HomeMy WebLinkAbout10142013 City Council Minutes City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
October 14, 2013 Volume 39, Page 206
CALL TO ORDER
The October 14,2013 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00
p.m. by Mayor David Seaward.
OPENING CEREMONY
Lieutenant Louis Tiner led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
ROLL CALL
There were present:
David Seaward presiding and
Bob Valdatta Ristine Casagranda
Jean Bardarson Christy Terry
Marianna Keil
comprising a quorum of the Council; and
Jim Hunt, City Manager
Johanna Kinney, City Clerk
he. Absent—Vanta Shafer
CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR
PUBLIC HEARING
Tim McDonald stated his interest in filling the vacant council seat, since Vice Mayor
Bardarson had been elected as Mayor.He feared the city may be at risk fiscally with the government
shut down fiscally and stated Seward needed to have honest and efficient government. McDonald felt
some of the city's contracts needed to be audited, especially the agreement with Seward Ship's
Drydock. Seward was a small community with a lot of financial responsibilities and there should be
no questions of integrity in regard to fiscal responsibility.
Lynda Paquette spoke regarding the Sewage Lagoon on Lowell Point. She was concerned
the city was going to wait until people got sick before fixing the problem. Paquette suggested
forming a citizen's advisory panel to assist the city in determining the best plan to solve the odorous
problem with the lagoon.
Teri Arnold continued Paquette's points. She also supported the advisory panel, as well as
hiring a specialist who primarily focused on sewage lagoon odor control. Arnold suggested the city
hire this consultant as a way to get a second opinion on the sewage lagoon.
r... APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA
Motion (Terry/Keil) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
October 14, 2013 Volume 39, Page 207
Casagranda requested Resolution 2013-075 be pulled from the consent agenda.
ted Resolution 2013-076 be pulled from the consent agenda.
Valdatta requested p g
Bardarson requested Resolution 2013-079 be added to the consent agenda.
Motion Passed Unanimous
The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items:
Resolution 2013-077, Awarding A Contract For Custodial Services To Merritt Enterprises.
Resolution 2013-079,Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into A Construction Contract
Change Order With Harmon Construction For Asbestos Abatement In The Harbor Restrooms
In The Amount Of$36,000, And Appropriating Funds.
Approval of the September 9, 2013 and September 23, 2013 City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes.
Certification of the October 1, 2013 City of Seward Election. Election Day results, after
canvassing were as follows:
Three City Council Seats Available (Two-Year Terms)
tarti
Election Day Votes After Canvass Votes Total Votes
Bob Valdatta 209 32 241
Vanta Shafer 242 31 273
David Squires 273 37 310
Christy Terry 290 38 328
Write-Ins I 1 2 13
One Mayor Seat Available (Two-Year Term)
Election Day Votes After Canvass Votes Total Votes
Jean Bardarson 306 42 348
Tim McDonald 77 8 85
Write-Ins 9 1 10
A total of 399 people voted at this election plus 51 counted absentee votes = 450 Total.
SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS
Proclamations & Awards
Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
October 14, 2013 Volume 39, Page 208
Historic Preservation Award to Carol Griswold. Griswold accepted the award and asked
the council and public in unison to wish Pat Williams a Happy Birthday.
Borough Assembly Report,Sue McClure stated the assembly met in Homer in September
and then Soldotna last week. McClure listed some voter statistics from the last meeting. Overall,
there was a 20.78% voter turnout in the borough. The voter turnout ranged from 0% to 23%, the
Seward/Lowell Point Precinct did well at approximately 23%. Seward voted along with the majority
of the borough, voting for the property tax exemption increase, which meant somewhere along the
line the assembly would have to do something to compensate for this loss in revenue. The school
bond passed,continuing the reroofing of the schools. The term limit propositions both failed,so term
limits were still in place and would remain at two terms. McClure had community meetings on
September 23,2013 where they discussed capital improvement projects and how communities would
use revenue sharing money this year. She met with the communities of Sterling, Lowell Point,
Moose Pass, Cooper Landing,and Hope. The borough needed members for the Seward Bear Creek
Flood Service Area Board. McClure now supported the idea of service area board seats being
appointed by the mayor,since all seats on every borough ballot were uncontested at the last election.
