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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10132025 City Council Minutes1 City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes October 13, 2025 Volume 43, Page 119 CALL TO ORDER The Monday, October 13, 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. 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 Excused — Finch, Warner Absent — None PROCLAMATIONS AND AWARDS — None CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Shane Hand, inside city limits, spoke on behalf of the Seward Public Employees Association [SPEA]. He spoke in support of the bargaining agreement between the City of Seward and SPEA. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Osenga/Wells) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda McClure requested the certification of election results be added to the consent agenda. Motion as Amended Passed Unanimous City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes October 13, 2025 Volume 43, Page 120 The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Approval of the September 22, 2025, City Council Meeting Minutes. Certify the results of the October 7, 2025, Regular Municipal Election Resolution 2025-099: Recommending Kenai Peninsula Borough Approval of the Revised Preliminary Plat of the Property Located at 3207 Sorrel Road, Creating Spring Creek Replat IN -PERSON REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS City Manager Report City Manager Kat Sorensen noted the upcoming Planning & Zoning Work Session would be a discussion on the Comprehensive Plan. She noted there was a 2025 Comprehensive Plan Survey Analysis included in this council packet. Deputy City Manager Jason Bickling provided an update on the Jesse Lee Home site and the ongoing soil testing with the Department of Environmental Conservation. City Clerk Report City Clerk Kris Peck thanked everyone involved with the Regular Municipal Election. He also gave a shout out to the local artists who made the election countdown sign on the boardwalk. The final election results were provided tonight as a laydown. City Attorney Report City Attorney Rob Palmer (telephonically) provided an update on the complex Polar Seafood lease agreement. Other Reports and Announcements — None Presentations City of Seward Information Technology Department by IT Director Dustin Phillips Project HOPE and Opioid Overdose Kits by Jessica Johnson (Microsoft Teams video presentation) 1 City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes October 13, 2025 Volume 43, Page 121 PUBLIC HEARINGS Ordinances for Enactment Ordinance 2025-014: Amending Seward City Code § 15.10.140 Definitions for Animal Shelter and Veterinary Hospital and § 15.10.226 Land Uses Allowed Table for Veterinary Hospital Motion (Osenga/Wells) Enact Ordinance 2025-014 City Planner Courtney Bringhurst summarized from the packet and explained how a veterinary service from Soldotna had been offering temporary services at the Seward Animal Shelter. Technically, a veterinary hospital was not allowed in this Institutional Zone. This situation led the Planning & Zoning Commission to review the Land Uses Allowed Table. The proposed ordinance would allow veterinary services outright in this Institutional zoning district. 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. McClure noted this was pretty cut and dry. Motion Passed Unanimous Ordinance 2025-015: Amending Seward City Code Chapter §15.20 — Signs Motion (Osenga/Wells) Enact Ordinance 2025-015 Bringhurst acknowledged this was quite a lengthy ordinance. The primary focus was to address confusion with temporary signage. Seward City Code also needed to be updated to follow a Supreme Court decision where signs cannot be regulated differently based on their content. The summary of the proposed amendments removed all ties to the content of the signs. Bringhurst also explained feather signs in relation to festivals. She noted a laydown which contained a proposed amendment for allowing feather signs at community events. This amendment was based on feedback from the Parks & Recreation Department. Feather signs could replace A -frame signs during races and special events. 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. Ordinance 2025-015 was amended in 15.20.030 Signs allowed without permits, letter P, number 6, by striking, "by mobile vendors." The amended version will read: Feather signs may be allowed during specific scheduled community events as determined and approved by administrative official. Main Motion as Amended Unanimous City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes October 13, 2025 Volume 43, Page 122 Ordinance 2025-016: Amending Seward City Code § 15.10.140 Definitions for Dwelling, Apartment, Commercial Building and Mixed -Use Development and Table § 15.10.226 Land Uses Allowed for Dwelling, Apartment in a Commercial Building Motion (Osenga/Barnwell) Enact Ordinance 2025-016 Bringhurst noted the Planning & Zoning Commission Work Sessions that focused on housing. During these discussions, some unclear and ambiguous regulations were discovered. The proposed legislation would create a definition for mixed use development, and allow apartments to be built outright in Central Business and Harbor Commercial zoning districts. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Kelli Hatfield, outside city limits, spoke as a developer of property inside city limits. She spoke in support of the ordinance and hoped council would pass the ordinance as it was written. No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed. Barnwell expressed concern about the harbor district with the increased building height. Bickling responded that the South Harbor Uplands development would have design standards and be very specific for the way all the structures would look on these City of Seward lease sites. This was a safeguard against the concerns raised by Barnwell. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolutions Requiring Public Hearing Resolution 2025-096: Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into and Execute the Purchase and Sale Agreement and Related Documents for the Purchase of 2.7 Acres of Land, Physical Address 104 Benson Drive, Parcel 14502302, in the Amount of $580,000 and Appropriating Funds [Osenga declared a potential conflict of interest due to a family member selling the land. McClure ruled a conflict did exist and excused Osenga from the dais] Motion (Wells/Barnwell) Approve Resolution 2025-096 Bickling read the agenda statement verbatim because it was important for the public to hear. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. 