City and Borough Assembly

ASSEMBLY CHAMBERS CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA 330 Harbor Drive Sitka, AK (907)747-1811 Minutes - Final City and Borough Assembly Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz Deputy Mayor Thor Christianson, Vice Deputy Mayor Valorie Nelson, Kevin Knox, Kevin Mosher, Crystal Duncan, Rebecca Himschoot Municipal Administrator: John Leach Municipal Attorney: Brian Hanson Municipal Clerk: Sara Peterson Tuesday, December 8, 2020 6:00 PM Assembly Chambers REGULAR MEETING I. CALL TO ORDER II. FLAG SALUTE III. ROLL CALL Mayor Eisenbeisz attend in-person. All other Assembly members participated by videoconference. Present: 7 - Christianson, Knox, Mosher, Nelson, Eisenbeisz, Himschoot, and Duncan IV. CORRESPONDENCE/AGENDA CHANGES 20-238 Reminders, Calendars, and General Correspondence No agenda changes. V. CEREMONIAL MATTERS None. VI. SPECIAL REPORTS: Government to Government, Municipal Boards/Commissions/Committees, Municipal Departments, School District, Students and Guests (five minute time limit) Municipal Administrator John Leach read the holiday letter from Sitka Unified Command, reviewed the current COVID-19 Dashboard numbers, and although case numbers were decreasing, reminded citizens to remain vigilant. Mayor Eisenbeisz thanked community members for complying with COVID-19 mitigation measures. CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Page 1 City and Borough Assembly Minutes - Final December 8, 2020 VII. PERSONS TO BE HEARD Richard Wein spoke to the landslide in Haines and extended thoughts and prayers to the community. He reminded of the importance to keep Sitka's landslide issues at the forefront, reported on COVID-19 testing procedures in Florida, and noted the Interim Mayor of Anchorage had tested positive for COVID-19 after receiving multiple negative test results. VIII. CONSENT AGENDA None. IX. BOARD, COMMISSION, COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS A 20-235 Appoint Margie Esquiro to a three-year term on the Library Commission Richard Wein spoke in support of Esquiro. Margie Esquiro encouraged other people to serve the community by volunteering. A motion was made by Knox that this Item be APPROVED. The motion PASSED by the following vote. Yes: 7- Christianson, Knox, Mosher, Nelson, Eisenbeisz, Himschoot, and Duncan B 20-237 Appoint Cecilia Dumouchel to a three-year term on the Health Needs and Human Services Commission Richard Wein stated Dumouchel was an excellent fit for the Commission. A motion was made by Himschoot that this Item be APPROVED. The motion PASSED by the following vote. Yes: 7- Christianson, Knox, Mosher, Nelson, Eisenbeisz, Himschoot, and Duncan X. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: C ORD 20-53 Making supplemental appropriations for Fiscal year 2021 (Brady Lift Station Rehab Project) Richard Wein reported the project was budgeted, however, there had been a shortfall. He spoke to the need to keep a running balance of supplemental appropriations. Public Works Director, Michael Harmon, relayed fiscal information from the memo stating the Wastewater Fund had been building its working capital and was in a good position to afford this. The Finance Director had not identified a need for reductions to master planning. A motion was made by Mosher that this Ordinance be APPROVED on SECOND AND FINAL READING. The motion PASSED by the following vote. Yes: 7- Christianson, Knox, Mosher, Nelson, Eisenbeisz, Himschoot, and Duncan CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Page 2 City and Borough Assembly Minutes - Final December 8, 2020 D ORD 20-54 Making supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021 (Homeland Security Grant for Secure Access Upgrade) A motion was made by Christianson that this Ordinance be APPROVED on SECOND AND FINAL READING. The motion PASSED by the following vote. Yes: 7- Christianson, Knox, Mosher, Nelson, Eisenbeisz, Himschoot, and Duncan XI. NEW BUSINESS: E 20-236 Update/Discussion on the CARES Act Working Group progress (public comment to be taken) Municipal Administrator John Leach thanked Grant Analyst Rob Allen for his work in executing applications for Phase 2 of the CARES Act Business/Nonprofit grants. Leach shared the City was ready to issue the second round of grants after working through a fair and equitable scaling process to get all requests within the $3M budget. He commented that requests received totaled over $3.8M. He stated this round was intended to provide more targeted support to those businesses that suffered the most extreme losses and demonstrated the most need in terms of covering their fixed costs. Leach noted the process had helped with sales tax compliance. In closing, Leach provided the following summary of the CARES Act distribution: $3.7M directly to citizens through utility and moorage assistance; $6M to businesses and nonprofits; $2.5M to childcare, food assistance, mental health assistance, housing assistance, and homeless support, etc.; $1M to city mitigation efforts; $430K to schools for mitigation efforts; $627K to emergency workers and PPE purchases. Richard Wein reminded he had encouraged the Assembly to distribute food cards to the homeless with CARES funding. Marshall Albertson wondered how many individuals were hired for transitional employment. XII. PERSONS TO BE HEARD: Marshall Albertson spoke of new businesses that had opened in the last few years, read a list of businesses that had closed or were expected to close, and stated the City of Sitka was not business friendly. Richard Wein spoke to the soon to be released COVID-19 vaccine and wished the community of Sitka a joyous holiday season. XIII. REPORTS a. Mayor, b. Administrator, c. Attorney, d. Liaison Representatives, e. Clerk, f. Other Administrator - Leach reported details of the COVID Conscious Business Program would be released this week. Attorney - Hanson reported on his attendance at the Alaska Municipal Attorneys Association virtual conference. CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Page 3 City and Borough Assembly Minutes - Final December 8, 2020 Liaison Representatives - Knox reported on the Port and Harbors Commission meeting. Himschoot reported on the School Board meeting. Clerk - Peterson reviewed the board/commission vacancies and reminded of the special budget meeting December 17 and regular meeting December 22. Other - Nelson wondered of new lawsuits filed. Hanson would send an update to the Assembly. Mosher echoed the Mayor's sentiments at the beginning of the meeting and thanked the community for coming together and supporting COVID mitigation efforts. XIV. EXECUTIVE SESSION None. XV. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Christianson to ADJOURN. Hearing no objections, the meeting ADJOURNED at 6:58 p.m. ATTEST: _______________________________________ Sara Peterson, MMC Municipal Clerk CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Page 4