The next assembly meeting was October 22, 2013. McClure reminded everyone that meetings now
began at 6:00 p.m.
City Manager's Report,City Manager Jim Hunt stated the following purchase orders had
been approved by the City Manager since the last council meeting: $24,999 to Harmon Construction
to refurbish the City Hall Annex (old library) in preparation of Community Development and the
Electric Department move this winter; $10,185 to Univar for six pallets of salt and three pallets of
calcium chloride for sidewalks and parking areas; $16,500 to Metco for sand to stock the city's sand
shed and the winter storage of additional sand.
Public Works would be installing road signs to the Long Term Care Facility on Third Avenue
soon. Hunt reminded the public to remove items(boats,vehicles,trailers,etc.)from the public rights
of way,as they impede the removal of snow and general maintenance of road ways during the winter
season. Utility locates(including thaw wire location), must be requested prior to October 31, 2013,
to avoid paying a "locate fee." Locate fees between November 1, 2013 and April 30, 2013 were
billed to property owners.
In the Electric Department, preliminary design had started on the fuel system for the Seward
Power Plant Integration Project. Pedestrian Pathway Paving/Building Foundation was completed on
SeaLion Avenue and the warehouse. Transformer painting on all four of the city's substation
transformers was complete. In the Harbor, a grant offer was received in the amount of$579,000 to
build a new fish cleaning station. Harbor staff was reviewing the preliminary design report for the 5-
ton crane. It examined two alternative locations and two sizes of cranes. The contractor's work on D
Float was proceeding and staff hoped to have the new dock installed but not complete by the time of
the Polar Bear Jump Off on January 18,2014. Parks and Recreation was preparing for the Halloween
Carnival, the Family Masquerade Ball, and the Glacier Family Pumpkin Prowl.
Long stated he would contact the borough clerk's office to ensure the city submitted their
legislative priorities to them timely. Long addressed concern on the width of the entrance of the
breakwater for the proposed SMIC expansion project and announced AVTEC had volunteered the
use of their wave simulator through the breakwater to see if it was adequate. Conversations with the
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October 14, 2013 Volume 39, Page 209
Independent Living Center (ILC)on their priorities regarding ADA compliance in town continued
and noted the ILC's priorities were pretty well aligned with the city's priorities on this issue. Long
brought attention to handout on the SMIC Expansion Project,which attempted to broaden the city's
customer base for potential tenants. The city engaged the firm Rise Alaska/Arcadis to help put this
package together and carry through the legislature to get more support. The cost of this was
approximately $35,000, which was reported on at a subsequent meeting. Hunt attended the Alaska
Railroad tenant meeting last week in Anchorage,and he was pleased to hear the Seward Master Plan
highlighted.Administration was addressing concerns of 9-1-1 calls being routed to Soldotna initially,
as well as motor vehicle speeding complaints by the Senior Center and on Second Avenue.
Keil wanted to know if there was newer technology for sewage lagoons that would be more
efficient,and thought it made sense to get a second opinion on the odor problem at the Lowell Point
Sewage Lagoon. Hunt said the city was limited in what they could do based on funding. At a
minimum, the lagoon needed to be dredged and new aerators needed to be installed. Staff was
waiting for the development plan to be finalized, but it all came down to funds. In response to
Bardarson, Hunt estimated the repair costs to be $1.2 million to $1.3 million, for the Lowell Point
Sewage Lagoon only. Terry asked staff to look at the positive and negative benefits in creating a
community spill response agreement.
Mayoral Report, David Seaward thanked those for attending the meeting and those
watching. The mayor's seat would change at the next meeting to Mayor-Elect Bardarson. He was
glad the weather was not as bad as last year and hoped it stayed that way through the fall.
