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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04092018 City Council Minutes City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April 9, 2018 Volume 39,Page 407 CALL TO ORDER The April 9, 2018 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Vice Mayor Marianna Keil. OPENING CEREMONY Lieutenant Doreen Valadez led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: Marianna Keil presiding and Ristine Casagranda Sue McClure Erik Slater Suzanne Towsley Jeremy Horn comprising a quorum of the Council; and Jim Hunt, City Manager Brenda Ballou, City Clerk Absent—Squires CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Patrick Messmer was inquiring about when he could expect to receive the Excelsior list he had requested. Kyle Walker was currently playing the role of Pharaoh in the Port City Players version of "Joseph And The Technicolor Dreamcoat" and encouraged everyone to come out to see it. Cliff Krug said the last Seward Second Saturday would be this weekend,April 14,2018.The Seward Journal would be publishing a map of all the participating locations, and was linked to the event online as well.Krug announced that Brown&Hawkins Mercantile would have a short-eared owl named Flame in the store on Saturday for people to visit. Lynda Paquette had received several reports from residents on Lowell Point Road about vehicles speeding on Beach Drive. She was concerned because there were lots of small children and dogs who lived in that area. Christy Terry wanted to thank council for supporting the Seward Community Bike Park, and added that the bike park was looking for volunteers, both short-term and long-term. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April 9, 2018 Volume 39,Page 408 Brad Snowden wanted to talk about Seward's future.The idea of a trolley car connecting the harbor with downtown was at least 25 years old;he wished to have a connection between the airport, harbor and downtown.He encouraged council to just say yes to the future,and said there were three "Ts": Things Take Time. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Casagranda/McClure) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Keil removed the Historic Preservation Month proclamation from the agenda. Keil removed the City Attorney Report from the agenda. Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Resolution 2018-035.,Appointing Jessica Fogle As The Deputy City Clerk. Resolution 2018-036, Supporting The Proposals Through The United States Board On Geographic Names(BGN)To Place The Name Mount Mary On Unnamed Peak 4883,And The Name Santa Ana Peak On Unnamed Peak 4753. Approval of the March 12, 2018 Regular Meeting Minutes, the March 20, 2018 Special Meeting Minutes, and the March 27,2018 Regular Meeting Minutes. Approval of Election Board for union representation election on May 8,2018. Approval of Canvass Board for union representation election on May 8,2018. SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Proclamations& Awards National Library Week Borough Assembly Report. Kenn Carpenter said the assembly had a long meeting, spending a lot of time preparing for closed bid land sales from Happy Valley to Nikiski. The assembly's budget meeting would start April 30, 2018 in Soldotna. And on April 17, 2018 the assembly would be meeting in Seward. City Manager Report.Jim Hunt reported the following purchase orders between$10,000 and $50,000 had been approved by the City Manager since the last council meeting: $31,227 to Anchorage Chrysler for a Dodge Ram 2500 Pick Up Truck to replace Vehicle 465;and,$14,957.44 to Kendrick Equipment for eight Chine Pads for the SMIC Travelift. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April 9,2018 Volume 39,Page 409 Hunt added that,due to a software glitch that had resulted in a billing error for some people, he had decided to grant a$.04 per kilowatt hour credit on everyone's next bill. In response to McClure,Electric Utility Manager John Foutz said they were in the process of continuing the work on burying the lines at the lagoon. There would be an all-day outage on Thursday for six residents on the south side of the lagoon; the Electric Department was contacting each resident to let them know. In response to Towsley, Hunt said he had met with Tim Dillon, all borough mayors, the borough mayor, and his chief of staff to discuss confidential issues, and also issues affecting all communities. Council directed administration to work with the Planning & Zoning Commission to bring forward potential properties for the new animal shelter. • . , . o . • • • • . Other Reports, Announcements and Presentations Mount Mary and Santa Ana Peak PUBLIC HEARINGS Ordinance 2018-001, Amending The Zoning Designation Of Lot B1 Forest Acres Levee Replat,From Resource Management(RM)To Auto Commercial(AC)In Compliance With The Land Use Plan, Located At 2413 Seward Highway. Motion (Casagranda/McClure) Enact Ordinance 2018-001 Hunt said this property was familiar to everyone;this would bring it into conformance with the city's future land use map. 