Session 07-13 a Regular Meeting
of the Homer City Council was called to order on
PRESENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: NOVAK, ROBERTS, SHADLE (telephonic), STARK, WYTHE (telephonic)
ABSENT: HEIMBUCH (excused)
STAFF:
FINANCE DIRECTOR HARVILLE
Councilmember Heimbuch has requested excusal.
Councilmembers Shadle and Wythe have requested telephonic participation.
Department Heads may be called upon from time to time to participate via teleconference.
Council met as a Committee of the
Whole from
AGENDA APPROVAL
(Addition of items to or removing
items from the agenda will be by unanimous consent of the Council.
The agenda was approved by consensus of the City Council with the following changes:
Pending Business Resolution 07-60(A) Confirming the Assessment Roll, Establishing Dates for Payment of Special Assessments and Establishing Delinquency, Penalty and Interest Provisions for the Ocean Drive Loop Petersen Addition Sewer Assessment District, and Resolution 07-70(A) Confirming the Assessment Roll, Establishing Dates for Payment of Special Assessments and Establishing Delinquency, Penalty and interest Provisions for the Ocean Drive Loop Sewer Assessment District.
PUBLIC COMMENTS UPON MATTERS ALREADY ON THE AGENDA
Public may comment on any matter
on the agenda except: Ordinance 07-22,
Amending the FY 2007 Operating Budget by Appropriating
$53,000.00 for a Microwave Repeater from ProComm
Mary Lou Kelsey, city resident, owns parcels in both Ocean Drive Loop improvement districts. They tried not to participate in the LID as they are not developers, nor have the intent to develop. They began to replat their properties in 2004, as they did not need sewer drop to all of them. Today she learned a resolution was passed in 2006 assessing each existing lot when the LID was formed. She had thought assessments would be made on the number of lots at the time the LID was complete. She has one sewer drop to her replatted lot.
Lance Petersen, city resident, is involved in the Ocean Drive Loop LID. He referenced Memorandum 07-99 from Public Works Director Meyer to reach a resolution of assessments. The City Council is stuck with a flawed and inequitable LID process, one set of criteria for forming the LID and another for paying for it.
Steve Smith, city resident and Transportation Advisory Committee member, has a long history of these types of projects from an engineering, survey and construction side. Someone could have six 80-ft. front lots, with no intention to develop, and a group decided to form an LID. You could vacate lot lines and have one lot serviced. Without knowing whether an LID will have the required support, it is an expense to the property owner to vacate lot lines. The construction drawings did not put services to those lots as they understood they would be vacated. It is ridiculous the City would assess for lots that did not receive services. Some consideration needs to be given to people who are forced into an LID. He asked that the whole process be reviewed.
Beth Cumming commented on
Resolution 07-71, and urged the Council not to act on the land exchange. The
public is not very aware of the 10 acres of land adjacent to the northwest corner
of
RECONSIDERATION
None.
CONSENT AGENDA
(Items listed below will be enacted by one motion. If separate discussion is desired on an item, that item may be removed from the Consent Agenda and placed on the Regular Meeting Agenda at the request of a Councilmember.)
A. Homer City Council unapproved meeting minutes of
B. Ordinance
07-23, Of the City Council of Homer,
Memorandum 07-98 from Public Works Director as backup.
C. Ordinance
07-24 , Of the City Council of Homer, Alaska Amending the FY 2007 Operating
Budget and Appropriating the Change in Fund Balance (Excess Revenues over
Expenditures) in Fiscal Year 2006 ($1,025,945) by Retaining $600,000 in the
General Fund Reserve and Appropriating $425,945 to the City Hall Depreciation
Reserve. Wythe. Recommend Introduction and First Reading and conduct Public
Hearing and Second Reading on
D. Ordinance
07-25, Of the City Council of Homer,
E. Resolution 07-67, Of the City Council of Homer, Alaska Accepting the 2006 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report with Audit and Financial Statements and Acknowledging the Management Letter Submitted by the City’s Independent Auditor, Mikunda, Cottrell & Co. and Authorizing the City Manager to Execute Financial Report. City Manager. Recommend adoption.
