The Sitka Assembly met on April 23, 2024, at 6:00 PM in Assembly Chambers. The meeting included a school board budget update, public comment on various issues, approval of consent items, a failed board appointment, approval of an increased driver facility charge, approval (with a one-year sunset) of a property tax exemption for Youth Advocates of Sitka, and authorization to apply for an energy efficiency block grant. Assembly Member Christianson left at 7:00 PM and missed later votes.
School Board Report (Special Report)
Board, Commission, Committee Appointments
ORD 24-07S – Driver Facility Charge Increase (Second Reading)
ORD 24-09 – Property Tax Exemption for Youth Advocates of Sitka (YAS) (Second Reading)
F 24-064 – Authorize Application for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant
The assembly of the city and borough of Sitka would like to respectfully acknowledge the traditional first people of Sheetka. With gratitude, we proceed on Clinkett Ani. Sarah Roll Call, please. Mayor Eisenbais. Present. Mr. Mosier. Here. Mr. Pike. Here. Mr. Yested? Here. Mr. Christensen. Here. Ms. Carlson. Here. And Mr. Selene. Here. Thank you. Any correspondence or agenda changes this evening? I do have one to notify the assembly and the public about. Is you'll notice the property tax exemption for Sheldon Jackson Child Care Center is not on the agenda tonight for a second reading. After further research, our assessor Larry Reeder in found uh found a word in state or wording in state code that uh they qualify for a mandatory education exemption, and so we don't need a second reading of that ordinance as they already um qualify. So that's that's why we don't see it on tonight's agenda. Any other correspondence? Thank you. Um ceremonial matters. We do have a scheduled special report this evening from the school district. Tristan, Mayor Eisenbeis Assembly. Uh thank you for having me here today. My name is Tristan Gavon. I'm the president of the SICA school board, and I'm here to provide a monthly report and really focused on an update uh on our budget process, where our budget is and the process moving forward. Um, you know, unfortunately, I don't have a lot of great news to share with you. As I reported last time, uh the Senate Bill 140 that had the $680 BSA increase that that passed in a historic 56 to 3 vote by the legislature was then vetoed by Governor Dunleavy, and unfortunately the veto override failed by by one vote. And so right now there's we're left kind of wondering what education funding is going to look like from the state. Um there's been a budget put forward by the House with a $680 one-time equivalent to the BSA. Um, but still we we don't really know what that's gonna be. Last year, that 680 uh one-time equivalent was passed by the legislature only to be vetoed or for half of that to be vetoed by Governor Dunleevy. And so I wanted to share where we are. Um, and so our our revenues are really unknown at this point. We're moving forward assessing multiple um scenarios, looking at um right now our assumption is based on a $340 one-time equivalent to the base student allocation. So that's the same that was passed that went through last year, the same amount we received from the state last year. Um so we're looking at that 340 amount, but also looking at 500, 680, and a worst-case scenario of zero, which we really haven't contemplated much because it would really be catastrophic to to the district and the kind of education we can provide. And so even exhausting basically our full fund balance where we are in terms of the reductions we're looking at at a zero, we're looking at a 3.15 million dollar deficit, and so that's the equivalent of about 33 positions being reduced. Um we're looking for other ways, ways to reduce expenses, but really at this point, you know, the last 10 years or so we've been cutting and cutting and cutting, and there's not much, there's not much to cut other than personnel.