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. In response to Casagranda, Hunt said he was unaware of what the property owner's plans were for the future development of this land. Motion Passed Unanimous Council recessed at 7:35 p.m. Council resumed at 7:37 p.m. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April 9, 2018 Volume 39,Page 410 Resolution 2018-029, Rescinding Resolution 2017-077 Which Amended The Sewer Tariff Effective January 1, 2018. Motion (Casagranda/McClure) Approve Resolution 2018-029 Finance Director Kris Erchinger said at the March 21, 2108 work session there had been discussion about tariff issues,and this resolution would rescind the previous resolution and the next resolution coming up would be replacing it. Casagranda declared a potential conflict of interest because she was a property manager and had mentioned in a previous meeting that if rates kept going up, she may be paid less for managing one certain property. Vice Mayor Keil ruled that a conflict did not exist, with no objection from council. Slater declared a potential conflict of interest because he owned two businesses: Seward Brewing Company and Chinooks.Vice Mayor Keil ruled that a conflict did not exist,with no objection from council. 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 Passed Unanimous Resolution 2018-030, Amending The Sewer Tariff To Provide For A 2.1% Rate Adjustment Beginning January 15, 2018, Adding A Seasonal Turn-On/Turn-Off Fee, Clarifying That Metered Rates Apply To All Customers Other Than Non-Commercial Residential,And Other Minor Housekeeping Changes. Motion (Casagranda/McClure) Approve Resolution 2018-030 Erchinger said this resolution would essentially do what administration originally wished, which was to increase rates by 2.1%,but it also accomplished something else:this resolution would allow any customer, other than non-commercial residential,to go to metered rates rather than ERU rates. 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 to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2018-030 by striking the words, "Group D" from the definitions of Group A — Residential, Group B — Small General Service, and Group C — Large General Service in the tariff. Motion to Amend Failed Yes: Towsley, Casagranda No: Slater, Horn, McClure, Keil City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April 9, 2018 Volume 39,Page 411 Main Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2018-031, Rescinding Resolution 2017-078 Which Amended The Water Tariff Effective January 1, 2018. Motion (Casagranda/McClure) Approve Resolution 2018-031 Erchinger said this resolution was similar to the last as it had unintentionally eliminated from Group C definitions the words "unmetered" and "non-metered". Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Tim McDonald wondered what happened to homes that were shut down over the winter. No one else appeared to address the Council and the public hearing was closed. Erchinger said there would be a new seasonal rate in the next resolution which would address this issue and would accommodate turn-on and turn-off fees. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2018-032, Amending The Water Tariff To Provide For A 2.1% Rate Increase Beginning January 15, 2018, Clarifying That Metered Rates Apply To All Customers Other Than Non-Commercial Residential, Changing The Seasonal Definition, And Other Minor Housekeeping Changes. Motion (Casagranda/McClure) Approve Resolution 2018-032 Erchinger said this resolution would implement a 2.1%rate increase,reintroduces the words "unmetered" and "non-metered" into the Group C definition, allows customers the option to have metered rates rather than ERU, and adjusts the seasonal turn-on and turn-off fees to ensure that winter vacancies are contributing to the cost of the utility. Further,this resolution addresses the issue of broken or faulty meters by authorizing the city to provide a ninety(90)day notice for the customer to repair their meter, or else be put back to ERU rates. 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 to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2018-032 in Group A definition so it reads, "...to be charged Group D metered commercial water Mid sewer rates." Motion to Amend Failed Yes: Casagranda, Towsley No: Horn, McClure, Slater, Keil City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April 9,2018 Volume 39,Page 412 Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2018-032 in Group B defmition so it reads, "...to be eligible for Group D metered commercial water and sewer rates." Motion to Amend Failed Yes: Towsley,Casagranda No: McClure,Horn, Slater,Keil Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2018-032 in Group B, under NOTE, by striking the word "include" and replacing it with the word "exclude". Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Consent Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2018-032 in Group E, under"5.Water Turn-On or Turn-Off"by adding the words,"only one waived charge per account per 12 month period." Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Consent In response to Towsley, Erchinger said the seasonal turn-on and turn-off rates in the sewer and water tariffs have not been contemplated in the past, as it had been addressed in the electric tariff. Erchinger added that the intent was to equalize the rates, regardless of whether a home was occupied throughout the winter or not; other utilities used this method,include Homer Electric and Enstar Natural Gas. Main Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2018-033, Rescinding Resolution 2018-008 Which Authorized A Delay In The Reclassification Of Customer Utility Accounts,As Reclassification WM Not Be Necessary Once Customers Other Than Non-Commercial Residential Are Allowed To Elect Metered Rather Than ERU Rates. Motion (Casagranda/McClure) Approve Resolution 2018-033 Erchinger said this would suspend reclassification of customers,because now customers have the choice of being metered or ERU. 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 to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2018-033 in the first Whereas so it reads: "...in the effective date of the water and sewer tariffs to City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April 9, 2018 Volume 39,Page 413 correct change the classification for some customers incorrectly billed metered..." Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Consent Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2018-033 in the second Whereas so it reads: "Whereas, through further research, the billing department determined that customers classified as Residential and/or Small General Service— . . . . . . . . . . . meteredte-see—were inconsistently in fact allowed to convert from ERU to metered rates; and" Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Consent Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2018-033 in the third Whereas so it reads: "Whereas,in order to correct and address inconsistencies, staff recommends that customers in all Groups, other than non- commercial residential, continue to be allowed ..." Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Consent Main Motion Passed Unanimous UNFINISHED BUSINESS Discuss 50th Anniversary of Sister City with Obihiro,Japan Celebration Plans. Slater reported that the committee had met twice since the last council report,and that plans had changed for Seward's visit; the late October Chrysanthemum Festival would now be the event that Seward attended,rather than the early October Beef&Wine Festival. Slater called attention to the information in the packet, which included calendars and activities; he requested that council consider who they wished to send to Obihiro. Keil requested the discussion of attendees be postponed to the May 14, 2018 meeting. Discuss and/or schedule a work session for Brad Snowden's cruise ship dock concept. Casagranda requested to postpone this discussion to the April 23, 2018 meeting to allow Squires to be present for the discussion. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April 9, 2018 Volume 39,Page 414 Discuss appointing a Special Ad Hoc Council Study Committee to research and study the water and sewer tariffs, and provide recommendations to council. (Casagranda) 111 By consensus,council postponed this discussion item until the Request For Proposals(RFP) for the rate and/or classification study came forward. Discuss appointing a Special Ad Hoc Council Study Committee to research and study the electric tariff, and provide recommendations to council. (Casagranda) Casagranda withdrew her request for this committee with no objection from council. Discuss appointing a Special Ad Hoc Council Study Committee for finance. (Casagranda) With the support of council, Casagranda agreed to draft a proposal outlining the scope and intent of this proposed committee for council's consideration. Discuss the Offer for Assistance letter received on March 7, 2018 from Jane Boer, Local Government Specialist,Division of Community and Regional Affairs. Keil stated the city attorney and city clerk would be hosting a training seminar for council, boards, and commissions on May 14 & 15, 2018 to cover Open Meetings Act (OMA) and Parliamentary Procedures.Keil requested that the training be expanded to also include the role of a council member, and Towsley requested to include ethics training. In response to Towsley,the city clerk said Jane Boer would be conducting an internal audit of the policies and procedures of the clerk's office on May 11, 2018, and would be reporting out to council on May 14, 2018 of her findings. Council directed the city clerk to draft a letter of appreciation to Jane Boer for reaching out with the offer for assistance, and to mention that council