City Council Budget Work Session - November 20, 2025: Museum, VCVB, VFDA, Sponsored Events, Administration
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City Council Budget Work Session - November 20, 2025
This work session, held at 6:00 PM in the Valdez Civic Center, focused on the 2026 budget for the Museum, Valdez Convention & Visitors Bureau (VCVB), Valdez Fisheries Development Association (VFDA), sponsored events, and the Administration Division. Council reviewed appropriations, debated event funding, and discussed department budgets. No formal votes were taken; the session will continue the following day.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No designated public comment period. Event organizers and department heads presented and answered questions.
Discussion Items
Museum
- April, museum director, presented a budget request flat from last year. The museum anticipates net revenue of $46,500. Councilmembers commended the museum's financial management and engaged in preliminary discussions about future direction. The budget was supported as presented.
Valdez Convention & Visitors Bureau (VCVB)
- VCVB staff requested an extension until Thursday (next work session) to finalize a revised budget, citing ongoing identity challenges and an incomplete audit. Council granted the extension, requesting all outstanding documents (past audits, annual reports) by Thursday. VCVB indicated they will present the same budget as originally submitted, not a revised figure.
Valdez Fisheries Development Association (VFDA)
- Mike Wells, executive director, presented a reduced request of $73,000 for feed, down from $110,000 due to a $38,000 carryover from 2024 and lower feed costs. He reported an excellent pink salmon return (25.6 million), a strong coho run, and a new economic impact study expected early 2026. Council praised VFDA's financial stewardship and the program's contribution to tourism. A future capital ask for hatchery replacement (Solomon Gulch) was noted.
Sponsored Events: Valdez Adventure Alliance (VAA)
- VAA presented two events: Odyssey Off-Trail Race (year 2, $7,498 city ask, total $17,000) and Fat Bike Bash (year with low participation). Council debated:
- Councilmember Woody opposed both events due to low participation (9 participants, 10 spectators for Odyssey; 28 racers, 17 spectators for Fat Bike) and cost per participant ($777 per person for Odyssey).
- Councilmember Devons and Mayor supported another year, citing the need to build events and VAA's matching funds.
- Councilmember Whitney supported Fat Bike but not Odyssey.
- After discussion, no consensus to remove the Odyssey request; the events will be presented to the public hearing as proposed.
- VAA director noted that marketing investment would increase and that the Fat Bike race had a 648% return on investment for city funds. Council encouraged better metrics for trail usage.
Other Sponsored Events
- All other events (Women of Distinction, Valdez Gold Rush Days, Valdez Motorsports Lions Club events, End of the Road Ren Fair, Valdez Follies, Oktoberfest) were moved forward as presented. Council noted the need to better track in-kind services and staff capacity.
Administration Division
- City Manager: Budget flat with increased travel for state/federal lobbying. Legal budget is $4.5 million ($4.05M for litigation). Council discussed legal cost trends, lobbying scheduling, and contingency plans.
- City Clerk: Budget includes temporary wages for digitizing land records, reduced elections expenses (new voting booths purchased), and a proposed internship program. Council supported the initiative.
- Council Budget: Includes $50,000 contingency, increased lobbying contracts (pending RFQ), $125-year celebration, and Coast Guard Foundation dinner. Council supported moving forward.
- Community Development: Budget reflects payroll adjustments; major projects include code revisions (Title 15/16) and a mobile home replacement program. Council emphasized learning from other communities.
- Economic Development: Martha presented budget with relocation of events to Parks & Rec. Includes $300,000 for civic center promotion. Mariculture contract eliminated. Council supported women's business development efforts.
- Finance: Includes $100,000 for BMC 330 assessment contract and a professional grant management program. Debt service: GO19 bond will be paid off June 2026, but GO22 payments will increase. Insurance budget increased due to replacement cost escalation.
- Human Resources: Expanded wellness program (gym memberships) and leadership development initiative. Council debated employee health insurance contributions; many expressed preference to avoid cutting benefits, supporting further discussion.
- Information Technology: Budget status quo with payroll changes; tech reserve funded on a five-year average.
Key Outcomes
- Museum budget supported as presented.
- VCVB granted extension to Thursday, November 22, to submit revised budget and required documents.
- VFDA request noted; no action needed.
- Sponsored events: All presented requests will go to public hearing without changes; no consensus to remove Odyssey Off-Trail.
- Administration division budgets were discussed; no formal approval. The work session will continue the next day for facilities, fleet, infrastructure, and capital projects.
- Council noted the need for future conversations on employee health insurance costs and in-kind service valuation.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, we'll go ahead and call this work session uh to order. Um Jordan, take it away. Thank you, Mayor. Check uh my check one, two, three. All right. Get the sound audience correct. We are gonna kick it out tonight with uh museum BCB VFDA sponsored events in this administration division. So first corrections right away, right off the bat. The sponsored events belong in this title slide. So uh but yes, you can see it would uh mess up the stuff. Yeah, it was beautiful. Thank you. All right, so uh yeah, we'll just start right away with museum. I submitted a packet as you all recall. There is some annual meeting notes, page 18. Is this the financials that are up on the screen? The screen is uh very small and you can't read it, so just refer to your packet. Uh this just gives you a little context and some history of the museum and their appropriations requests. So I'll stop right there and see if there are any questions and uh let April come up if she so desires. I don't like how you work with that as well. So any questions, go ahead. Uh not really any questions, April. Um I just looked over the museum's annual report and uh just saw everything that went on in the last year, and uh it just looks really positive overall. Um I didn't see anything uh like major concerns if there were major concerns you're gonna come up for the museum. Maybe I missed them at the annual meeting. I'd appreciate if you brought those up. But um overall from my perspective, it looks like things are just going really well at the museum. I just thank you for your leadership. Um also just looking at the financials. I just saw that you guys are anticipating you know net revenue. I think 46.5,000 dollars, so that's great from a financial position. Um I appreciate that, so I really appreciate the board you know doing that due diligence and uh uh running the museum from the financial perspective. Um yeah, I I mean I didn't have I I support this ask for the museum for the same for last year, and uh look like you know the budget for this year, you'll still be able to have some net revenue and uh I was talking to your board presidents you having having conversations more ahead of time of you know the direction that the museum might want to go and whether or not council what council is willing to support, so definitely open to those conversations in the future. Um yeah, that's kind of my comment. I didn't I didn't know if there's any big concerns or kind of future things you wanted to bring up with council now or no, no, we didn't miss anything from the annual meeting. I think maybe my soft shoe routine, but other than that, you didn't miss anything. Um yeah, no, no major concerns. We are um really excited about our next year and what we're doing, and looking forward to having a full year of not as new staff. And um, our major change is that we have um we are contracting with an accounting firm. Mission first operations is going to be our new accountant firm, and um so we're excited about that finally to get that's kind of our next step, getting all financials in order and so we can move forward. Was uh just follow-up question? Is it we saw the financials? Is that we guys just do that mostly in house before and then just move in that direction or yeah, the ones you saw were actually um produced by Carl over time. Contracted him and then um officially hired, but he's been on board for the last few months. Yeah, so um, yes, that's just something that yeah, as all staff prior to me and board has put together over the years. Yeah, well, I really I really do appreciate the financials you guys presented in your uh in your uh museum in the annual meeting too. That's really clear and easy to understand to track uh what's going on now and in the past too. So appreciate that. Thank you. Any questions?
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