F. Resolution 07-68, Of the City Council of Homer, Alaska Supporting Public Education and other Efforts to Discourage the Taking or Removal of Native Plants and Intertidal Aquatic Marine Plants in Kachemak Bay Unless these Plants have a Harvest that is Designated by State Laws. Mayor. Recommend adoption.
G. Resolution 07-69, Extending the
Contract with Mikunda, Cottrell & Co. for Fiscal Year 2006 and 2007 and
Authorizing the City Manager to Execute the Appropriate Documents. City Clerk. Recommend adoption.
H. Memorandum 07-96 Through City Manager Re: Capital Improvement Project Schedule. Recommend approval.
I.
Memorandum 07-97
from Deputy City Clerk Re: Travel Authorization for Councilmember Roberts to
Attend the ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability Saving Energy and Saving
Money Conference in
NOVAK/ROBERTS – MOVED FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CONSENT AGENDA AS READ.
There was no discussion.
VOTE: YES. NON OBJECTION. UNANIMOUS CONSENT.
Motion carried.
VISITORS
John Bost of Mikunda, Cottrell & Co. reported the City had a financially solid year in 2006, most funds doing better than predicted on the budget.
Major transactions or events during 2006:
* Library completion - $3.7M spent in 2006 financed mainly by grants, local contributions and loan of $2.1M from USDA.
* Drinking water and clean water – $2.6M in loans from State DEC for Ocean Drive Loop, East End Road LID’s and water storage tank.
* Litigation settlements received.
* General fund increased balance by $1,026,000; ending total fund balance $3.9M.
* Total sales tax – 6.5% (2% to KPB and ¾ of 1% restricted to water/sewer projects, ¾ of 1% restricted to road projects, 3% goes to the general fund) general fund share $4.5M.
* Property tax revenue - $2,383,000 ($2.1M 2005).
* Water/Sewer fund and port fund solid.
ANNOUNCEMENTS/PRESENTATIONS/BOROUGH REPORT/COMMISSION
REPORTS
A. Prince William Sound Regional Citizen’s Advisory Council Report
B. Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program
PUBLIC HEARING(S)
A. Ordinance
07-22, Of the City Council of Homer, Alaska Amending the FY 2007 Operating
Budget by Appropriating $53,000.00 for a Microwave Repeater, Authorizing a Sole
Source Procurement Contract with ProComm Alaska, and Authorizing the City
Manager to Execute the Appropriate Documents. City Manager.
Recommend Introduction and First Reading and conduct Public Hearing and Second
Reading on
There was no public testimony.
NOVAK/ROBERTS – MOVED FOR THE
ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE 07-22 FOR SECOND
There was no discussion.
VOTE: YES. NON OBJECTION. UNANIMOUS CONSENT.
Motion carried.
ORDINANCE(S)
None.
A. City Manager’s Report
1.
Port and Harbor Lease Notes: Discussions are on-going with
Hughes Pellets. Not much progress was made in the past two weeks because Mr.
Fitzgerald has been out of State. Hughes Pellets is presently taking another
look at the amount of infrastructure they may need at the site and this could
have an impact on the terms of the lease. Harbor Leasing has been offered a
short term lease to cover its continued occupancy of City lots and
2.
Cosmopolitan Project: Tadd
Owens,( tad.owens@pxd.com) Director of Government and Public Affairs for
Pioneer Natural Resources Alaska Inc. called this week to give us an update on
the Cosmopolitan Project. The Cosmopolitan Project is an oil drilling operation
located just north of Anchor Point near Stiriski.
Pioneer will drill from shore using directional drilling technology. Tadd recently visited with myself
and the Mayor to familiarize us with the project. The Mayor invited him to come
to a City Council meeting when the time was right and he readily agreed to do
so. Tadd said that we would see increased activity at
the site this summer. Preparation work will be taking place at the pad and we
can expect to see heavy equipment moving about. He said the drilling rig will
arrive in mid- July and may come in through the
3. Coast Guard Dolphin: The public comment period has closed and we are waiting to hear whether the Corps will issue a permit for the dolphin. If the Coast Guard is able to obtain a permit, the final word will rest with the City Council. The Dolphin would rest upon City owned tidelands and an amendment to the existing lease would be required. Lease amendments must be approved by the Council.
