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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01262026 City Council MinutesCity of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes January 26, 2026 Volume 43, Page 160 CALL TO ORDER The Monday, January 26, 2026, regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Sue McClure. OPENING CEREMONY Chief of Police Louis Tiner led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL There were present: Sue McClure, presiding, and John Osenga Robert Barnwell Julie Crites Casie Warner Lori Draper Mike Calhoon comprising a quorum of the Council; and Kat Sorensen, City Manager Kris Peck, City Clerk Jodi Kurtz, Deputy City Clerk Sam Severin, City Attorney Excused — None Absent — None PROCLAMATIONS AND AWARDS - None CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Kevin Dunham, outside city limits, expressed his concerns with the current presidential administration and spoke to the recent deaths of protestors. He hoped Seward could stand up to denounce the violent actions of this current regime. Steven Severn, inside city limits, spoke in opposition to more stores and shops being included in the harbor development plan. He lives in Seward because he doesn't want to live in a big town with big development. It also didn't make sense moneywise with the slow winter season. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes Jan« ary 26, 2026 Volume 43, Page 161 John Wisel, outside city limits, spoke in opposition to the city's contract with the Chamber of Commerce. Wisel read from a prepared statement that addressed issues such as the Chamber's neutrality, accountability, and fairness. Benjamin Smith, outside city limits, addressed Resolution 2026-010 and the Harbor Uplands Development. He spoke in support of the new Harbormaster building, but was opposed to the lease sites on the Uplands. The plan would see a reduction of parking spaces for single vehicles and boat trailers. Paige Craig, outside city limits, spoke as the Events Coordinator for the Chamber of Commerce. She provided updates on the Polar Bear Jump. The festival saw a great turnout despite the bad winter weather. She thanked the sponsors and thanked the Harbormaster and other city departments for their help. Russ White, inside city limits, spoke on behalf of Seward Parks & Recreation Department. He provided council with an update on SPRD events and activities. Nate Smith, outside city limits, spoke to his ideas for a city ordinance on Title 8 regarding marijuana regulations. He noted some states like Colorado had an established set of rules where Alaska was very new at this. Elle Zernia, outside city limits, spoke about the proposed development in the harbor. She noted her own involvement in the annual Mermaid Festival. She wanted council to be cautious of adding more businesses to the Uplands parking area. She wanted to keep parking intact and not allow the lease sites on the uplands. She thanked Community Development for their efforts to get community feedback. Corbin Gibson, inside city limits, floated his idea of having a video arcade in Seward. Christiana Smith, outside city limits, spoke in support of the Chamber of Commerce being an asset to the community. On another topic, she spoke about the proposed Harbor Uplands development. She spoke of the importance of parking enforcement in the harbor. She liked the idea of parking stall lines being painted, but was concerned about the loss of parking with the lease sites. Mica Van Buskirk, inside city limits, announced the Head Start early education program is coming back to Seward. On another topic, she updated council on Seward High School graduation rates and other statics regarding the funding for schools. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Osenga/Barnwell) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Draper requested Resolution 2026-013 be removed from the consent agenda. Motion as Amended Passed Unanimous City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes Januan• 26, 2026 Volume 43, Page 162 The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Approval of the January 12, 2026, City Council Meeting Minutes Resolution 2026-014: Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a Commission Agent Contractual Agreement Between the City of Seward and the State of Alaska Department of Administration, Division of Motor Vehicles, to Operate the City of Seward Division of Motor Vehicles Commission Agent Office Resolution 2026-015: Approving the Planning and Zoning Commission Priorities for January 2026 to January 2027 No grounds for protest to the AMCO liquor license renewal for Firebrand BBQ IN -PERSON REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS City Manager Report City Manager Kat Sorensen updated council on Senator Dan Sullivan's recent visit to Seward and the sites and facilities that she toured with him. They had a great discussion about the future of the Coast Guard in Seward. Sorensen also provided an update on the city's Developer Reimbursement Program and forecasted a work session in March 2026 to review applications. City Clerk Report City Clerk Kris Peck said the clerk's office staff had put together some graphs that showed the 2025 statistics for public record requests and city business licenses. City Attorney Report City Attorney Sam Severin said his office was keeping busy at a steady clip. He was happy to be here tonight and noted the tough driving conditions from Anchorage. Other Reports and Announcements — None Presentations Police Department Overview by Chief of Police Louis Tiner Fire Department Strategic Plan by Katmai Solutions Council recessed the meeting at 8:02 p.m. Council resumed the meeting at 8:08 p.m. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes January 26, 2026 Volume 43, Page 163 PUBLIC HEARINGS Ordinances for Enactment Ordinance 2026-001: Amending the Seward City Code to Replace Masculine/Feminine Language with Gender -Neutral Terms and Authorizing the Codifier to Implement Non - Substantive Edits [Sponsored by City Clerk] Motion (Osenga/Draper) Enact Ordinance 2026-001 Peck explained that the Municode company offered this gender -neutral update to city code as one of their services. This ordinance would create more inclusive environments and do away with outdated stereotypes that are used throughout city code. The included report featured two columns that shows the current language and the revised gender -neutral language. Severin noted that his office had spent quite a bit of time reviewing the changes and helped make recommendations on the edits. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Christiana Smith, outside city limits, said it makes sense to update the city code in these areas. Tom Reese, outside city limits, spoke in opposition to the ordinance and wanted to leave things the way they were. He felt the community was drifting away from God. John Wisel, outside city limits, spoke in opposition to the ordinance. This was led by an ideology movement that normalized it for a man to identify as a woman. No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed. Calhoon understood the citizen concerns, but noted the gender -neutral changes were more geared to who is in the job position such as the city manager. If people took time to dig into the changes, they would see the ordinance was geared towards removing the match -up of a gender to a position. McClure echoed Calhoon's comments. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolutions Requiring Public Hearing Resolution 2026-008: Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a New 20-Year Land Lease with the Kenai Peninsula Borough for the Gun Range Property Motion (Osenga/Calhoon) Approve Resolution 2026-008 City of Seward, Alaska Ciry Council Meeting Minutes January 26, 2026 Volume =13, Page 164 Sorensen explained the lease and how it cost the city $1 per year. The lease would also require KPB approval in March. If the lease is approved, the next step will be to discuss the management agreement of the gun range. 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 it was a very inexpensive lease. Motion Passed UNFINISHED BUSINESS - None NEW BUSINESS Ordinances - None Resolutions Unanimous Resolution 2026-009: Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into Agreement with AK Built Construction & Design, LLC for the Renovation of Boardwalk Between Ray's and Kenai Fjord Tours in the Amount of $147,260 Motion (Osenga/Calhoon) Approve Resolution 2026-009 Harbormaster Tony Sieminski explained the need to replace this section of the boardwalk. He described the Request for Proposals evaluation process. Calhoon asked about the high cost and asked for clarification. Sieminski responded that the company took a very thorough look at what needed to be replaced. There was a lot of rot and decay in the wood piling and boardwalk that was originally built in the mid-1990s. McClure asked about funding. Sorensen said the renovation would be funded by cruise ship head tax. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2026-010: Authorizing the City Manager to Accept the Proposal from R&M Consultants, Inc. for the Design, Engineering, and Construction for the New Harbormaster's Facility and South Harbor Uplands Development for a Total Project Cost of $13,949,252 and to Execute Task Order 38 in an Amount Not to Exceed $2,088,980 and Appropriating Funds Motion (Osenga/Warner) Approve Resolution 2026-010 Sorensen summarized the upgrades included in this proposal. She explained the cost breakdown and the need for 15% funding. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes January 26, 2026 Volume 43, Page 165 Council discussed the Uplands development. Barnwell noted that parking on the Uplands was a contentious issue. McClure noted the whole design of the parking area would still come back for further review. This included the lease sites, the new harbormaster building and the bike path. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2026-011: Providing for the Issuance of Harbor Improvement Revenue Bonds of the City in the Aggregate Principal Amount of not to Exceed $13,000,000 for the Purpose of Acquiring, Constructing and Installing Additions and Improvements to the City of Seward Small Boat Harbor, Including a Harbormasters Building and Improvements to the South Harbor Uplands, Funding the Reserve Account to the Reserve Requirement, and Paying the Costs of Issuance of the Bonds; Providing for the Date, Form, Terms, Maturities and Manner of Sale of the Bonds; Providing a Method of Payment Therefor; Fixing Certain Covenants and Protective Provisions Safeguarding the Payment of the Principal of and Interest on the Bonds; and Reserving the Right to Issue Additional Harbor Improvement Revenue Bonds on Parity with Such Bonds upon Compliance with Certain Conditions Motion (Osenga/Calhoon) Approve Resolution 2026-011 Sorensen said this was the funding portion that would pay for the previous Resolution 2026-010. She explained the funding sources for this revenue bond. Draper wanted clarification on the event that the actual cost of the project comes in less than the $13 million. Sorensen clarified this revenue bond would adjust to the cost and covered up to $13 million. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2026-012: Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a Subscription and Implementation Agreement for AccuFund Anywhere, a Cloud -Based Financial Management System, Including an Implementation and Project Management Agreement with C Business Services, LLC in the Amount of $88,880 and Appropriating Funds Motion (Draper/Osenga) Approve Resolution 2026-012 Finance Director Sully Jusino said this resolution would allow the city to update AccuFund to be cloud -based system. This modernization would be a huge advantage to the city. The AccuFund specialist would customize the needs of AccuFund with all the city department heads. Sorensen described a recent AccuFund server outage that threw the city into disarray. This cloud - based would alleviate those frustrations of this aging accounting system. AccuFund Anywhere would bring the city up to the next level. Draper asked other cities had success using this accounting software. Sorensen noted AccuFund was rare among other cities. Motion Passed Unanimous City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes Jan« are• 26, 2026 Volume 43, Page /66 Resolution 2026-013: Authorizing the City Manager to Purchase 46 Picnic Tables and 26 Fire Rings for the Municipal Campgrounds in the Amount of $36,393.20 Motion (Osenga/Calhoon) Approve Resolution 2026-013 Sorensen described the current inventory of campground amenities. A number of picnic tables were beyond repair. She also noted that, for the first time ever, amenities were going to be added to Boulder Field Campground. Lastly, she said the company Pilot Rock was reliable and the city had ordered similar items from them in the past. She noted the tables were delivered in pieces and the Campground staff assembled them over the winter. Council and Sorensen discussed the ordering, assembly, shipping costs, and lack of local options for the picnic tables. Draped explained she pulled this resolution from consent because she was concerned about the freight costing $10,000. She wondered if these items could be made locally instead. She wanted to always shop local whenever possible. Motion Passed Unanimous Other New Business Discuss contract with the Chamber of Commerce [Sponsored by Warner] Warner said the contract with the Chamber of Commerce was due for renewal. She asked if the Chamber Director could be allowed to speak. There was no objection from council. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Amenda Sweeting introduced her staff who were assembled in the front row. She noted the draft agreement was a 5-year contract this time and explained why the contracted role was beneficial to the City of Seward. Council directed City Administration to bring the contract back at the next meeting to be voted on. Discuss the future of mobile vending on city property [Sponsored by City Clerk] Peck explained how the city had pioneered the concept of having mobile vendors operating on city property back in 2014. However, the vendors have gradually shifted to operating on private property and are thriving, whereas the city's program is barely hanging on. In 2025, the city had only one mobile vendor in the South Parking Lot who abruptly left mid -season. Peck was looking for direction from council to determine if the city should put the program on hold or retire it altogether. Council and the City Clerk discussed the city's mobile vending program. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes January 26, 2026 Volume 43, Page 167 Discuss the October 2026 Regular Municipal Election [Sponsored by City Clerk] Peck explained how in the most recent election, the KPB Proposition No. 5 had aligned the KPB election with the State of Alaska election date in November. Peck summarized the City of Seward Charter requirements for changing the date of the regular city election. It could be accomplished with an ordinance and would require a one-year lead time. Therefore, the 2026 city election would be locked into October. There would be some time -sensitive options coming up this fall for changing the election date for 2027. Council directed the City Clerk to bring back updates, costs, and information on running an election without collaborating with the KPB. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS Upcoming City Council Meetings City Council Joint Work Session with PACAB on Monday, February 9, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. City Council Meeting on Monday, February 9, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. Other Items Alaska Small Business Development Center [SBDC] 2025 Q4 Report CITIZEN COMMENTS Christiana Smith, outside city limits, described her experience attending the recent Alaska Public Health Association Health Summit in Anchorage. She relayed information she had learned regarding the importance of GIS systems and how they could be implemented within the City of Seward. John Wisel, outside city limits, spoke in opposition to the city's contract with the Chamber of Commerce. He compared the contract to investing in a Blockbuster video store. In this modern age, the Chamber could be easily replaced by a QR code or an online search engine. The current Chamber of Commerce building would be better used as a Police Department. Annette Reese, outside city limits, asked if she could talk about the appeal hearing. [Clerk's note- It was decided that it would be best practice not to talk about the appeal hearing as the decision had not been made final yet.] Amanda Sweeting, outside city limits, addressed some of the previous concerns about the contract with the Chamber of Commerce. She explained in more detail the visitor statistics, website statistics, and how the Chamber was an excellent resource. City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes January 26, 2026 Volume 43, Page 168 COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS & RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Draper thanked all the members of the public for coming out tonight. She addressed Kevin Dunham's heartfelt comments. She noted it was good news that Head Start program was coming back to Seward. Lastly, she reminded everyone about the Seward Cares event coming up. Crites appreciated the two presentations, thanked all the speakers, and stated her enthusiasm for a new Harbormaster building. Warner noted recent house fires around the state and encouraged residents to check their smoke detectors. On another topic, she heard current High School seniors in the upcoming graduating class have a lot of alumni parents. This was an encouraging statistic because people were choosing to remain in Seward and raise their families here. She gave a shout -out to the young man who spoke earlier about having a video game arcade. Warner also commented on the GIS as it pertained to child-care facilities. Lastly, she thanked presenters, speakers, and council for all the great discussions tonight. Barnwell thanked Kevin Dunham for his comments tonight. Barnwell was grateful to live in a smaller community where residents were civil and gracious to each other. On other topics, he was excited about new Harbormaster building and was confident they could figure out the parking plan for the Uplands. He also commented on the Head Start program, early education, the pool, the middle school, the Coast Guard fast cutter, and the smolt in the Silver Salmon Derby. Osenga echoed previous comments on Head Start program and the new Harbormaster building. He was interested in how the Uplands design would play out. He thanked both presenters, and thanked Sweeting for answering his questions about the Chamber of Commerce. McClure thanked Tiner for his presentation. She explained the Seward Cares event in more detail. She thanked Corbin for his comments on a possible video arcade. Lastly, she noted that Council was about to hold an executive session. EXECUTIVE SESSION Continued Deliberation of Board of Adjustment Appeal Hearing and Consideration of Finds of Fact and Conclusions of Law [Appeal of Planning & Zoning Approval of Resolution 2025-035 Granting a Conditional Use Permit to the Tufted Puffin LLC to Operate a Drive-Thru Window to Sell Retail Cannabis Products and Non - Cannabis Food and Beverage Items from their Business Located at 408 Port Avenue within an Auto Commercial (AC) Zoning District] Motion (McClure/Barnwell) Go into Executive Session Motion Passed Unanimous City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes Januan• 26, 2026 Volume 43, Page /69 City Attorney Sam Severin was invited to stay, along with all of the council with the exception of Crites who was not present during the previous executive session of the appeal hearing. Council recessed the meeting at 9:33 p.rn. Council resumed the meeting at 9:39 p.m. Council went into executive session at 9:39 p.m. Council came out of executive session at 9:53 p.rn. McClure stated that the Board of Adjustment had upheld the Planning & Zoning decision, plus added three modifications. The city clerk was directed to post the written findings on the city website and send to the parties involved. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:55 p.m. Kris Peck Sue McClure City Clerk Mayor