HomeMy WebLinkAbout06242019 City Council MinutesI
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24, 2019 Volume 40,Page 731
CALL TO ORDER
The June 24, 2019 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00
p.m. by Mayor David Squires.
OPENING CEREMONY
• Lt. Alan Nickell led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
ROLL CALL
There were present:
David Squires presiding and
Sue McClure Suzanne Towsley
Jeremy Horn Sharyl Seese
John Osenga Kelley Lane
comprising a quorum of the Council; and •
Scott Meszaros,City Manager
Brenda Ballou, City Clerk
Holly Wells, City Attorney
Will Earnhart, City Attorney
Excused—None
Absent—None
CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR
PUBLIC HEARING
Bob Reisner said at last week's assembly meeting there was an invocation delivered by a
satanic cult,which he vehemently took exception to.Reisner didn't believe that satanic worshippers
were isolated to Soldotna; he thought there were followers of this cult in Seward, and he believed
they represented a threat to the community.
Christy Terry was the port manager for the Alaska Railroad,and she supported Resolution
2019-063.The expansion project would result in an expanded freight dock,as well as greater safety
for pedestrians because Port Avenue would be extended and industrial truck traffic would be
rerouted to a new separate access road.
Bruce Jaffa supported the railroad expansion project. Regarding the Seward airport,Jaffa
said the Port and Commerce Advisory Board(PACAB)was as concerned with the airport as it was
with the harbor. There was an opportunity before the city related to the airport — the Alaska
Department of Transportation (DOT) was proposing something that Jaffa thought would be short
sighted for the city to take;he encouraged council to schedule a work session as quickly as possible.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24, 2019 Volume 40, Page 732
Lynda Paquette relayed that she had had a meeting with the new city manager, but was
upset by it because she felt she had received inaccurate information from him. Paquette was
concerned that an antagonistic environment might again be created in the city,but hoped instead that
trust could be re-established. Paquette supported moving forward with a forensic audit.
Phil Kaluza strongly supported PACAB's recent resolution to make interconnection with
residences possible. He was concerned that it was being delayed, and wanted it to come to council
for approval.
Carol Griswold said a recent sexual harassment complaint brought to light a deficiency in
the city code;she believed the code should include a provision to confiscate personal electronics and
assign the accused to paid administrative leave. Griswold was also concerned that the city code did
not address workplace bullying. Regarding Resolution 2019-063 for the railroad expansion project,
Griswold was disappointed that there wasn't more information included in the packet because she
didn't understand what being a co-applicant would entail for the city's commitment and thought
more information should have been included in the packet.Griswold supported moving forward with
a forensic audit.
Rissie Casagranda encouraged council to look at the RV dump station fees, and how the
fees were taken into the budget; she believed the city was capable of conducting their own study on
water and wastewater and should not be hiring a consultant.Casagranda supported moving forward
with a forensic audit.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA sgi
Motion (McClure/Towsley) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda
McClure removed Resolution 2019-061 from the consent agenda.
Towsley removed Resolution 2019-062 from the consent agenda.
McClure removed Resolution 2019-063 from the consent agenda.
Lane postponed the discussion on the forensic audit to July 22, 2019.
Motion Passed Unanimous
The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items:
Ordinance 2019-010, Amending The Zoning Designation Of Lot 23A Marathon Addition
Whitehorn Replat, Located At 513 First Avenue, From Institutional (INS) To Single-Family
Residential (RI), In Compliance With The Land Use Plan. This ordinance was introduced
tonight and will come for public hearing and enactment on July 8, 2019.
Resolution 2019-059, Accepting Funds From The Seward Trailblazers In The Amount Of woo
$979.25 And From The Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm Corridor Communities Association
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24,2019 Volume 40,Page 733
In The Amount Of$979.00 To Upgrade The Seward Museum Iditarod Exhibit, For A Total
Amount Of$2881.99,And Appropriating Funds.
Resolution 2019-060,Amending Rule 9 Of The City Council Rules Of Procedures To Include
Parameters For Presentations.
Approval of the May 28, 2019 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes.
Approval of the June 10,2019 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes.
SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS
Proclamations & Awards
Seward Historic Preservation Award to Cliff Krug & Linda Chichester
Chamber of Commerce Report. Cindy Clock stated there was a Grand Opening
ceremony last weekend for the new KOA Campground on Old Exit Glacier Road. The Halibut
Tournament had a 257.8 pound fish as the current leader; second place was currently a 251
pounder; the tournament would go through June 30, 2019. The Seward Seabird Festival last
weekend was very successful; there was already planning underway for next year's festival. The
Mount Marathon Race booklet has just been released; this year would be Fred Moore's 50th
consecutive race.The Fourth of July Festival would be held July 3&4,2019 this year.July's First
Friday Art Walk would be held on July 5,2019.The chamber appreciated the city hosting the first
Public Safety Forum last week.
In response to McClure,Clock said the chamber could still use some volunteers for the race
and festival — sign up was through the chamber website. In response to Lane, Clock said the
chamber did not support the borough's proposed bed tax because none of the funds would go back
into visitor marketing.
City Manager Report.Scott Meszaros reported the following purchase orders over$5,000
had been approved by the City Manager since the last council meeting: $8,975 to Harmon
Construction, Inc. for concrete repair at Kawabe Park; and, $15,875 to Harmon Construction for
concrete sidewalk repairs.
On June 26,2019 at 12:00 p.m. there would be a ribbon cutting ceremony at South Harbor
Launch Ramp.The city would be providing the state troopers with six AEDs.Regarding the Lowell
Canyon Hydroelectric Study, administration was waiting for a report from Andy Baker.
In response to Seese,Public Works Director Doug Schoessler said the additional sidewalks
that were slated to be repaired included the area in front of the Seward Alehouse, in front of the
Seaview Plaza, in front of the Seward Hotel where the red brick portion would be removed and
replaced with cement,and at the city's annex building where the angled parking would be removed
and replaced with a sidewalk and parallel parking. Seese was concerned with the east side of Fourth
Avenue near the Alaska Shop; Schoessler noted it. Schoessler also stated that smaller cracks and
sidewalk issues would be fixed temporarily with asphalt until they could be addressed with
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24, 2019 Volume 40,Page 734
permanent repairs. In response to Towsley, Schoessler said he continued to welcome the public's
input on sidewalk issues.Schoessler added that there would also be a change made for parking spots
at the Seward Brewing Company, where an illegal handicap accessible spot was currently on
Washington Street marked as a parallel parking spot; Schoessler would be relocating that handicap
accessible spot to in front of the Brewing Company instead.
In response to Towsley regarding PACAB Resolution 2019-03 addressing the interconnect
policy,Electric Utility Manager John Foutz said he was directed by PACAB to seek quotes from a
professional engineering firm to obtain their opinion about the proposed changes to the city's
interconnect policy. Foutz said he expected to receive a quote this week from the engineer, and.
would submit it to council in time for the next council meeting.
In response to Towsley's request for an update on the city's meter exchange program,Foutz
said the residential meter exchanges were complete and his department was currently working on
commercial meters that were previously not exchanged due to the meter base,or are not currently
reading.Foutz was nearly finished with drafting a demand meter policy which he would circulate to
administration for review this week, and then that policy would come to council.
In response to Squires'inquiry about some meters not reading because of the base,Foutz said
there were a handful of meters that could not be changed out in the first round when National
Metering Company was here, and the electric department was addressing those meters now. In
response to Seese,Foutz said not all commercial accounts would automatically get a demand meter;
only large general commercial accounts would be required to have a demand meter. In response to
Seese,Foutz said his initial decision to make all commercial accounts demand meters was a mistake,
and so he was revising the demand meter policy to more accurately reflect the appropriate
requirements for commercial accounts.
Lane requested that the city manager review and monitor the contract arrangement for the
Electric Utility Department with EPS as it related to the electrical engineering position; she stated
that the arrangement was intended to be a short-term remedy meant to capture institutional
knowledge, and thought perhaps enough time had passed to satisfy that intention.
Squires commented that there had been a lot of discussion items on the agendas as of late
which were not specific,and he thought it would be helpful if a short memo could be submitted to
accompany the discussion item for the agenda packet to give everyone a clear idea of the intent of the
discussion.He explained that if a memo was provided,it could give administration an opportunity to
prepare for the discussion,and would allow the public to get an idea what would be the focus of the
discussion.
