SIGNS OF SPRING - A pair of seiners from out of town are pictured tied up to the Crescent Harbor visitor dock this morning as snow falls. Herring seiners in town for the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery and March snow flurries are traditional signs of spring in Sitka. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
GCI wrapped up emergency maintenance on the undersea fiberopt [ ... ]
By CATHY LI For the Sentinel A conditional use permit for a short-term rental [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff The family of Louis Minard invites the community to commemorate his ser [ ... ]
By CORINNE SMITH Alaska Beacon Alaska has the fifth-highest rate of gun deaths in the nation, with [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS Alaska Beacon The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s decision to kill almost [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS Alaska Beacon Neither an Alaska free-speech law nor the First Amendment protect [ ... ]
Police received the following calls as of 8 a.m. today. March 14 A mother said her underage son wa [ ... ]
Spring Art Walk Slated April 5 All are invited to join downtown merchants and galleries in celebra [ ... ]
SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka city clerk Sara Peterson said today she has certified t [ ... ]
SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
One of the acts at Saturday’s Original Artist Grind will ce [ ... ]
GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
In the final night of City League volleyball gameplay before a [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS Alaska Beacon Federal fisheries managers did not mishandle trawl fishing [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS Alaska Beacon The government of British Columbia filed legislation Thursday that wo [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN Alaska Beacon Alaska regulators have rejected a permit application for a controv [ ... ]
The following calls were received by police as of 8 a.m. today. March 13 Police advised a housing [ ... ]
Climate Connection: Real Estate Bubble The White House has instructed federal agencies to remove al [ ... ]
SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Increases in anticipated property tax revenues, reduced legal [ ... ]
GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
A month after the mass firing of probationary workers with the [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff In another competitive division City League volleyball match Wednesday, Ludvig's [ ... ]
By CORRINE SMITH Alaska Beacon The Alaska House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS Alaska Beacon The state of Alaska is still facing a significant budget deficit desp [ ... ]
The following calls were received by police as of 8 a.m. today. March 12 A caller asked for a welf [ ... ]
Maritime Heritage Plans Pub Talk The Sitka Maritime Heritage Society, in collaboration with the Al [ ... ]
SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
It took the Assembly about an hour to wrap up business at Tue [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Budgets, Tax Relief on Assembly Agenda
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly at tonight’s meeting will take up enterprise fund budgets for next year and the distribution of federal Secure Rural Schools funding, among other business.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at Harrigan Centennial Hall, with only a handful of city employees expected to be in the building and Assembly members attending remotely.
The agenda has 18 items, including ordinances on final reading related to a hospital liability settlement and the Alaska Remote Seller Sales Tax. Both items passed on first reading.
The meeting is public, but options are available for testifying by phone or in writing, with the city clerk reading the testimony.
The city provided links for watching the meeting on cityofsitka.com (lower right corner) and submitting testimony.
“We want to encourage people to give phone comments by calling 747-1826,” City Clerk Sara Peterson said today.
She’s trying to offer options for public testimony while following precautions for preventing and slowing the spread of COVID-19. That includes maintaining the rules now in force on public gatherings.
“I would like to thank the public for their patience with each meeting we learn and we’re continuing to improve our method for public comment that are offered,” Peterson said. “I realize this isn’t an ideal situation for anyone. We’re trying to adhere to our hunker down order in effect until May 12. So while the building is open during the Assembly meetings and citizens can attend, we have to limit it to 10 in the Assembly chambers. We’re trying to encourage individuals to participate by phone if they have comment.”
One item is intended to provide relief to residents who may be experiencing financial hardships due to restrictions by local advisories and state mandates, in response to the pandemic.
Emergency Ordinance 20-24 would abate penalties and interest for first quarter sales tax period until June 30.
Co-sponsored by Thor Christianson and Valorie Nelson, the emergency ordinance requires one reading, and at least five votes to pass.
Nelson is concerned about businesses that are currently closed, and kept from opening due to COVID mandates, the city resolution to “hunker down,” and the ordinance for workers arriving from out of state to quarantine for 14 days.
“Here we have businesses here - they’re told by resolution they can’t open,” she said today. “People probably could’ve survived one month or two. If they can’t survive, ... we rely on small businesses (here).”
Her intent, she said, is to provide some relief.
A similar emergency ordinance, proposing abatement of sales tax payments as a relief measure, did not receive the required five votes for passage when it was proposed at the April 14 meeting.
The Assembly will also take up an ordinance on final reading related to internet sales tax collection.
A budget ordinance also up for final reading would advance $4.1 million from the general fund into the Sitka Community Hospital dedicated fund, to settle the Office of Inspector General Stark Anti Kickback liability stemming from SCH operations, the ordinance says.
“In conjunction with the Asset Purchase Agreement entered into between the City and Borough Assembly and SEARHC relative to the sale, the City and Borough of Sitka agreed to place funds into a City Funded Escrow Account with the General Fund to be used to settle future liabilities, including the OIG Stark Anti-kickback liability,” the ordinance says. “The OIG has now proposed settlement terms to the Municipality.”
The money advanced from the general fund will be paid back using any funds remaining after the “wind-down of former SCH business activities, tobacco tax proceeds and ones released from escrow proceeds from the sale of Sitka Community Hospital.”
Near the top of the agenda is a motion to rescind a vote at the April 14 Assembly meeting, when members voted against the reappointment of Anne Pollnow to the Sitka Historic Preservation Commission.
The motion to rescind that vote was placed on the agenda by Richard Wein and Kevin Mosher. Rescinding requires five votes. If that motion passes, a motion may be made to appoint Pollnow.
If the motion to rescind fails, the Assembly may not revisit the item, Peterson explained in the Assembly packet.
The Assembly will consider on first reading budgets for the general fund, enterprise funds and internal service funds.
Those include funds supported by general taxes and fees (e.g. police, fire, library), funds supported by customers (electricity, water, harbors), and funds supported by city departments (IT, central garage).
Work sessions on all of the budgets have been held over the past several months.
There is a separate resolution up for consideration to set harbor rates for transient and permanent moorage. A 5 percent hike is proposed for most moorage categories, as recommended by the Port and Harbors Commission.
“Per code, their rates are passed by resolution not by ordinance,” said City Controller Melissa Haley.
There is also a discussion/direction item on the distribution of more than $458,000 in Secure Rural Schools funding, federal funds dedicated to schools and roads.
The Assembly makes the decision on how the money is shared between the city and the school district.
Neither the city nor the school district had expected SRS funding this year and did not include any revenue from that source in their 2021 budgets.
However, Haley said, the money did come in – $458,071.35 that arrived today.
Login Form
20 YEARS AGO
March 2005
Photo caption: Sitka High School’s Zach Carlson and Barrow’s Jake Voss get a grip on a loose ball, while Sitka’s Jayson Asnin tries to get in on the play. The Wolves beat Barrow 81-77 in triple overtime, Saturday at SHS.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1975
A catered dinner will be held after “Trial by Jury,” the concert presented by the Sitka Concert Association as a benefit for the Boy Scouts of America. Tickets are $5 each and reservations must be made by Monday.