1 City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes October 13, 2025 Volume 43, Page 123 Lori Draper, inside city limits, recalled her initial shock of hearing the city's idea of buying the land and building a new police station. She felt the land was ideally suited for apartments. However, after talking with residents and City Administration she felt that her issues had been eliminated one -by -one. Draper suggested the City could carve out sections of other parcels for residential rentals because it would be nice to see more housing added to Seward Sierra Roland, inside city limits, stated that she lived near the development and was supportive of the land becoming a police station. The new police station would help support local families and students and be a great benefit to the community. Kathy Fredrickson, inside city limits, stated that she lived near the property in question. She spoke to all the residents on Benson Drive and summarized their reactions to a new police station. One general concern was the amount of traffic. Fredrickson shared her observations and statistics counting cars and traffic on the street. She also noted a lack of shoulders for bicycles and pedestrians. Fredrickson also spoke in support of having the Seward High School access opened up from the other side of the parking lot and how that would reduce the traffic. In summary, Fredrick said her neighbors had no objections to a new police station. No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed. Bickling said he talked to the Kenai Peninsula Borough about a continuous sidewalk. There had also been some internal discussion about housing options that were presented by Draper. Crites felt the parcel was a good location for a police station and fully supported this resolution. Sorensen pointed out that a police station would be a good deterrent for speeding in the neighborhood. Council felt all their questions had been answered and thanked everyone for their input. Motion Passed 4-0 Council recessed the meeting at 8:17 p.m. Council resumed the meeting at 8:23 p.m. Yes: Barnwell, Crites, Wells, McClure No: None Abstain: Osenga Resolution 2025-097: Authorizing Amendment No. 4 to Cooperative Agreement and an Amendment to the Third Amended and Restated Agreement for Lease of Tract 2a, Waterfront Tracts and the Lease, Operation and Maintenance of the Alaska SeaLife Center Motion (Osenga/Wells) Approve Resolution 2025-097 Sorensen explained the four organizations involved in the initial startup of the SeaLife Center. The Alaska Department of Fish & Game [ADFG] was a safeguard. This resolution removes ADFG entirely from the operating agreement. All parties were supportive of this amendment. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes October 13, 2025 Volume 43, Page 124 Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Wei Ying Wong, inside city limits, spoke as the President and CEO of the Alaska SeaLife Center. She supported this amendment to the lease. No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed. Motion Passed UNFINISHED BUSINESS - None NEW BUSINESS Resolutions Unanimous Resolution 2025-098: Approving the Bargaining Agreement Between the City of Seward and the Seward Public Employees Association, Covering Terms and Conditions of Employment for All Members of the Collective Bargaining Unit, Effective January 1, 2026 and Ending December 31, 2028 Motion (Wells/Osenga) Approve Resolution 2025-098 Sorensen highlighted some of the changes to the agreement with SPEA. She also pointed out an excellent summary in the packet. Council and City Administration discussed the access to legal services up to $2,700 per year as part of the new agreement. Motion Passed Unanimous Other New Business Discuss adjustments to the regular City Council meetings in November and December Sorensen noted the current schedule put the City Council meetings very close to the Veterans Day Holiday and the Thanksgiving Holiday. She explained how having just one meeting in mid - December had become the norm and was interested in trying this for November. Sorensen had checked with city department heads to make sure the city could evenly spread the workload across the rescheduled meetings. Council discussed the proposed adjustments and determined the meeting schedule will be as follows: There will be a meeting held on Monday, November 17, 2025 and a meeting held on Monday, December 15, 2025. 1 City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes October 13, 2025 Volume 43, Page 125 INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS Other Items Letter from Warner regarding upcoming meeting attendance Letter from Warner regarding context of Project HOPE presentation Update from Mike Brittain and the Prince William Sound Regional Citizen's Advisory Council Comprehensive Plan 2025 Survey Analysis Upcoming City Council Meetings Regular Meeting on Monday, October 27, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. CITIZEN COMMENTS Shane Hand, inside city limits, expressed appreciation for City Administration and City Council. He appreciated the support and collaboration with going through union negotiations. He thanked everyone for their hard work. COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS & RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Sorensen said she had a list of people to thank. She thanked all those involved in the Polar Seafood lease agreement. She thanked Community Development and Planning & Zoning for their work on the sign code updates. A big thank you to Kevin Finch and Randy Wells for their tenure on council. Sorensen was thankful for the Work Session earlier and thanked Jason Bickling who will be Acting City Manager at the next meeting. Lastly, she thanked SPEA for their work on the collective bargaining agreement. Bickling thanked Randy Wells and said it was great working with him. Barnwell appreciated the Work Session with the Electric Department and he was confident in their abilities. He said the land sale for the new police station was a big win tonight. The union agreement was great and he thanked Shane Hand for his hard work. He thanked Wells and Finch for their service on council. He noted Wells really did his homework and put a lot of effort into the job. Wells said he had learned so much over the last four years serving on City Council. Prior to serving on council, his understanding of local government was completely wrong. He appreciated anyone who sat at the dais and went through this learning process. He guaranteed serving on council would be an eye-opening experience to a new council member. The four years had changed him for the rest of his life. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes October 13, 2025 Volume 43, Page 126 Osenga thanked the Electric Department for the informative work session. Getting information out to the public was important. He thanked Kevin Finch for his dedication to council. Osenga told a story about his first encounter with Randy Wells. He also said Wells was very smart and did his research, and it was an honor to serve with him. McClure was overwhelmed and humbled by all the votes she received for Mayor. She gave a shout out to the folks at Mountain Haven who voted with special needs ballots. This was a perfect example of an election where every vote counts. She encouraged everyone to vote. She thanked Randy Wells for his tenure on council. She spoke in favor of the relatively new 3-year term and how it allowed for the difficult learning curve. She noted Electric Department's updates and appreciated the transparency for the public. Osenga also wanted to note the voter turnout in the recent election. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:52 p.m. (I14.Y7 Y �lCv^ Kris Peck Sue McClure City Clerk Mayor .♦`s"OF SEW '#. ' ® SEAL °•.NE1,�.�0.4z- VAT • •.......•• PCj ♦♦ (City Seal) re- 1 1