Lane said an ADU was an"accessory dwelling unit"that was a secondary housing unit placed
on a single-family residential lot. Lane said ADUs were growing in California to address housing
issues,and she wondered if administration wouldn't mind looking into this for Seward.In response,
Meszaros said he would welcome council direction to bring this topic back to the Planning and
Zoning Commission. In response to Towsley,Lane said she would like to have a preliminary report
back from Community Development on the viability of such a program.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24,2019 Volume 40,Page 735
Motion(Lane/Towsley) Direct the city manager to research
Accessory Dwelling Units and provide an
opinion on the viability for Seward.
Motion Passed Yes: Lane, Seese, McClure, Towsley,
Squires
No: Osenga,Horn
City Clerk Brenda Ballou admonished council to please exercise extreme caution when
using emails to exchange information with the city manager so as not to inadvertently create a serial
meeting and risk a potential violation of the Open Meetings Act.
City Attorney Holly Wells expanded on Squires' request to have a memo submitted for
discussion items by clarifying that if a discussion item is on the agenda, but is not stated with
specificity, it may be perceived as inadequate public notice, and could result in a violation of the
Open Meetings Act. Wells thought the suggestion to have a brief statement of the intent of the
discussion was wise because it would help to keep the public abreast of what was happening.
Lane asked if sandwich boards were allowed to be used in the city,and asked about what the
process was for the city to create new camping spots. In response, Assistant City Manager
Brennan Hickok said once the city's regular campgrounds were full,campers were directed to the
Boulder Field overflow campground as well as the Spring Creek Campground across the bay.Hickok
added that if all the overflow camping areas were filled, the city had some areas around town that
they opened for extra overflow, which was typically only during the Fourth of July and the Silver
Salmon Derby. As to the sandwich boards, Lane clarified the areas of concern were the waterfront
and the bike park areas;Hickok said he would have to look into that.In response to Towsley,Hickok
said campground workers were specifically trained to advise campers to check the chamber's website
for alternative campgrounds outside of city limits if the city campgrounds were full.
City Attorney Report.Holly Wells said she didn't have anything extra to add,in addition to
the report in the packet.
Lane was concerned that this month's bill was over$20,000,and asked if the city was paying
for one attorney or two for tonight's meeting. In response, Wells said the city was paying for two
attorneys tonight,but for different amounts of time and for different reasons;Wells was here for the
council meeting, and Will Earnhart was here specifically for the executive session on labor.
In response to Towsley,Wells said Earnhart worked on a variety of city projects because of
his institutional knowledge,and was particularly skilled with labor issues.Wells had taken over the
supervisory person who reported to council on behalf of the firm. If it was council's wish to limit
Earnhart's involvement on other matters, Wells advised that it would likely result in a greater
expense to the city because another attorney would not have the institutional knowledge that
Earnhart had and, therefore, would not be as efficient with their time. In response to Lane, Wells
agreed to bring back a flat fee schedule for council's consideration.
In response to Towsley,Wells concurred with the suggestion to consider the last three years'
worth of attorneys' invoices to come up with a flat fee schedule.Also in response to Towsley,Wells
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24, 2019 Volume 40, Page 736
agreed that this discussion would be appropriate to have at a later time.
Motion (Lane/Towsley) Direct the city attorney firm to use Will
Earnhart exclusively for labor matters.
Motion Failed Yes: Towsley, Lane
No: Seese,Horn,McClure,Osenga,Squires
Motion (Seese/Towsley) Direct the city attorney firm to assign no new
matters to Will Earnhart, except for labor
matters.
Motion Failed Yes: Seese, Towsley, Lane
No: Osenga, Horn, McClure, Squires
Council recessed at 8:36 p.m.
Council resumed at 8:44 p.m.
Other Reports, Announcements and Presentations
Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District(KPEDD)Report by Council Member
Lane.
PUBLIC HEARINGS—None
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Items Postponed from Previous Agenda
Read, discuss & update the City's harassment& sexual harassment policies.Postponed from
June 10, 2019.
Lane stated that she provided an article as a laydown which reports that public masturbation
was now legal in Italy, and said she brought this forward as a demonstration of how far out on the
spectrum various behaviors could be permissible in a policy.
