OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Valdez City Council Regular Meeting – July 1, 2025

Meeting PortalTuesday, July 1, 2025
BodyValdez, Alaska
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, July 1, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record

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Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Okay, we're gonna go ahead and call this meeting to order.

0:03

Um you could please stand and uh allegiance.

0:09

I think to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under uh indivisible with liberty and justice for can we go ahead and get a roll call?

0:28

Oh mayor, um everyone is present this evening except for council member um lumba, and he is absent.

0:36

Okay.

0:37

And moving on to public business from the floor on non-agenda items.

0:43

Is there anybody here that wishes to speak on non-public uh or on public business from the floor on non-agenda items?

0:55

Okay, seeing none, we're gonna move on to the uh consent agenda.

1:00

Appointment to Prince William Sound Economic Development District Board of Directors, nominee, Martha Barberio, and then we are going to remove the executive session that will no longer be needed.

1:14

So that won't happen.

1:16

So do I have a motion?

1:20

Uh motion to consent.

1:22

Second.

1:23

Okay, it's been moved by council member Devons and second by council member Lally to approve the consent agenda this evening.

1:33

Ready for the vote.

1:34

All those in favor, please say aye.

1:37

Aye.

1:37

Aye.

1:37

All those opposed.

1:40

We have six years, one absence.

1:42

Council member Lumber motion curios.

1:45

Okay, new business discussion item, rural roads assessment, phase plan, and cost estimates.

2:02

I'm gonna be the spokesman for this one today.

2:06

Um, that'll be all right.

2:10

So in the packet is the uh the information.

2:13

Um kind of what we're doing is bringing forward to council.

2:18

We did the assessment of all the gravel roads in town.

2:21

That was inclusive of city and non-city owned roads, uh, just to get a general assessment of condition, needed repairs, uh, etc.

2:31

etc.

2:33

After we looked at the assessment, which is also attached in the 51 page document, the last three-quarters of that document is the assessment and what was what was graded out and what was found.

2:46

Um we put the we put the work into two buckets, right?

2:51

There's a major maintenance CIP bucket, you know, and a project, and then there's what can be done in-house with uh the equipment and staff at public works.

3:02

So the phasing plan, it's it's kind of got a dual track to it.

3:07

Where we landed was um public works was gonna systematically take on the roads that they could handle, and annually uh this last year you appropriate $80,000 for gravel.

3:18

They were gonna take that gravel and address various roads.

3:22

Um this year they they prioritize one of the streets out at 10 mile.

3:27

I think it's whispering spruce.

3:32

Anyway, whispering spruce at a 10 mile, so the plan is they'll per purchase some gravel, run the grater out there, compact it, you know, address the potholes uh from a minor maintenance type uh perspective.

3:45

There are some other areas that were in, as you look at it, there's the fair, moderate, poor condition.

3:52

Uh so the the roads that are in moderate and above categories are the ones that we'll continue to maintain in-house, you know, address ditches, culverts, etc.

4:03

Uh, but the ones that were poor and below, obviously it's gonna be beyond our skills and ability within the public works department, so it needs to be a project.

4:13

So what does all that mean?

4:15

Phase one, the proposed projects, if you will, are Corbin subdivision, uh, sawmill drive, Mill Street, and 9th Street.

4:26

Uh we'll start with sawmill, mill street, and ninth.

4:28

It's uh it's a gravel surfacing and fixing some ditches, some culverts or some drainage issues.

4:34

Uh it's still a project that's a relatively small scale project.

4:38

The Corbin project, as we looked at it.

4:43

There's two there's two ways to go about it.

4:46

We can fix ditches, uh adjust the grade and the crown of the road, add some surfacing, or you can go another step and add asphalt pavement.

5:00

And looking at the quantity of roads, the skills, availability, etc.

5:03

of of our in-house maintenance.

5:05

Uh, it was decided that we'd like to recommend paving out at Corbin for a long-term benefit, both from a maintenance perspective, but also just a general problems we have right now would be perpetuated and we'd be in the same position we're in the future if we didn't pave it.

5:29

So I guess that's a lot of words.

5:33

Any questions about kind of where we landed on the initial phase and what the what the process was, the background to that.

5:40

Go ahead.

5:42

Yeah, thanks for that introduction.

5:44

I guess the um I guess I'll start with the Corbin side first, which is um it's the general question or historical question.

5:55

Um I just it was my understanding that when that subdivision was created, there were some strings attached in terms of the road roads out there, whether or not they're to be paved or not paved, and just curious about what that historical knowledge, like what that was agreement, you know, when it was first created as a neighborhood, and how that affects you know these decisions that we're making today.

6:19

Certainly.

6:20

So the uh it's on the plat, I'm trying to recall which document it's on, but I think it's on the plat, or specifically outlines that it's an unundeveloped subdivision, right?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████████████32%
Procedural█████████████████17%
Legal████████████████16%
Historic Preservation█████5%
Public Safety█████5%
Recreational Vehicle Regulation█████5%
City Manager Report█████5%
City Attorney Report████4%
Public Works███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Valdez City Council Regular Meeting – July 1, 2025

The Valdez City Council met on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting included a work session on fund balance policy at 6:00 PM (no minutes taken), followed by the regular agenda. The council approved consent items, held a discussion on rural road improvements, passed three ordinances on first reading, and adopted a resolution amending the tax calendar. Councilmember Lumba was absent. Mayor Fleming abstained from votes on Ordinance 25-09 and Resolution 25-30.

