClure. OPENING CEREMONY Police Chief Louis Tiner led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: Sue McClure, presiding, and John Osenga Kevin Finch Randy Wells Robert Barnwell Julie Crites Casie Warner 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 PROCLAMATIONS AND AWARDS Seward Seahawks High Jump State Champion Olin Liljemark read by Sue McClure and accepted by Olin Liljemark. Seward Seahawks 100m Dash State Champion Ronan Bickling read by Sue McClure and accepted by Ronan Bickling. Parks & Recreation Month read by John Osenga and accepted by Melanie Hauze. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 14, 2025 Volume 43, Page 76 CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Brenan Hornseth, inside city limits, shared some thoughts on the parking discussion item. He spoke in favor of changing city code to establish new minimums for parking. He wanted to see vacant lots be developed instead of being held empty due to code requirements for parking. The city should step up and charge for parking on the street in high demand areas. He recommended a book called The High Cost of Free Parking. Porter Wilkerson, inside city limits, spoke in support of being able to donate and volunteer at the school. Wilkerson was concerned about the possible shutdown of the library, theatre, and other programs like Schoolyard Habitat. Traci Baumgardner, inside city limits, read from a prepared statement regarding a proposed change from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. This change would affect the funding and in -kind services for the local schools. The value of those donated services would now count towards the legal limit for school funding. The public comment period is still open, and she hoped council could voice their opposition to this proposed change. Lola Swanson, outside city limits, spoke in support of the schools and the partnership with Seward Arts Council. She recalled her experience as a dance class instructor with the Seward Elementary School. She hoped creative opportunities like this would continue to expand. Savanna Wilkerson, inside city limits, spoke in support of art in schools. She was concerned about budget cuts that would eliminate the art programs in schools. Kameron Kowalski, inside city limits, echoed Baumgardner's comments and encouraged council to write a letter to the State of Alaska in support of local schools. Kowalski also noted the low enrollment in schools and how it correlated with housing issues and the cost of living in Seward. She hoped council could explore alternative energy options to make it more affordable for families to live in Seward. Amanda Sweeting, outside city limits, represented the Chamber of Commerce. She updated council on the Silver Salmon Derby. She thanked everyone for their contributions to a great Fourth of July Festival. Tom Tougas, inside city limits, echoed Baumgardner's comments and fully supported local schools. He voiced concern about the swimming pool being closed within a year. Tougas felt the community could fund and manage the swimming pool. El City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 14, 2025 Volume 43, Page 77 APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Osenga/Warner) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Warner requested a new discussion item be added regarding the letter to the Department of Education. Motion as Amended Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Approval of the June 23, 2025, City Council Meeting Minutes Resolution 2025-063: Authorizing the City Manager to Purchase LED Streetlight Fixtures from Anixter Power Solutions for Installation Along Third Avenue in the Amount of $43,818.50 Resolution 2025-064: Authorizing the City Manager to Accept a Loan from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Clean Water Fund for $665,600 with Loan Forgiveness of $665,600 for Planning and Design of Lowell Point and SMIC Lagoon Effluent Disinfection Resolution 2025-065: Authorizing the City Manager to Accept a Loan from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Drinking Water Fund for $400,000 with Loan Forgiveness of $400,000 for the Elm Street Water Main Replacement Resolution 2025-066: Authorizing the City Manager to Accept the Proposal with Sturgeon Electric for Directional Boring Services to Support City Electric Department Work Orders and Projects in the Amount of $111,475 with a 30% Contingency, Not to Exceed $144,917.50 Resolution 2025-067: Authorizing the City Manager to Continue the Contract with CRW Engineering Group for the SMIC Hypochlorite Generator Project in the Amount of $128,592 with a 10% Contingency, Not to Exceed $141,451.20 No grounds for protest to the renewal of the liquor license for Apollo Restaurant No grounds for protest to the renewal of the liquor license for Ms. Gene's Place [clerk's note — Ms. Gene's Place