The Valdez City Council held its regular meeting on March 17, 2026, at 7:00 PM. The council approved multiple contracts and resolutions, recognized three proclamations, and received reports on city operations, health insurance, election preparations, and legal updates on TAPS ad valorem tax issues. One public commenter raised concerns about taxation and city spending. All voting items passed unanimously with Councilmember Love absent.
Okay, we'll go ahead and call the order. If everybody could stand up and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance, to the United States of America. Under God, invisible justice role. Okay, Sherry, could you please uh give us a roll call? Mayor, all uh members of the council are present this evening except for council member um love who is absent and excused. Okay, uh approval of minutes, approval of minutes of regular council meeting on February 3rd and March 3rd. Are there any uh corrections in the minutes as presented? Hearing none, the minutes will stand as approved. And then we have public business from the floor. This is for anybody on non-agenda dietem to come up and talk for five minutes if they so wish uh to the front of the podium. So if there's anybody wanting to come up and talk. Okay, seeing none, we will go to consent agenda, and we uh have three proclamations tonight, and then uh an approval for a late uh file dishability veterans property tax exemption and approval to go into executive session discussing the implications of city revenues litigation strategy regarding Trans-Alaska Pipeline System at Valorum tax issues. Do I have a motion? Motion to consent to all items, second moved by council member Devons, second I council member Lally to approve all items on the consent agenda. Oh, is it Jimmy? Yeah. Oh it okay. Sorry. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed. We have six years, one absent, Councilmember Love, motion carried. Okay, now I'm gonna go ahead and read those proclamations. Um, we're gonna start out with the first one, which is the uh proclamation of the earthquake remembrance day. Whereas in the early evening hours of Friday, March 27, 1964, the original Valdez town site, home to about 800 persons, was jolted along with the most of South Central Alaska by one of the most forceful earthquakes of the century. And whereas the earthquake, which lasted 5.5 minutes and measured 9.2 on the Richter scale, triggered submarine landslides, causing substantial water disturbance in Port Valdez, inundating the community and destroying the city dock in Valdez, at which the Alaska Steamship Company vessel China was moored, unloading cargoes, and whereas the lives of 31 Valdesians in the boat harbor are standing on the dock were taken when that structure collapsed and disappeared under the waters of Port Valdez. And whereas thereafter, either as a direct or indirect result of this natural disaster, a total of 38 persons lost their lives in Valdez, including the four member crew of an Alaska Air National Guard airplane. And whereas the original Valdez time uh town site was subsequently condemned as unsuitable for continued use, and the remaining residents of Valdez came together with assistance from local, state, and federal public officials to create a new town site, and whereas the people of Chitna, Copper Center, Glenn Allen, Fairbanks, and other Alaska communities responded immediately to the needs of Valdez in the highest tradition of compassion. And whereas in the intervening 62 years, the families and friends of those who perished have borne their sorrow quietly and with diminishing public awareness of their personal tragedies. Now, therefore, I, Dennis Fleming, mayor of the City of Valdez, you here proclaim Friday, March 27, 2026 as earthquake memorial remembrance day, and urge citizens to pause and remember those Valdezians who lost their lives during the 1964 earthquake. Do we have somebody in this can accept that? Yes. You want to give us a picture? Go ahead and down here. All right, and then we'll go into the proclamation for the animal care and control officer appreciation week, April twelfth through the eighteenth, twenty twenty-six. Whereas the National Animal Control Association has designated the second week of April each year as Animal Care and Control Officer Appreciation Week, and whereas the various federal, state, and local government officials throughout the country take the time to recognize, thank, and commend all animal control officers and animal control staff for their dedicated service they provide to the citizens, various public safety, public service agency, and departments across the country. And whereas every day animal control officers put themselves in potential dangerous situations to protect the health and welfare of all kinds of animals and the public. And whereas the City of Valdez would like to express its sincere thanks and appreciation for the outstanding service the Valdez Animal Control Officers and staff provide daily to the citizens of the city and surrounding communities. And whereas the City of Valdez recognizes and commends animal control officers and animal shelter staff for the many dedicated and long hours of in serving this community and for providing the highest and most efficient level of customer service. And whereas the City of Valdez recognizes the animal control officers who answer calls for assistance, capturing roaming and potentially dangerous animals, rescue animals in distress, investigative reports or animal cruelty cruelty and neglect, provide education for pet guardians about responsibility, pet care and mediate disputes between neighbors regarding conflicts involving animals. Now therefore, I Dennis Fleming, mayor of the City of Valdez, do here proclaim the week of April twelfth through April 18th, 2026 is animal animal care and control officer appreciation week in the City of Valdez and encourage all citizens to join me in expressing their sincere appreciation for the service and dedication of our animal control officers and staff. Is there somebody in the city? And the uh final proclamation is recognizing National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 12th, April 18th, 2026. Whereas agencies that require police fire and emergency medical services can occur at any time, and whereas when an emergency occurs, the prompt response of police officers, firefighters, and paramedics is critical to the protection of life and the preservation of property, and whereas the safety of our police officers, firefighters, and paramedic is dependent upon the quality and accuracy of information obtained from citizens who contact the Valdez emergency communication center. And whereas public safety telecommunicators are the first and most critical contact our citizens have with emergency services, and whereas public safety telecommunicators are the single vital link to our police officers, firefighters, and paramedics by monitoring their activities by radio, providing them information ensuring their safety. And whereas the public safety telecommunicators of the Valdez Police Department have contributed substantially to the apprehension of criminals, suppression of fires, and treatment of patients. And whereas each does uh dispatcher has exhibited compassion, understanding, and professionalism during the performance of their job in the past year. Now, therefore, I, Dennis Fleming, mayor of the City of Valdez, do hereby proclaim the week of April 12th through April 18th as Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in Valdez in honor of the men and women whose diligence and professionalism keep our city and citizens safe. Telecommunicators.