4. Personnel Matters: The Council will recall that last year we discussed ways to make the City more competitive in terms of attracting and retaining employees. We discussed COLAs, compacting the wage scale, and other measures. A series of recommendations was included in the parity study and attached documents. The Council provided a COLA last year and recently adopted a new sick leave policy. However, the issue of compacting the wage scale and other recommendation were set aside for another time. During the Budget discussions, the Council received a memo signed by the Manager and all of the Department Heads requesting a COLA and stating that we would be back at mid-year to discuss this again. I wanted to remind you of that and let you know that it is my intention to bring back the COLA issue and a new proposed wage scale at the meeting in July. I also intend to recommend that the Council elevate the Clerk’s Office, the Planning Office, and the Library to Department Status.
5.
6. Lease Policies Amendments: Several people have asked me what the plan is for the proposed lease policy amendments. I am planning to bring them back to the Council for debate and possible action at the meeting on June 25. Additional recommended amendments from the lease Committee will be included.
7.
Intersection of
8. Police Department and ALMAR System: As the Council knows from our recent discussion about the microwave transmitter on the Spit, the Police and Fire Departments are gradually moving toward joining the Feds, the State, and other municipalities on the new ALMAR communication system. The Police Chiefs in Kenai, Seward, and Homer recently decided to pool resources and hire and expert consult (Bill Doolittle) to advise the communities on the specific steps they need to take to be ready to join the system. Homer’s share is $2,000 which we were able to find within the existing budget.
9.
Lease Revenues on Spit: Several years ago, before my
time, a decision was made to allocate all lease revenues obtained from leases
on
Council may still ask questions
or have discussion about the audit. Alternatives for the Coast Guard dolphin
were discussed with the commander of the USS Hickory. If the Coast Guard gets
the permit from the
A new City Hall appraisal will follow a purchase agreement with the university and city, as code states the appraisal may not be any more than six months old. Talks are in progress with the surveyor for a preliminary plat on the old library property.
A recommendation for an RFP and the type of construction management for the new City Hall will be on the next agenda. COLA, wage scale compression and elevation of three divisions to departments will be considered in July.
A proposal that lease revenues on
B. Bid Report
C. Games Report
D. Question of the Week
COMMITTEE REPORT
A. Comprehensive Plan Community Advisory Committee
(
B. Global Warming Task Force
(
C. Public Arts Committee
(
D. Transportation Advisory Committee
(
E. City Hall -
(June 14 & 21, 2007
PENDING BUSINESS
A. Ordinance 06-59, Of The
City Council Of Homer,
Motion on the floor
from
WYTHE/NOVAK - SO MOVED FOR THE ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE 06-59 FOR SECOND
Councilmember Novak noted the ordinance was introduced a year ago, with a lot of discussions about property tax since then. The property tax exemption gives a break to homeowners within the City. The total expense is $75,000.
VOTE: YES. NON OBJECTION. UNANIMOUS CONSENT.
Motion carried.
Councilmember Stark noted the exemption will be effective
in 2008. The $20,000 exemption will be added to the senior citizen property tax
exemptions.
B. Resolution 07-60(A), Of the Homer City Council Confirming the Assessment Roll, Establishing Dates for Payment of Special Assessments and Establishing Delinquency, Penalty and Interest Provision for the Ocean Drive Loop Petersen Addition Sewer Assessment District. City Clerk. Recommend adoption.
Memorandum 07-99 from Public Works Director Meyer as backup.
NOVAK/ROBERTS – MOVED FOR THE ADOPTION
OF RESOLUTION 07-60(A) BY
The Ocean Drive Loop sewer assessment districts have been ongoing with adjustments and configuration on properties. They have been massaged in an effort to serve everyone in the area. A further adjustment by one property owner to lower the difference below 15% has been made. Council can look at code changes in the future.
