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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Sitka Assembly Regular Meeting - December 30, 2024

City and Borough Assembly — Monday, December 30, 2024

BodySitka, Alaska

SessionCity and Borough Assembly

DateMonday, December 30, 2024

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 45:56

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Uh well, good evening, everybody.

0:01

It is six o'clock, so I will call to order the regularly scheduled meeting of Monday, December 30th, 2024.

0:07

Please join me for a flag salute.

0:11

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:19

One nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:27

I don't know if I've ever said a regularly scheduled Monday meeting.

0:30

It feels interesting to be here tonight.

0:37

The Assembly of the City and Borough of Sitka would like to respectfully acknowledge the traditional first people of Sheetka.

0:43

With gratitude, we proceed on Clinkitani.

0:46

Sarah Rollcall, please.

1:01

There we go.

1:02

Mayor Eisenbais.

1:03

Present.

1:04

Mr.

1:05

Yestad.

1:06

Here.

1:06

Mr.

1:06

Christianson.

1:07

Here.

1:07

Mr.

1:08

Selene.

1:09

Here.

1:09

And Assemblymembers Pike, Carlson, and Mosier are absent this evening.

1:16

Thank you.

1:17

Barely have a quorum, so we can continue this evening.

1:20

Any correspondence or agenda changes?

1:26

Seeing none, that'll bring us to special reports this evening.

1:30

We have a scheduled special report from the school district.

1:36

Welcome.

1:44

Phil Burdick, SICA School Board President.

1:47

I just wanted to give you a quick quick update on our last meeting.

1:53

And I also wanted to just kind of keep it on my radar that I should come every month.

1:58

Mostly the work that has happened was our budget work session that I wanted to keep you apprised of.

2:14

But right now it looks like even if the legislature comes through with a $680 increase to the base student allocation, we're still looking at about a $2 million deficit for the SICA school district.

2:28

So again, advocacy is going to be key once again at the state level.

2:34

But we're going to try and do it a little bit differently this year.

2:38

We really want to engage families and stakeholders.

2:41

So we'll be hosting budget listening sessions around the community and at each school and with key organizations around the city where we can get some time, so where we will present our fiscal situation and then ask for feedback.

2:58

So we're crafting some questions that will help guide those listening sessions.

3:14

How many students is too many in a classroom?

3:17

What do you want from you or from your graduates in terms of skills and habits of mind?

3:23

And how can we how can we graduate the students that we need for the workforce that we need for the city to continue to be a strong place to live for everybody?

3:35

So that's really kind of the bigger update.

3:39

We had a short meeting in December, and then of course, with the holidays, everybody's been out, and um Dr.

3:45

Jensen uh injured herself, so she wasn't able to be here.

3:49

Um I also wanted to say one other thing.

3:51

I wanted to make sure I gave a public thank you to Mr.

3:55

Leach and the Assembly for the support in the maintenance department and with the work that you all have been doing with that.

4:02

We really appreciate that.

4:03

And so I just wanted to make sure I said that because I think I forgot that last month.

4:08

Um, and so I just wanted to make sure that everybody knows that we really appreciate your support.

4:13

Um, and look forward to working with you here in a couple weeks and through the spring.

4:18

That's it.

4:19

Tor said I had to be fast.

4:24

Thank you.

4:28

Uh moving on in special reports this evening.

4:30

Is there anyone here for government to government?

4:33

Municipal boards, commissions, committees, municipal departments, uh, and students and guests for special reports.

4:46

Seeing none, that'll bring us two persons to be heard.

4:49

This is public participation for any item off of tonight's agenda, not to exceed three minutes for any individual.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Sustainability█████████████████████████████29%

Fisheries Management███████████████████19%

Public Engagement████████8%

Library Services███████7%

Procedural█████5%

Animal Welfare█████5%

Cannabis Regulation█████5%

Community Engagement█████5%

Pending Litigation████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Sitka Assembly Regular Meeting - December 30, 2024

The City and Borough of Sitka Assembly held a regular meeting on Monday, December 30, 2024, at 6:00 PM in the Assembly Chambers. Four members were present (Christianson, Eisenbeisz, Ystad, Saline) and three were absent (Mosher, Pike, Carlson). The meeting covered routine approvals, a library commission code update, and a partnership letter of interest for a NOAA energy transition grant. The assembly also heard public comments and entered executive session for legal matters.

Consent Calendar

Item 24-190: Approved liquor license renewals for HPR Group Inc. dba Halibut Point Crab and Chowder (4513 Halibut Point Road, Suite 102) and Our Town Catering LLC (265 Katlian Street).
Item 24-191: Approved a standard marijuana cultivation facility license renewal for Eric Van Veen dba Vangreen’s LLC (224 Smith Street, Units B, C, D, E).
Both items were approved on a single motion (4-0 vote).