Other Reports, Announcements and Presentations
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Resolution Requiring Public Hearing
Resolution 2013-073, Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into A New Lease With GCI
Communication Corp. Lot 1, Block 10 Fourth Of July Creek Subdivision, Seward Marine
Industrial Center, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Plat No. 97-108 Seward Recording District,
Third Judicial District, State Of Alaska.
Terry noted her husband worked for GCI, but this lease was dealt with in a different
department and he was not involved with this lease and his finances would not be affected
either way. Seaward declared no conflict existed and there was no objection by council.
Harbormaster Mack Funk stated this was a renewal of an expired lease over in the Seward
Marine Industrial Center which had been in place since 1988. The lease expired June 23,2013 but it
had been extended on a month-to-month basis until negotiations could occur. The new lease was for
five years with extensions. The lease modifications were listed in council's agenda statement on this
resolution.
Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public
hearing was opened. No one appeared to address the Council and the public hearing was closed.
Motion (Keil/Terry) Approve Resolution 2013-073
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October 14, 2013 Volume 39, Page 210
In response to inquiries by Casagranda, Funk stated the city had appraisals on all harbor
properties which determined lease payments,and the Consumer Price Index (CPI)factored into the
increase in rent to GCI. GCI has agreed to those terms. Valdatta suggested brush be removed on all
leased property as it could be a hazard. Terry said there was an argument to keep brush.
Seaward stated he intended to abstain from voting on this issue as he was not going to be an
elected official after this meeting.
Motion to Postpone (Seaward/Casagranda) Postpone Resolution 2013-073 to the
October 28, 2013 City Council Meeting.
Motion Failed Yes: Seaward
No: Terry, Casagranda, Bardarson, Keil,
Valdatta
Main Motion Passed Yes: Keil, Terry, Valdatta, Casagranda,
Bardarson
Abstain: Seaward
Resolution 2013-074, Amending The Port & Harbor Tariff Regulations For 2014 And 2015.
Funk pointed out the changes before the council for their consideration. The increases were
mainly attributed to CPI increases. He noted PACAB had recommended these changes as well.
•
Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public
hearing was opened. No one appeared to address the Council and the public hearing was closed.
Motion (Bardarson/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2013-074
Terry wondered if PACAB had ever looked at tying the freight in wharfage with the CPI.
Funk said it has not been discussed at PACAB since he had been with the city.
Casagranda asked if the Syncrolift rates had been compared to other communities. Funk said
they hadn't recently. Bardarson asked Funk to look at comparisons of rates within the state for
electrical rates. Long said the rate comparison was for harbor moorage rates and they would like to
look at other communities for wharfage. Funk would bring that information before the council. Keil
asked what the electrical rate was at the harbor, Funk stated it was the same rate as a general user in
the city.
Motion to Postpone (Casagranda/Seaward) Postpone Resolution 213-074 to the October
28, 2013 City Council Meeting
In response to council inquiry, Long said the effective date of the first tariff was January 1,
2014, so there was sufficient time to get notices out to users if council decided to postpone this
resolution tonight.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
October 14, 2013 Volume 39, Page 211
Motion to Postpone Passed Unanimous
City Clerk Johanna Kinney clarified the procedure on
a member who abstained from •�
voting. According to the City Code and Council's Rules of Procedure,the vote of any member who
was present at a meeting and refused or failed to cast a vote on a matter upon which they were
qualified to vote shall be cast on the side receiving the greatest number of votes.
NEW BUSINESS
Resolution 2013-075,Supporting The Seward Marine Industrial Center Expansion Project At
Seward, Alaska.
Motion (Terry/Keil) Approve Resolution 2013-075
Long stated the previous resolutions of the council spoke specifically to Coastal Villages
Region Fund being the driving force for the expansion. It was advised to have an updated version
specific to the project,rather than a potential tenant.Administration would like to bring this support
resolution to the governor as soon as possible.
