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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07132026 City Council MinutesCity of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 13, 2026 Volume 43, Page 241 CALL TO ORDER The July 13, 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 Warmer Lori Draper Mike Calhoon 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 — Warner Absent — None PROCLAMATIONS AND AWARDS National Parks and Recreation Month was read by Sue McClure and accepted by Parks & Recreation Director Melanie Hauze. At the Mayor's request, Hauze elaborated on Parks & Recreation's involvement with the recent headstone unveiling ceremony at the Woodlawn Cemetery for Civil War veteran Joseph H. White. CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Kevin Clark, outside city limits, spoke in opposition to the rainbow crosswalk. He wanted the walkable mural program ended and regular crosswalks returned. Public streets belong to everyone and are not a place for ideology. City of Seward, Alaska City. Council Meeting Minutes July 13, 2026 Volume 43, Page 242 Amanda Sweeting, outside city limits, spoke on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce. She thanked the City for their efforts that went into the Fourth of July Festival. Sweeting also reminded everyone about registration for the Silver Salmon Derby. Victoria Provenza, inside city limits, shared her experience with obtaining a City's Chauffer's License and the unauthorized Uber/Lyft drivers operating in the area. She wanted these drivers from Anchorage to conform to City of Seward standards and see some enforcement. On another topic, she gave kudos to the City Manager for running the Mt. Marathon Race in the Gumby costume. Steven Fink, inside city limits, thanked the City for making improvements over the years. In particular he thought Parks & Recreation Department and the Police Department were the most improved. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Osenga/Calhoon) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Calhoon requested Resolution 2026-063 be removed from the consent agenda. Motion as Amended Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Approval of the June 22, 2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Introduction of Ordinance 2026-006: Amending the Seward City Code Title 3 Personnel Chapter 3.01.035 Definitions and Chapter 3.05.015 Responsibility and Authority Resolution 2026-062: Authorizing the City Manager to Participate in the Alaska Public Risk Alliance Loss Control Incentive Program for the 2025-2026 Policy Year and Accepting the Program Refund in the Amount of $26,003 IN -PERSON REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS City Manager Report City Manager Kat Sorensen said a City of Seward budget survey was out and encouraged everyone to take the survey. She also reported some breaking news that the City was awarded a $500,000 grant from the State of Alaska for harbor upgrades and repairs. Deputy Library Director Karen Cooper -McLoughlin updated council on all the summer library events. Sorensen also added that Metco has started working on the Jesse Lee Home site. City of Seward, Alaska July 13, 2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Volu►ne 43, Page 243 City Clerk Report City Clerk Kris Peck said he had the honor of swearing in two new Police Officers and there were photos of the ceremony in the packet. City Attorney Report City Attorney Sam Severin summarized from his report in the packet and noted how his team of attorneys were assisting various City departments. Severin had recently reviewed a Title 3 personnel ordinance, and he expected more Title 3 cleanup in the coming months. Presentations FY25 Audit Presentation from Altman, Rogers & Co by Grant Todd. PUBLIC HEARINGS Resolutions Requiring Public Hearing Resolution 2026-060: Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a New 20-year Lease Agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard for Property Located at 3207 Sorrel Rd Known as Fisherman's Float to Home Port and Moor the USCGC Frederick Mann in the Amount of $21,664.20 Per Year Motion (Osenga/Barnwell) Approve Resolution 2026-060 Harbormaster Tony Sieminski said he was looking to lease the floating dock to the Coast Guard. He summarized the coast guard's original plan to build their own facility and how it had switched to this idea instead. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Rhonda Hubbard, inside city limits, expressed concern about the encroachment and displacement to the fishing industry. She noted it was ironic that Fisherman's Float was being taken away from the fishermen and being given to a federal entity. She described a land swap that would benefit both properties. No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed. Calhoon asked if the Harbormaster has any thoughts or answers about the public comment. Sieminski noted a highlighted blue area on page 61 of the packet and explained how he had looked into a potential land swap in prior years. He was told at the time that attempting to swap parcels would stall the whole project. Sieminski continued to explain various considerations and logistics that went into this proposed lease for this dock space. Cif). of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes Jul• 13, 2026 Volume 43, Page 244 Sorensen added that conversations with the Coast Guard had expanded quite a bit over the past five years and things were moving at a faster pace now. She predicted future land swap arrangements could be made if both the leaseholder and the property owners were interested. Barnwell noted the limited dock space in the area. He asked where the displaced fishing boats would dock. Sieminski described harbor operations, winter layup, cannery activity, and utilizing existing harbor blueprints to free up more dock space. Motion Passed Unanimous UNFINISHED BUSINESS — None NEW BUSINESS Resolutions Resolution 2026-061: Approving a Facility Use Agreement with the Alaska Vocational Technical Center for Seward Parks and Recreation Programming Motion (Osenga/Calhoon) Approve Resolution 2026-061 Sorensen explained how the new agreement would run from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. She noted a $15 increase in daily rental fee from $435 to $450. Therefore she was adding $12,000 to the original budget of $130,000. She explained how the City was billed on a per -day -basis and were only charged for operational days. She predicted future usage of the Middle School space might decrease the tab at AVTEC. Barnwell and Sorensen discussed the per -day aspect of the AVTEC contract, the amount of money being spent on recreation, and the revenue that Parks & Rec can generate. Council continued to discuss the AVTEC contract, staffing, programs, and how this contract would complement any future uses of the Middle School. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2026-063: Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a Contract with Cornerstone General Contractors for Pre -Construction Services for the Harbormaster's Office and Uplands Development Motion (Osenga/Barnwell) Approve Resolution 2026-063 Bickling explained how the city put out a request for proposals (RFP) for the Harbormaster's Office and Uplands development. The first phase of the project required pre -construction services. There were seven respondents to this RFP and Cornerstone General Contractors submitted a fixed fee of $0 for pre -construction services. There will be another resolution coming for the final City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes July 13, 2026 Volume 43, Page 245 contract for the actual construction after the design is finished. Calhoon noted he removed it from consent to hear the explanation about the pre -construction services. He confirmed this resolution does not tie the City to Cornerstone for the entire project. Council continued to discuss the pre -construction services, the overall cost of the project, and the timeline for completion. Motion Passed Other New Business Unanimous Discuss City Employee Harassment from the Public [Sponsored by Draper] Draper wanted to bring this topic forward because she was concerned about harassment and intimidation of City employees. She hoped a personnel policy could be brought forward to protect employees while still allowing citizen's right to free speech. Severin noted this issue has increased in the last few years in other Alaskan cities as well. He would be glad to work with administration on drafting a policy to address this issue. Discuss the Speed Limit on Nash Road [Sponsored by Calhoon] Calhoon described his recent experiences on Nash Road with heavy equipment driving 55 mph going right thru the dense residential zones. He was looking to ask the State of Alaska to reduce the speed limit to 45 mph for the duration of Nash Road. Council directed the City Manager to bring back a draft letter of support to reduce the speed limit on Nash Road from 55 mph to 45 mph. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS Upcoming City Council Meetings Joint Work Session with P&Z on Monday, July 27, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. Topic: Short -Term Rentals Regular Meeting on Monday, July 27, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. CITIZEN COMMENTS Sully Jusino, outside city limits, spoke as the Finance Director and congratulated her finance team for all their excellent work. COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS & RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS City of Seward, Alaska City Council Meeting Minutes Jul} /3, 2026 Volume 43, Page 246 Sorensen was excited about working on the upcoming budget. She thanked Finance Department for all their hard work prepping for the audit. Sorensen shared that she met with Senator Lisa Murkowski last Friday and they had a great tour around Seward. Calhoon thanked Grant Todd for the audit presentation and the work session. He was looking forward to the upcoming budget work sessions and noted all City departments seemed to be running smoothly. He remarked it was a great Fourth of July despite the inclement weather. A highlight was seeing Gumby race up and down Mt. Marathon. Lastly, Calhoon noted two council seats were up for election this year. Barnwell gave kudos to the Finance Department. He was exciting for the new Harbormaster's Office and the Coast Guard Fast Response Cutter. He thanked Rhonda Hubbard for advocating for the commercial fishing industry. Draper congratulated the Finance Department. She congratulated Kat Sorensen for her successful Mt. Marathon Race. She noted the "Race from the Base" was a fun new event for kids. Draper watched the broadcast of the Woodlawn Cemetery presentation for the Civil War veteran, and it was really well done. Draper also commented on a Wells Fargo sweep account, the Rotary Club golf tournament fundraiser, and the upcoming budget process. Crites confirmed the new dog park would be open this summer. Osenga appreciated the audit update and thanked all the City staff involved. He wanted to acknowledged the Woodlawn Cemetery headstone unveiling ceremony was really wonderful. He thanked everyone who helped make that ceremony happen for a soldier who had died so long ago. Lastly, Osenga hoped everyone had a great Fourth of July. McClure clarified for the audience that Kat Sorensen was dressed as Gumby during the Mt. Marathon Race. She also noted Sorensen still had yet to beat the Mayor's fastest race time. McClure also commented on meeting with Lisa Murkowski, the great Fourth of July Festival, increased public interest in cemeteries, and the good audit presentations. Sorensen also wanted to add that Executive Assistant Kristin Wise had been instrumental in the installation of the first ever Community Health Vending Machine. There will be a grand opening event at the Qutekcak Native Tribe building later this month. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:38 p.m. Kris Peck City Clerk ta.Prrne C rt Sue McClure Mayor