Wells interrupted to say that discussing masturbation was off topic from the discussion item
that was noticed on the agenda.
Squires said he thought Lane was trying to say that the city's current sexual harassment
policy was not tough enough, or not specific enough, and that left certain behaviors open to
interpretation as to their tolerability.
Wells cautioned that the packet only contained code language,and not all the city's policies,
so having a policy discussion about harassment would potentially be a violation of the Open
Meetings Act.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24,2019 Volume 40,Page 737
In response to Towsley,Wells agreed that it would be very appropriate for these policies to
be reviewed by a subcommittee, if council decided to form one. In response to Towsley,Lane said
she would be interested in having a subcommittee address these policies,and she would specifically
appreciate having electronic devices addressed in the policy, as well as a provision to have the
accused party removed from the workplace while the complaint was being resolved so as not to
create a hostile work environment.
Discuss relative costs&benefits of a forensic audit in light of constituent concerns.Postponed
from June 10, 2019.
This item was postponed to July 22, 2019.
Discuss KPB Ordinance 2019-011, Repealing KPB 5.18.430(F) Which Requires Voter
Approval to Increase Sales Tax Cap.Postponed from June 10, 2019.
McClure said this borough ordinance would go to the assembly on July 2, 2019, and the
assembly had not asked council for an opinion. To clarify, McClure said this ordinance would
effectively take away the voters' rights to control the sales tax cap.
Council unanimously agreed to encourage the citizens to contact the borough assembly directly to
express their opinions on this matter.
NEW BUSINESS
Resolutions
Resolution 2019-061, Opposing Kenai Peninsula Borough Ordinance 2019-09 Levying A 12
Percent(12%) Tax On Temporary Lodging, Exempting Temporary Lodging Rentals From
General Borough Sales Tax And Allowing Cities That Levy A Similar Sales Tax On
Temporary Lodging To Exempt Up To One-Half Of The Borough Temporary Lodging Tax,
Subject To Voter Approval.
Motion (McClure/Towsley) Approve Resolution 2019-061
Hickok said Ordinance 2019-09 already passed the assembly; it was amended to lessen the
amount of bed tax from 12%to 10%,and to include overnight camping facilities.Hickok stated this
item would appear on the borough ballot this fall.
McClure believed it was a moot point for council to consider this resolution now because the
assembly had already taken action; she suggested council fail this resolution.
Motion Failed Unanimous
111 Resolution 2019-062,Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into An Agreement With Gov-
Rates,Inc. For Consulting Services For The Water And Sewer Classification Plan And Rate
Study For An Amount Not To Exceed $32,300,And Appropriating Funds.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24, 2019 Volume 40,Page 738
Motion (McClure/Osenga) Approve Resolution 2019-062
Schoessler said a city water and sewer rate study had not been conducted since 1993.The city 111
had received proposals from three firms, and this firm scored the highest and was the least costly.
Schoessler was interested in having the assistance of a professional firm to provide recommendations
for the tariff that would be fair and consistent for the community. Schoessler said the public would
be included in the process,that having a study done was long overdue,and he was looking forward
to seeing the results.
In response to Squires, Schoessler said the study would include advice for dealing with
flawed meters,as well as capital improvement recommendations.Towsley was pleased that capital
improvement needs would be reviewed, and encouraged Schoessler to involve the public in the
process sooner rather than later.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2019-063, Authorizing Submission Of A Joint Application With The Alaska
Railroad Corporation (ARRC) To The U.S. Department Of Transportation Build Grant
Program For Expansion Of The Alaska Railroad Terminal Reserve Freight Dock And
Extension Of Port Avenue.
Motion (McClure/Towsley) Approve Resolution 2019-063
Hickok requested that council amend this resolution in the 11th Whereas to clarify the total
value of the gravel.
Motion to Amend (McClure/Seese) Amend Resolution 2019-063 in the 11th
Whereas so that it reads, "...the City of
Seward pledges to commit$219,120 worth
of in-fill gravel per year for three years,
totaling$657,360,to the project..."
Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous
Lane was pleased that Port Avenue would be extended and traffic would be re-routed to be
safer for pedestrians, and was confident that drawings and diagrams would be forthcoming.