Consent Calendar

  • Appointment to Prince William Sound Economic Development District Board of Directors: Nominee Martha Barberio was approved unanimously (6-0).
  • The planned executive session (VMC 3.30 litigation strategy) was removed from the agenda and not held.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made on non-agenda items.
  • Public hearings for Ordinances 25-07, 25-08, and 25-09 drew no public testimony.

Discussion Items

  • Rural Roads Assessment – Phasing Plan and Cost Estimates (New Business): City Manager Nate Devel presented the assessment of all gravel roads in Valdez, dividing work into major maintenance/CIP projects and in-house work. Phase 1 proposed projects include Corbin Subdivision, Sawmill Drive, Mill Street, and 9th Street. For Corbin, the recommendation is to pave (asphalt) for long-term cost savings, despite the subdivision originally being sold as unimproved with gravel roads. Estimated cost for Corbin paving is ~$3 million; other roads would get gravel surfacing and drainage fixes. Council discussed equity concerns (Councilmember Davids noted the cost per residence in Corbin is ~$160,000, which would exceed tax revenue from the neighborhood) and the need for paving other areas like 10 Mile. Councilmember Love expressed support for pavement, while Councilmember Foster noted the historical context of subdivisions. No formal vote was taken; the city manager was directed to proceed with a design contract (approx. $100,000) for phase 1, to be presented for approval at the next council meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance 25-07 (Code of Ethics – First Reading): Approved 6-0. No discussion or public comment.
  • Ordinance 25-08 (Recreational Vehicle and Tent Camping – First Reading): After extensive discussion, an amendment to strike specific numbers from subsections D and E (allowing unlimited RVs on commercial and private club lots) failed 2-4. A second amendment to strike subsection E4 (requiring RV owners to be out-of-town members of a private club) also failed 2-4. The original ordinance then passed 5-0-1 (Mayor Fleming abstained, Councilmember Lumba absent).
  • Ordinance 25-09 (Oil and Gas Exploration Property Tax – First Reading): Approved 5-1 (Mayor Fleming abstained, Councilmember Lumba absent).
  • Resolution 25-30 (Amending 2025 Tax Calendar): Approved 5-1 (Mayor Fleming abstained, Councilmember Lumba absent).
  • Reports: City Manager highlighted completion of drilling for the sewer force main, implementation of Valdez Alerts (replacing Nixel), and a tour offer from Alyeska Pipeline for council members. City Attorney reported on ongoing litigation: VMC 3.30 Superior Court appeal (motion to remand filed), a new wrongful termination lawsuit by former employee Larry Abels (tendered to insurance), and a redistricting attorney fee order under reconsideration. Councilmember Devons thanked Parks and Rec for cleaning Valdez Glacier Lake. The meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, we're gonna go ahead and call this meeting to order. Um you could please stand and uh allegiance. I think to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under uh indivisible with liberty and justice for can we go ahead and get a roll call? Oh mayor, um everyone is present this evening except for council member um lumba, and he is absent. Okay. And moving on to public business from the floor on non-agenda items. Is there anybody here that wishes to speak on non-public uh or on public business from the floor on non-agenda items? Okay, seeing none, we're gonna move on to the uh consent agenda. Appointment to Prince William Sound Economic Development District Board of Directors, nominee, Martha Barberio, and then we are going to remove the executive session that will no longer be needed. So that won't happen. So do I have a motion? Uh motion to consent. Second. Okay, it's been moved by council member Devons and second by council member Lally to approve the consent agenda this evening. Ready for the vote. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed. We have six years, one absence. Council member Lumber motion curios. Okay, new business discussion item, rural roads assessment, phase plan, and cost estimates. I'm gonna be the spokesman for this one today. Um, that'll be all right. So in the packet is the uh the information. Um kind of what we're doing is bringing forward to council. We did the assessment of all the gravel roads in town. That was inclusive of city and non-city owned roads, uh, just to get a general assessment of condition, needed repairs, uh, etc. etc. After we looked at the assessment, which is also attached in the 51 page document, the last three-quarters of that document is the assessment and what was what was graded out and what was found. Um we put the we put the work into two buckets, right? There's a major maintenance CIP bucket, you know, and a project, and then there's what can be done in-house with uh the equipment and staff at public works. So the phasing plan, it's it's kind of got a dual track to it. Where we landed was um public works was gonna systematically take on the roads that they could handle, and annually uh this last year you appropriate $80,000 for gravel. They were gonna take that gravel and address various roads. Um this year they they prioritize one of the streets out at 10 mile. I think it's whispering spruce. Anyway, whispering spruce at a 10 mile, so the plan is they'll per purchase some gravel, run the grater out there, compact it, you know, address the potholes uh from a minor maintenance type uh perspective. There are some other areas that were in, as you look at it, there's the fair, moderate, poor condition. Uh so the the roads that are in moderate and above categories are the ones that we'll continue to maintain in-house, you know, address ditches, culverts, etc. Uh, but the ones that were poor and below, obviously it's gonna be beyond our skills and ability within the public works department, so it needs to be a project. So what does all that mean? Phase one, the proposed projects, if you will, are Corbin subdivision, uh, sawmill drive, Mill Street, and 9th Street. Uh we'll start with sawmill, mill street, and ninth. It's uh it's a gravel surfacing and fixing some ditches, some culverts or some drainage issues. Uh it's still a project that's a relatively small scale project. The Corbin project, as we looked at it. There's two there's two ways to go about it. We can fix ditches, uh adjust the grade and the crown of the road, add some surfacing, or you can go another step and add asphalt pavement. And looking at the quantity of roads, the skills, availability, etc.

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