would be looking forward to having a discussion with her on May 14,2018 as to what services she could provide. NEW BUSINESS Resolution 2018-034, Authorizing A Cost Of Living Increase Of 2.1% For 2018 And A Separate 2.1% For 2019 For All Non-IBEW Employees With The Exception Of The City Manager And City Clerk,And Appropriating Funds. Motion (Casagranda/McClure) Approve Resolution 2018-034 Erchinger said the 2018/2019 budget had initially proposed a Cost of Living Increase (COLA),but had bene removed.Now that administration had had the opportunity to review year end results, they determined that the budget would support a COLA in both years. Motion to Postpone(Casagranda/Towsley) Postpone Resolution 2018-034 to the July 9, 111 2108 meeting. City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April 9,2018 Volume 39,Page 415 Motion to Postpone Passed Yes: Casagranda, Horn, Towsley, Slater No: McClure,Keil Resolution 2018-037,Supporting The Transco Concept And Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into Negotiations With Other Railbelt Utilities And American Transmission Company In The Formation Of Such An Organization. Motion (Casagranda/McClure) Approve Resolution 2018-037 Electric Utility Manager John Foutz said this was a support resolution to allow the city to move forward on exploring this concept. In response to Casagranda, Foutz said this, in all likelihood, would result in no impact to Seward's electric rates.Actually,Foutz said,this may benefit the city because the cost of replacing transmission lines could be shared among the members. Motion Passed Unanimous INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS Clerk's Report on Public Records Requests for March, 2018. On-Going City Projects and Goals. COUNCIL COMMENTS Casagranda requested that the Excelsior list be released to Patrick Messmer,through the city attorney, in order to act in good faith. McClure cautioned that kids and bikes and motorcycles were out now,so please be cautious. The musical was amazing and she recommended everyone go see it.McClure encouraged everyone to attend the borough assembly meeting in Seward next Tuesday,April 17,2018;the meeting would start at 6:00 p.m. and be in council chambers. Towsley said thanked everyone who came and spoke at the meeting. She thanked Public Works for clearing the streets of the recent snowfall. Casagranda thanked Dano Michaud and Harold Faust for their great presentation about the mountains. She thanked everyone for tuning in and listening to the council meeting. Casagranda encouraged people to be gracious with others and empathetic to their humanity. Slater welcomed Deputy City Clerk Jessica Fogle. He thanked administration for the work they did on the tariffs. Keil thanked everyone for attending work session tonight about the Air Force Rec Camp and the South Harbor Launch Ramp; she reiterated that the boat launch project funding was not coming City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes April 9,2018 Volume 39,Page 416 from general fund. Keil congratulated Morgan Woodard and Andra Woodard, Terry Moon, and Jonathan Gage for receiving awards at Saturday's Annual Fire Department Banquet,and encouraged people to volunteer as a firefighter or with the ambulance corps. CITIZEN COMMENTS Patrick Messmer was concerned that not releasing the Excelsior list might be considered an unfair work practice. He thanked administration and council. Brad Snowden said he would be backing Governor Walker for re-election. He said the governor would be in town on April 20, 2018 for a fundraiser from 5:00 —7:00 p.m. on the MN Dutch Harbor and invited everyone to attend. Lynda Paquette thought having a finance committee would be a great idea;having a citizen group that understood how to read the budget and helped disseminate information throughout the community would help make everything more transparent,and hopefully lighten the burden on the Finance Department. Doug Schoessler said the Borough Road Service Area would be meeting at the KM Rae Building on Third Avenue tomorrow.He had had the opportunity to engage with some Boy Scouts the other day and was impressed by their helpfulness. John Foutz reminded everyone that the meter exchange would begin April 17, 2018. COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Hunt said the governor, in addition to his fundraising plans,would be attending the SMIC ribbon cutting ceremony. Casagranda thanked everyone for the meeting tonight,and council for getting through the agenda. Erchinger said the meter exchange project would begin on April 17, 2018; on the city website there were photos of the crew,and the crews would be wearing safety vests.Also,on the city website under document center,there was a link to Chugach monthly cost of power,to help people understand the billing. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 10:07 p.m. 4 0 Se • Yti '�' .•` of SEh, :rends J.Ballo C 1i& ?' (City Seal) ? SEAL ° r P ` .,���/OF p� e .�'