Council suspended the rules to speak with Alaska Railroad Port Manager Christy Terry.
Christy Terry said she,too,would have liked to have schematics and drawings to share,but
what this grant was actually going to provide was the design and engineering for this project. The
two items being discussed—the extension of Port Avenue and the expansion of the freight dock—
were vetted through the public during the Master Plan review. The only responsibility for the city
with this grant application would be the commitment to provide three years of gravel; the railroad
would cover the costs of transporting and spreading the gravel.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24, 2019 Volume 40,Page 739
In response to Towsley,Terry said Port Avenue would be punched through to the north from
where it currently dead-ended, and would join with the airport road to allow an alternate route for
trucks and industrial vehicles. In response to Squires,Terry said the new portion of road would be
private and restricted, and would be maintained by the railroad.
Council went back on the rules.
Main Motion Passed Unanimous
Other New Business
Schedule a joint work session with the Port& Commerce Advisory Board(PACAB)to discuss
the Seward Airport.
Council suspended the rules to speak with PACAB Vice Chair Bruce Jaffa.
Bruce Jaffa said there was an urgency to have this work session because the Alaska
Department of Transportation(DOT)was moving forward with plans to publish a bid for the airport.
Council went back on the rules.
Council scheduled a joint work session with PACAB on July 1, 2019 at 5:30 p.m.
Read and review the city's organizational chart, and discuss high performance organization
core principles.
Lane wanted to review the city's organizational chart because she thought there had been
some confusion among administration as to the chain of command.Lane said in order for council to
be responsive to the citizens of Seward, they needed free access to add agenda items. In response,
Squires said preparing for agenda items often required staff input,so it was important to work with
the city manager to allow him to engage his staff, as necessary.
Meszaros said he sometimes felt unprepared for meetings because he was unaware of some
agenda items that were added by council right before the deadline. In response,Towsley said many
agenda items were not actionable items, and that council followed the same deadlines as
administration in submitting items for the agenda.
Moving on to discuss High Performance Organization (HPO) core principles, Lane
summarized the five core principles and asked council to consider having the city adopt these
principles.In response to Towsley,Lane said her goal would be for the city to adopt these principles
and have the city manager incorporate the principles into daily life at the city.
Motion (Lane/Seese) Postpone the discussion on High Performance
Organization(HPO)core principles to July
22,2019.
Motion Passed Unanimous
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24, 2019 Volume 40,Page 740
Wells stated that council had just postponed a discussion item that she would recommend
coming back as an action item instead. Wells said if there was interest in adopting these principles,
perhaps it would be best to bring them forward in the form of a resolution or ordinance,depending
upon the scope.
Towsley offered to assist Lane in preparing a draft resolution to address this issue.
Discuss and develop a timeline for revising the city's 1999 Strategic Plan.
Towsley recalled that she approached this topic in January,2019,and agreed to wait until a
permanent city manager was hired to bring it up again. She said the plan was very outdated and
council owed it to the citizens to update the plan.In response to McClure,Towsley said council had
discussed the possibility of hiring a firm to tackle this project;McClure wondered when would be
the best time to get started. Towsley wished to make a plan for addressing this in case there was a
need to include a budget item to accomplish it.
City Planner Jackie Wilde reported that, under the direction of former city manager Jeff
Bridges, she had already engaged the city's on-call engineering firm,R&M Consultants,to review
the strategic plan after they completed the Fort Raymond Project.Wilde said the firm had done this
type of work for other communities,so they would follow the same process,and it would be similar
to the process that was done for the city's 2030 Comprehensive Plan.
Council directed the city clerk to add to the 1999 Strategic Plan to the Ongoing Projects&Goals list.
Discuss the possible formation of a subcommittee to review and revise city-wide policies,
working in cooperation with the city attorney and administration.
Towsley thought it would be prudent for a group to review the city's existing policies,
identify gaps,and bring forward recommendations to better improve and protect the city. McClure
agreed and thought the city attorney's advice would be helpful. Both Towsley and McClure
expressed interest in taking part on the committee. Wells concurred that having two council
members,the city attorney, and the city manager work together would be a good starting place.