is now operating as Fifth Avenue Bistro and Bar] IN -PERSON REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS City Manager Report City Manager Kat Sorensen clarified that the LED streetlight fixtures in Resolution 2025-063 were on a State of Alaska road, but the city was responsible for powering and maintaining those City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 14, 2025 Volume 43, Page 78 streetlights. This LED upgrade would pay for itself within 4.5 months. Sorensen updated council on the status of the swimming pool, and she was looking forward to an additional year to figure out how to keep the pool open. Also included in the CMR was a great overview of the Comprehensive Plan surveys from Community Development. Sorensen had recently traveled to Cordova, Alaska to tour their electric utility. It was an eye-opening trip for alternative energy options and a well -run utility. Lastly, she announced said Seward Community Library & Museum had changed their exhibit to feature some history of the Seward High School. Council and city administration discussed the Fourth of July Festival, Mt. Marathon race times, Emergency Operations Center in council chambers, and a wastewater lift station pump that was replaced just in time for the big festival. City Clerk Report City Clerk Kris Peck announced a new timestamp feature on the City Council YouTube videos. In the video description there were now direct links to each agenda item. The clerk's office can manually add these timestamps the day after the meeting. This feature can also be added to Planning & Zoning meeting videos as well. City Attorney Report City Attorney Sam Severin addressed Sorensen's comment regarding Third Avenue streetlights. He recalled other municipalities having difficulty keeping track of contracts regarding streets in terms of ownership and maintenance. Severin summarized from his report in the packet and highlighted the additional memo regarding the Railbelt Transmission Organization. McClure and Severin discussed the Alaska SeaLife Center separating from Alaska Department of Fish & Game. Severin said their agreement made sense 30 years ago but now both parties were looking to move on. Presentations Seward Parks & Recreation Department by Director Melanie Hauze Council recessed the meeting at 8:06 p.m. Council resumed the meeting at 8:12 p.m. PUBLIC HEARINGS Ordinances for Enactment Ordinance 2025-010: Amending Seward City Code § 15.10.220 and Table 15.10.222 Development Requirements Regarding the Language and Regulations Pertaining to Building Height Motion (Osenga/Wells) Enact Ordinance 2025-010 City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 14, 2025 Volume 43, Page 79 Community Development Director Daniel Meuninck provided an overview of the Planning & Zoning Commission's work that went into the topic of building height in Seward. He explained how land use code and building code should go hand -in -hand. Meuninck read thru portions of the ordinance and addressed some of the mixed opinions of the P&Z commissioners. The maps included in the packets showed where a structure over the 38' limit would require a conditional use permit. Overall, the ordinance was a balance of protecting the viewshed while easing up some of the development requirements. Lastly, Meuninck noted the 5-2 vote from P&Z regarding this legislation. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Brenan Hornseth, inside city limits, said increasing the building height from 34' to 38' was a no brainer. Cities are supposed to change over time and Seward needed to modernize. An increase of 4' was not going to make a difference for the viewshed. Hornseth encouraged council to consider upping the limit to a city wide 48' building height. Tom Tougas, inside city limits, said the 34' limit made it difficult for builders. He recalled his Gateway Hotel construction was heavily compromised to meet this requirement. The elevators, sprinklers, and ceiling height were all affected in the process. Tougas addressed the maps in the packet which featured very obscure locations for the 48' maximum height. Overall, Tougas spoke in support of the ordinance and hoped council could come back and take a closer look at the 48' height in the future. John Wiesel, outside city limits, echoed previous comments. He said he had attended the P&Z meetings on the topic. Wiesel felt that going from 34' to 38' would be a meaningful increase. Wiesel noted he was the owner of the former Oriental Garden and First Video properties and hoped these downtown locations would be included in the 38' maximum. Wiesel also explained that roof type was an important factor for calculations. Lastly, he noted the relationship between building height and parking. No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed. Wells motioned to amend the ordinance to increase the building height to 38' in all zones. Council discussed city parks, viewshed in the harbor area, historic downtown Seward, and residential zones. Wells appreciated the discussion and understood the viewshed issues regarding the harbor and downtown. He encouraged council to take the greater good of the community in terms of development and housing. Finch understood the housing crunch, but felt certain areas needed to be preserved which make Seward special. He cared deeply about housing and taking care of the locals first. Increasing the building height to 38' in the harbor or downtown was not going to solve the housing issues. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 14, 2025 Volume 43, Page 80 McClure liked the uniformity of the 38' across the board. The ordinance was amended by a vote of 5-2 to increase the building height of 38' in all zoning districts. Main Motion as Amended Passed 5-2 Yes: Wells, Osenga, Crites, Warner, McClure No: Finch, Barnwell NEW BUSINESS Resolutions Resolution 2025-061: Authorizing the City Manager to Accept the Proposal with Electric Power Constructors for the Purchase and Installation of Fuel Meters at the Fort Raymond Generation Power Plant in the Amount of $161,364, with a 5% Contingency, Not to Exceed $169,432.20 and Appropriating Funds Motion (Osenga/Wells) Approve Resolution 2025-061 Sorensen explained how the fuel meters would be more efficient. It was a big step forward for getting the best value out of the generators. Electric Department Operations Manager Brian Hickey said these fuel meters would provide the city would valuable data. Once a month the Electric Department turns on the generators, and they would like to start with the most efficient one. He described the current method of using a dipstick to check diesel fuel level. Hickey said the City of Cordova is aware of every gallon they burn, and they can adjust their generators for maximum efficiency. Wells made an analogy to being a boat skipper and monitoring fuel usage. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2025-062: Authorizing the City Manager to Amend the Contract with AK Tree Service to Include an Additional $400,000 from the Electric Department Reserves for Continued Vegetation Clearing and Appropriating Funds Motion (Osenga/Barnwell) Approve Resolution 2025-062 Electric Department Operations Supervisor Taylor Crocker provided a demonstration of the Overstory software which showed the hazardous areas of trees impacting powerlines. Currently, AK Tree Service was cutting down and clearing 30-year growth. Hickey said once the city was caught up with this maintenance, this vegetation clearing would become much more manageable. Sorensen made a comparison to mowing a lawn after months of neglect. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 14, 2025 Volume 43, Page 81 Hickey said it was mainly a safety issue with trees falling into the powerlines. This type of disaster also resulted in turning on the backup generators, which cost a couple hundred thousand dollars just in diesel fuel. Hickey wanted to provide safe, reliable electricity. Council discussed preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance, and which specific areas of the line would be cleared with this $400,000. Crocker explained that the brightest red areas of the map would be given priority. Motion Passed Unanimous Council recessed the meeting at 9:19 p.m. Council resumed the meeting at 9:24 p.m. Other New Business Discuss Parking Regulations [Sponsored by Council Member Wells] Sorensen noted the Community Development presentation slides in the packet which provided interesting background information. She hoped to gain some direction from council regarding parking regulations. Wells noted a recent P&Z work session that featured a discussion on parking. He felt the commission was stuck and wanted to help them move forward. Wells also explained how city code Title 8 and Title 15 clash. Meuninck summarized his presentation slides in the packet. The main issue was that the parking minimums were boiler plate and never tailored specifically to Seward. One example was hotels being required to provide one parking space per room. This meant a hotel needed to acquire more land for parking to meet this code requirement. The biggest reform in the past decade was to let the market and developers decide the parking. Wells explained the most radical change would be to remove parking requirements across the board. These requirements were wasting valuable land that could be used for housing instead. Wells also spoke in favor of more paid parking that would generate revenue for the city. McClure described the downtown parking situation and ways to free up parking spaces. She was interested in P&Z looking into some radical changes. Council discussed the downtown parking situation, permits for year-round locals, vacant parking lots for hotels, businesses that relied only on street parking, free market dictating parking, and possible code changes. Council directed administration and P&Z to explore the options of removing parking requirements. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 14, 2025 Volume 43, Page 82 Writing a Letter to the Department of Education and Early Development in Opposition to the Proposed Change to School Funding [Added to the agenda by Council Member Warner] Council discussed the public comments received tonight and directed the City Manager to write a letter to DEED formally opposing the proposed changes which would count in -kind services toward to the total funding limit. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS Upcoming City Council Meetings - City Council Meeting Monday, July 28, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. CITIZEN COMMENTS Tara Swanson, outside city limits, spoke in support of schools and described the situation in Seward. She felt the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District was successful and innovative. She encouraged council to think what the next chapter of education would look like. On another topic, Swanson described her experience as a homeowner. COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS & RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Crites congratulated the high school athletes and appreciated everyone who spoke tonight. Finch was impressed that the Fourth of July weekend was so mellow and quiet. He thanked the Seward Police Department for their presence and the Chamber of Commerce for lining up the barricades along Lowell Canyon. On another topic, Finch shared some research he had done regarding public education and cost per student. Warner thanked Melanie Hauze for the presentation and appreciated SPRD's programming and efforts. She thought tonight's meeting was really interesting overall. Lastly, Warner thanked the City Clerk for adding the timestamps on the council YouTube videos. Barnwell said the parking and building height discussions were both fascinating. He thanked Tara Swanson for her public comments. He thanked Seward Police Department and Chamber of Commerce for a smooth Fourth of July. Barnwell also thanked Daniel Meuninck and Community Development for all their work on the Comprehensive Plan. Wells was grateful for an open-minded community. He was grateful to be on council and grateful for the current city administration. He was looking forward to summer. Osenga thanked Melanie Hauze for the SPRD presentation and congratulated the high school track champions. There was a lot of good information being passed between commissions, administration and council. The topics discussed tonight were interesting and he felt it was a good meeting. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 14, 2025 Volume 43, Page 83 McClure recommended tonight's meeting as a definitive council meeting to watch on YouTube. She noted the new timestamps feature for going directly to a particular agenda item. On another topic, McClure said the Fourth of July was amazing. However, one complaint was the amount of dogs along the racecourse. She recalled being on the race committee when they first instituted the no dogs policy. EXECUTIVE SESSION #1 City Attorney to Receive Council Direction on the Laraux Case No. 3SW-23-00050CI Motion (McClure/Wells) Go into Executive Session for the City Attorney to Receive Council Direction on the Laraux Case No. 3SW-23-00050CI Invited to stay for the executive session: City Attorney Sam Severin, City Manager Kat Sorensen, Deputy City Manager Jason Bickling, and City Clerk Kris Peck. Motion Passed Unanimous Council Member Finch had to leave the meeting at 10:08 p.m. and would not return. Council went into executive session at 10:08 p.m. Council came out of executive session at 10:18 p.m. McClure stated they held the first executive session and we're moving on to the second and final executive session. EXECUTIVE SESSION #2 Updating Council on the Contract Negotiations for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Motion (McClure/Osenga) Go into Executive Session Updating Council on the Contract Negotiations for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Invited to stay for the executive session: City Manager Kat Sorensen, Electric Operations Manager Brian Hickey, Electric Operations Supervisor Taylor Crocker, and City Clerk Kris Peck. Motion Passed Unanimous Council went into executive session at 10:19 p.m. Council came out of executive session at 10:52 p.m. McClure stated the second executive session was held and adjourned the meeting. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 14, 2025 Volume 43, Page 84 ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 10:52 p.m. /; V-Ll� X Kris Peck City Clerk ,ttI111111881"f 60 .`�•G� -, fkP Oq�0 • SEAL =• Sue McClure Mayor L I