Casagranda asked if they had a waitlist of over 30 foot users and Long noted the the 40 foot
list was currently the biggest wait list. Casagranda stated this resolution was supporting the SMIC
expansion project—phase one of the breakwater, and nothing beyond that, to which Long agreed.
Casagranda said it was great to see the project moving forward and attracting new industries. She
was glad the project wasn't focused on one individual.
Seaward asked if administration intended to host a public meeting before presenting to the
governor. Long said their approach was to report back after the initial meeting from the governor.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2013-076, Transferring $37,500 Of 2012 Raw Fish Tax Receipts To The Seward
Chamber Of Commerce To Purchase And Rear Coho Salmon Smolts.
Motion (Bardarson/Keil) Approve Resolution 2013-076
Long stated in December of 2012, council gave direction for the use of the excess fish taxes
for fish enhancement purposes subject to council approval of a plan for usage of those funds. This
resolution addressed such a plan.
Valdatta said they had$20,000 in funds left over and suggested council consider giving those
funds to the state to bring red salmon back in Resurrection Bay. Long clarified those remaining
funds were still subject to council consideration and approval.
Terry noted she was a chamber board member but did not vote on this issue,nor did she have
any financial gain on this issue. Seaward ruled no conflict existed and there was no objection
by council.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
October 14, 2013 Volume 39, Page 212
Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2013-078, Amending And Correcting The 2013 Operating Budget For The Small
Boat Harbor To Account For Increased Electrical Costs Due To Harbor Expansion.
Motion (Bardarson/Terry) Approve Resolution 2013-078
Funk referred council to the prepared agenda statement. The harbor had been expanded and
the most recent dock completion was Z float. It was discovered by the Finance Department that
instead of reading the meter for usage, the power consumption had been estimated, and the harbor
had been undercharged by$50,000. The harbor had been billed for this cost and needed to adjust the
current budget to take into account for this cost in 2013 and 2012. It was $80,000 for 2013 and
$26,000 for 2012.
Terry asked if the customers on that float would have to remit the consumption they used.
Funk believed all the customers had been charged correctly,just not the master meter that was on the
uplands.
Motion Passed Yes: Bardarson, Terry, Valdatta,
Casagranda, Keil
Abstain: Seaward
Other New Business
Discussion on the council seat left vacant by newly-elected Mayor Bardarson.
Kinney clarified for the council and the public the past procedure used for filling a council
vacancy. Council directed the City Clerk to notice the vacancy and solicit applications and
letters of interest with a deadline of November 1, 2013.
Discuss Harbor Weekend Closures. (Shafer)
Valdatta stated he met with the Harbormaster and understood that the crew would continue to
work,just not the office workers on the weekend. He didn't think it was a big problem that the office
closed. Keil didn't like that they were not informed about the change, and the harbor customers
hadn't been informed either. She thought it was owed to the customers to be notified of this change.
Keil was concerned that the city was denying public access to city facilities. Valdatta understood,but
there was a sign stating an on-call person was available. Keil noted Homer was closed on the
weekends. The Kodiak Harbor stayed open, and was staffed by a part-time person.
Terry wasn't opposed to this change and it was worth looking at. She suggested they stay
open on Saturday and close on Sunday initially and monitor how that goes. The phone automation
phone tree stated the hours,but then said to call dispatch,which was confusing. Terry suggested staff
not route through dispatch and just list the harbor number itself. She understood the Harbormaster
was available at all times and the dock workers were out there working,but she feared those trying to
do business during the day would not be accommodated. If staff was so light in work during the
winter hours, perhaps they didn't need to keep three full-time office workers in the winter. Terry
understood where the Harbormaster was coming from, and didn't think it was a bad experiment.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
October 14, 2013 Volume 39, Page 213
Bardarson liked Terry's idea of closing on Sunday and staying open on Saturday as an experiment,
but still wanted it widely noticed to harbor users and the public.