Meszaros said when he joined the city eight weeks ago,he received all the city's policies as a
new hire.Meszaros said many of the policies had been updated as recently as 2018,and he thought it
was important to have all the city's policies on the city website for everyone to access.
Motion (Lane/Towsley) Direct the city manager to use the proposed •
workplace bullying policy language in the
June 10, 2019 packet to draft a new policy
and ordinance.
Wells encouraged Lane to remain involved in the process of reviewing the policies because
Lane had ideas and goals for a finished product.Towsley suggested that a policy work group could
help Lane achieve her goals.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24, 2019 Volume 40,Page 741
The motion was withdrawn.
Motion (Towsley/ Form a subcommittee to perform a policy
review and vision consisting of Towsley,
McClure, and a rotating member of
council, and direct the city attorney to
assist.
Unanimous Motion Passed
Squires requested that the subcommittee provide regular reports to council.
Discuss city compliance with city code.
Towsley said on a number of occasions,it was her understanding that the city had not been
following its own code, and she was very concerned; she endeavored to heal the broken trust
between the city and the citizens.
As the city attorney, Wells said, it was not in the best interest of the city to accuse itself of
wrongdoing in a public meeting; she recommended that this issue be addressed through the policy
subcommittee group. Towsley responded that it was of paramount importance that everyone
followed the rules.Squires wished the policy subcommittee work group would address this issue and
find a way for the city to comply with its own requirements.
In response to Lane,Wells said she supported Lane's interests and initiatives,and asked that
the method of bringing forward items was done in such a way that the public was adequately
informed,administration was prepared to provide support and resources,other council members had
an opportunity to weigh in, and the entire process was handled cost-effectively. Wells empathized
with Lane's frustrations and said the rules for government required deliberation,and the process took
time.
Motion (McClure/Towsley) Cancel the July 5,2019 council work session.
Motion Passed Yes:Osenga,Seese,Horn,Towsley,McClure
No: Lane, Squires
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS
On-going City Project and Goal List
April, 2019 Providence& City of Seward Financials
Planning&Zoning Commission 2"d Quarter 2019 Report
Port& Commerce Advisory Board 2"d Quarter 2019 Report
Historic Preservation Commission 2018 Annual Report
Deputy City Clerk's Memo on 2019 International Student Exchange
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24, 2019 Volume 40,Page 742
COUNCIL COMMENTS
McClure enjoyed the Cemetery Solstice Tour and thanked everyone who came out for it.She
was impressed with the new bike park.And she thanked public works for new sidewalk at Kawabe
Park.
Towsley congratulated the Seward Pride Alliance on their first Pride weekend. She thanked
the crews working the Swan Lake fires.Towsley reminded everyone about the upcoming plastic bag
ban that would go into effect October 1,2019.She said she expected a high level of integrity from all
employees and the governing bodies. She thanked PACAB for the work they did on the Seward
airport.
Seese said there was a nice gathering for the Cemetery Solstice Tour; there were a lot of
people and it was very interesting. She attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new bike park
and was very impressed with all the work that had gone into the project. Seese was grateful for the
new sidewalk at Kawabe Park; it was very nicely done.
Osenga thanked everyone for their comments tonight, and thanked all the boards and
commissions for their hard work.
Lane thought perhaps it was time to sell the electric utility. She reminded everyone that
elections would be coming soon.Tonight was a disappointing meeting for her,she said,because she
felt the meeting had gone nowhere.
Squires congratulated the students in the exchange with Obihiro,Japan;he was excited for
them.He was pleased with the formation of the policy work group,and thought it was likely that the
work they did on the policies could eventually result in updates to the city code.
CITIZEN COMMENTS
Rissie Casagranda commented about the sewer rates for lodging businesses:a hotelier paid
one ERU for the building,plus.3 ERU for each room,regardless of occupancy;she believed that an
RV could be considered as nightly lodging,and one RV paid$5 to dump their sewage at the city's
dump station. One ERU cost $67, and a single lodging room would be charged 1.3 ERUs which
equaled $87.10 per month. A hotelier had to pay for their sewage every month, regardless of how
many months throughout the year they were actually open for business;this fee results in an annual
cost of$1,045 for one guest room.Dividing$1,045 by 365 days equaled$2.87 per day for each hotel
room. If one RV dumped sewage after five days of use,the RV would pay$5 rather than the hotel
equivalent of$14.35.Casagranda didn't think it was fair to have this kind of disparity in charges,and
she didn't appreciate the timing of having the rate study done in the middle of the summer when all
the business owners were busy.