Public Comments & Testimony

Joel Hanson (first appearance): Thanked the Assembly and staff for their work.
Austin Cranford: Commented on the Sitka animal shelter, alleging that animals were killed by gunshot and requested the city publicly release information about the officer involved. He stated he had forwarded information to the state and would release it at the next public meeting if the city did not.
During New Business Item D: Eric Jordan and Joel Hanson spoke in support of the partnership with the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association (ALFA). Eric Jordan highlighted past collaborative projects that saved fuel, and Joel Hanson cited a report from Goring and Rosenswag Associates about declining shale oil production to urge urgency.
During Persons to be Heard (second session): Joel Hanson, as Jarvis Street Community Garden Project Manager, provided an update on lease negotiations, noting that a seasonal reduction in utilities was being discussed but not a deal-breaker.

Discussion Items

ORD 24-32 – Library Commission Code Update: Library Commission Chair Sandy Fontaine and Library Director Jess Ieremia presented an ordinance to update Chapter 2.35 of the Sitka General Code to reflect the current advisory role of the Library Commission, changing meeting frequency from monthly to quarterly and clarifying duties. The ordinance had been reviewed by the commission. Assemblymember Christianson noted this update brings the code in line with actual practice and suggested other boards might benefit from quarterly meetings. No public comment. The ordinance was approved on first reading (4-0 vote).
Item 24-193 – Partnership with ALFA for NOAA Energy Transition Grant: Cosponsor Christianson introduced the item as a letter of interest only, not a commitment. Linda Behnken, Director of ALFA, explained the grant (up to $100,000 for one year) is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and administered by the Climate Smart Community Initiative (CSCI). The grant would support energy transition planning and pilot testing for the Sitka fishing industry, focusing on fuel efficiency, alternative fuels, and reducing fossil fuel use. Behnken stated the city’s role is to submit the letter of interest; if selected, a full proposal would be due in March and would be brought back to the Assembly for approval. She noted the grant could support municipal staff time (e.g., Sustainability Coordinator Bree). Assemblymembers raised questions about the city’s role, scope, staff resources, grant management, and procurement code compliance. Behnken clarified that ALFA could manage the grant and do the heavy lifting. The Assembly voted to direct staff to submit the letter of interest to CSCI before January 10, 2025 (4-0 vote).

Key Outcomes

Consent Agenda: Approved (4-0).
ORD 24-32: Approved on first reading (4-0).
Item 24-193: Motion passed to submit the letter of interest to CSCI before January 10, 2025 (4-0).
Executive Session: The Assembly entered executive session from 6:45 PM to 7:45 PM to discuss legal and financial matters related to three lawsuits: Cranford v. CBS, Wampler v. CBS, and Mace v. CBS. The motion passed 4-0. Austin Cranford spoke against the executive session, citing the absence of a full assembly and the public’s right to know. After reconvening, the Assembly received an update from legal counsel.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:46 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Uh well, good evening, everybody. It is six o'clock, so I will call to order the regularly scheduled meeting of Monday, December 30th, 2024. Please join me for a flag salute. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. I don't know if I've ever said a regularly scheduled Monday meeting. It feels interesting to be here tonight. 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 Clinkitani. Sarah Rollcall, please. There we go. Mayor Eisenbais. Present. Mr. Yestad. Here. Mr. Christianson. Here. Mr. Selene. Here. And Assemblymembers Pike, Carlson, and Mosier are absent this evening. Thank you. Barely have a quorum, so we can continue this evening. Any correspondence or agenda changes? Seeing none, that'll bring us to special reports this evening. We have a scheduled special report from the school district. Welcome. Phil Burdick, SICA School Board President. I just wanted to give you a quick quick update on our last meeting. And I also wanted to just kind of keep it on my radar that I should come every month. Mostly the work that has happened was our budget work session that I wanted to keep you apprised of. But right now it looks like even if the legislature comes through with a $680 increase to the base student allocation, we're still looking at about a $2 million deficit for the SICA school district. So again, advocacy is going to be key once again at the state level. But we're going to try and do it a little bit differently this year. We really want to engage families and stakeholders. So we'll be hosting budget listening sessions around the community and at each school and with key organizations around the city where we can get some time, so where we will present our fiscal situation and then ask for feedback. So we're crafting some questions that will help guide those listening sessions. How many students is too many in a classroom? What do you want from you or from your graduates in terms of skills and habits of mind? And how can we how can we graduate the students that we need for the workforce that we need for the city to continue to be a strong place to live for everybody? So that's really kind of the bigger update. We had a short meeting in December, and then of course, with the holidays, everybody's been out, and um Dr. Jensen uh injured herself, so she wasn't able to be here. Um I also wanted to say one other thing. I wanted to make sure I gave a public thank you to Mr. Leach and the Assembly for the support in the maintenance department and with the work that you all have been doing with that. We really appreciate that. And so I just wanted to make sure I said that because I think I forgot that last month.

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