Funk stated harbor use statistics for the four weekend days they had been closed so far. There
were seven phone messages and five boat lifts. He stated this would enable harbor office workers to
take leave and not leave the office short staffed during their busy summer months. In response to
Terry, Funk confirmed the dock workers checked and responded to the messages left. Keil pointed
out the harbor did daily billing and thought that could be a concern if they were closed during the
weekend. She agreed more notice was needed and they shouldn't close city facilities that were open
to the public. Seaward thought slip holders wouldn't be pleased with raising rates and cutting hours
and reducing services.
Terry thought if administration came back with a notice plan, council would be willing to
consider it. She also stated it was important to emphasize the harbor was still open, even though
office workers were not there.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS
Status update for the All Hazard Mitigation Plan, Annual Report to the National Flood Insurance
Program Community Rating System.
COUNCIL COMMENTS
Bardarson thanked Valdatta and Seaward for their time and efforts. She thanked Carol
Griswold for her community contributions and wished Pat Williams a Happy Birthday.
Keil thanked the mayor and noted he ran a fine meeting. She thanked Valdatta for his many
years of service on the City Council.
Valdatta thanked everyone for the many years of assistance given to him as a council
member. He wished incoming council members good luck. He commended administration for their
work and noted he felt comfortable sitting down and talking with them.
Casagranda stated her appreciation for Valdatta and Seaward's service. She would miss
Valdatta sitting next to her during meetings.Casagranda thanked the Seward Music and Arts Festival
volunteers and stated their and the Seward Arts Council's dedication was tremendous. She taught
dance with adult women and stated the city should consider them if they needed a talent group to go
to Obihiro in the future.
Terry thanked Dawn McDevitt and Seaview Community Services for the Domestic Violence
Sexual Assault Prevention Program. She thanked Long and PACAB for their efforts as well as
Valdatta for his years of service to the city. Terry congratulated Squires on his successful election
and looked forward to working with him.
Hunt thanked Valdatta and the mayor for their service. He congratulated Bardarson, Shafer,
and Squires on being elected to council. He felt it was an exciting time.
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
October 14, 2013 Volume 39, Page 21-1
Long thanked Valdatta and Seaward for their years of service. He congratulated incoming
ft[ council members and those who ran. Long noted the year worth of work Funk had put into the GC1
imp lease council approved tonight.
Seaward thanked everyone for attending tonight's meeting.
CITIZEN COMMENTS
Sue McClure said the new property tax exemption would go into effect if the property owner
had already applied for the previous exemption. She wished Pat Williams a Happy Birthday.
Tim McDonald thanked the mayor for his service and wished Valdatta good luck in his
retirement. He wondered why the GCI lease was $870 a year and why the city wasn't charging that
per month. He could understood the winter office closure in the harbor, but it could get busy in the
winter, too. It was acceptable to have the office closed, he thought, as long as they had someone to
speak with in the event of an emergency. As the City of Seward's Cook Inlet Aquaculture
Association's representative, McDonald stated they had their first meeting of the season last week.
He stated Seward had natural Silver, King, and Red Salmon runs that didn't necessarily go up to
Bear Lake. He stated the operation of SMIC's shipyard was a disservice to the community and the
operation should be investigated.
COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS
Valdatta thought it was time to open up the Grouse Lake Creek for salmon stocking. as it
had been one of the biggest hatcheries in the past.
Long noted the rate for GCI was $817 per year, not per month, because lease rates were set
by council. He emphasized the equation of lease rates were made so the city did not have bias
towards anyone. He felt allegations of"crony councils"and improper administrations should not be
taken lightly and that was why policies and procedures were outlined clearly in the code. Hunt added
the city was audited annually for all financial transactions.
Seaward asked who the auditors were and had they ever considered another company. I lunt
stated had gone out for proposals for the current audit contract and noted every year different
auditors from the firm came to Seward.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
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