Bruce Jaffa thought council spent too much time on minutia; they should not be
micromanaging city processes. He encouraged council to streamline their meetings.
Lynda Paquette thought tonight's meeting was reminiscent of meetings council had last
year.She recalled an analogy of an orchestra as it related to running a city where the council was the
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24, 2019 Volume 40,Page 743
composer, the staff were the instruments and musicians, and the city manager was the conductor.
Rather than a having conductor, Paquette wondered if Seward didn't need a doctor instead.
Becky Dunn agreed with Bruce Jaffa's comments. She was concerned about the borough's
proposal to increase the sales tax cap without voter approval and encouraged everyone to stay
informed about issues going to the assembly.
Anthony Baclaan was concerned with the meter exchange project,and hoped there would be
a clear policy coming soon.Regarding the city attorney,he believed council had failed the public;the
scores from last review were below average and he wondered why council accepted that.Regarding
the city following its own code,there were sandwich boards at Wellington Park; sandwich boards
were not allowed for small businesses because they were a safety hazard.Baclaan wondered how to
access employee policies. He thanked council for their service.
Patrick Messmer thanked council for their service. He said history was important,but he
also thought sometimes forgiveness and the ability to move forward was also important.
Wolf Kurtz said there was a circus in town at Mile 6.
Laura Schneider appreciated the introduction of Ordinance 2019-010;she would not be able
to make it to the July 8, 2019 meeting for the public hearing and enactment. Regarding budget
discussions, she wondered if council would consider having a communications person inside an
economic development department,such as they had in Homer;the Homer person did grant writing,
assisted with resolution and ordinance drafting,and wrote the comprehensive plan and the strategic
plan.
Motion (McClure/Towsley) Extend tonight's meeting to 12:00 a.m.
Motion Passed Yes:Osenga,Seese,McClure,Towsley,Horn,
Squires
No: Lane
Carol Griswold wanted open,transparent,no surprises,and legal. She was concerned that
there was no documentation provided for the Alaska Railroad joint application grant.Griswold asked
if the city had an ADA transitional plan.She wished to see city policies available on the city website;
she recalled when the city was going through the grievance procedures and had been assured that the
policies would be publicly available from HR,but was turned away when she asked for them.
COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS
Towsley agreed that the city policies should be posted online.
Hickok said he expected the city policies to be posted on the city website.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24, 2019 Volume 40,Page 744
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Go into Executive Session,per SCC 2.10.030(b)(1),for the purpose of labor negotiations with
the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).
Motion (McClure/Towsley) Go into Executive Session, per SCC
2.10.030(b)(1), for the purpose of labor
negotiations with the International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
(IBEW).
Lane left the room.
Motion Passed Unanimous
The city attorney(Earnhart), city manager, and assistant city manager were invited to remain.
Lane returned to the room.
Council went into executive session at 11:05 p.m.
Council came out of executive session at 11:35 p.m.
Squires stated that administration had been provided with direction to move forward with
negotiations.
Go into Executive Session to discuss the city manager's performance,per SCC 2.10.030(b)(2).
Motion (Towsley/Seese) Go into Executive Session to discuss the city
manager's performance,per SCC 2.10.030
(b) (2).
Motion Passed Unanimous
The city manager and city attorney(Wells) were invited to remain.
Council went into executive session at 11:36 p.m.
Towsley left the meeting at 11:55 p.m.
Council came out of executive session at 11:58 p.m.
Motion (McClure/Osenga) Retain Scott Meszaros as city manager.
Motion Passed Yes: Seese,Horn,McClure,Osenga,Squires
No: Lane ..,.r
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
June 24,2019 Volume 40,Page 745
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 a.m.
Brenda J. Ballou, M David Squires
City Clerk Mayor
t#' o sssoaasrces°�
(City Seal p:���°°s°°
tro
• SEAL I .
•I2vti,2 „ass
•.. OF A :00
•