City Manager Wrede clarified the assessments Mary Lou Kelsey spoke about. Ocean Drive Loop Cranberry Point (Oscar Munson Sub. No. 23, Lot 9-A) was reconfigured. Lance Petersen recognized the plat changed after the code change in 2006. It affected a different LID from where Mr. Petersen lives, thus he agreed to take on two additional assessments. There is only one stub out in that lot. There was a lot of replatting, but people knew what was going on. Re-platting must occur prior to the preliminary assessment role.
In the Petersen Addition LID there were two separate platting actions. Everyone combined their lots with the exception of the two lots where a reduction was recommended. Stubs were placed based on the platting anticipated at the time. There was a question if the new law should be applied retroactively. A different approach was taken in fairness to all property owners.
Councilmember Novak commented that any assessed lot should have a sewer drop and he hopes the City would discuss putting a stub in for Ms. Kelsey.
Councilmember Stark, senior member of the Council, noted amendments and changes to the ordinance every couple of years. No matter how it is written, people find out a way to pay the least amount of money. It is amazing the subdivisions, re-subdivisions and consolidations that happen. Council agonized over the years, when enacted latest version felt were doing best could at that time.
VOTE: YES. NON OBJECTION. UNANIMOUS CONSENT.
Motion carried.
C. Resolution 07-70(A), Of the Homer City Council Confirming the Assessment Roll, Establishing Dates for Payment of Special Assessments, and Establishing Delinquency, Penalty and Interest Provisions for the Ocean Drive Loop Sewer Assessment District. City Clerk. Recommend adoption.
Memorandum 07-99 from Public Works Director Meyer as backup.
ROBERTS/NOVAK – MOVED TO ADOPT RESOLUTION
07-70(A) BY
There was no discussion.
VOTE: YES. NON OBJECTION. UNANIMOUS CONSENT.
Motion carried.
None.
RESOLUTIONS
A. Resolution 07-71, Of the City Council of Homer, Alaska Authorizing an Exchange of 10 acres of City Land adjoining Karen Hornaday Park KPB Tax ID# 175-040-03 for 10 acres of Land Immediately Adjacent to the Water Treatment Facility KPB Tax ID# 173-053-08 and Authorizing the City Manager to Execute the Appropriate Documents. City Manager. Recommend Adoption.
NOVAK/ROBERTS - MOVED FOR THE ADOPTION
OF RESOLUTION 07-71 BY
Councilmember Stark commented there
is a slim chance the $1M grant for the water treatment plant may be vetoed by
the Governor. Giving up the ten acres to the northwest of
Councilmember Novak noted the proposal of the property adjacent to the water treatment has good points. From a financial point of view it is not the best financial agreement for the City. There may be other means to obtain property next to the water treatment plant.
VOTE: NO. ROBERTS, WYTHE, NOVAK
VOTE: YES. SHADLE, STARK
Motion failed.
COMMENTS OF THE AUDIENCE
There were no public comments.
COMMENTS OF THE
City Attorney Tans was not present.
COMMENTS OF THE
City Clerk Johnson had no comments.
COMMENTS OF THE
City Manager Wrede reported on
the City Hall – Town Plaza Review Committee. A site visit is scheduled for
Thursday, June 14th at
COMMENTS OF THE MAYOR
Mayor Hornaday commented the
COMMENTS OF THE
Mayor Pro Tempore Novak appreciates the people coming in on a beautiful day. Their comments help Council make decisions and stay informed. He encouraged everyone to enjoy the weather and will see everyone again in two weeks.
Councilmember Wythe thanked the
Council and citizens of Homer for their indulgence in working with her travel
requirements. It is a beautiful day in
Councilmember Stark noted it will be raining when she gets back; that is the forecast.
Councilmembers Shadle and Roberts
had no comments.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business
to come before the Council, Mayor Hornaday adjourned the meeting at
______________________________
JO JOHNSON,
Approved: _____________________