Daily Sitka Sentinel

Assembly, STA Talk About Joint Interests

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    A proposed utility bill assistance program is in the works that should provide some relief to the neediest Sitka individuals and families, two Assembly members told a group of tribal and city representatives Monday.
    Tristan Guevin and Bob Potrzuski briefly discussed their co-sponsored ordinance at the semi-annual dinner between the city and Sitka Tribe of Alaska, hosted by the city at the Westmark Sitka.
    It was one of several issues raised by Assembly members, which was followed by presentations by tribal government and STA council members.
    The two organizations, which have a government-to-government relationship, meet twice a year to discuss issues of mutual interest over dinner, with the city and tribe taking turns hosting. Monday was the city’s turn to host.
    The two-hour meeting was attended by a majority of Assembly and tribal council members, city and tribal staff. As an official meeting it was open to the public, but except for news media no one from the public attended.
    The meeting had a friendly atmosphere, with tribal and city representatives taking a break during their dinner for casual conversation, before returning to the agenda.    Topics covered included the comprehensive plan now being written, health care town hall meetings, public works projects and other mutual concerns.
    The ordinance offering help with utility bills is still in draft form, but Guevin outlined some of its features and said it should be ready for introduction in September. He said the goal is to keep it simple. Local families at 250 or 300 percent of the federal poverty level would qualify by signing an affidavit attesting to their income. The Assembly has already set aside $400,000 for the program in the current budget year. In a thumbnail calculation, Guevin said he and Potrzuski estimated it will offer qualified families up to $65 a month, or about the equivalent of the utility rate hikes in recent years.   
    Guevin is ending his three-year term on the Assembly, and is not running again because he is leaving town, but said he hopes this is the first step in addressing the issue of income inequity
    “When I decided to run, I saw a lot of inequities, in terms of economics, the distribution of income .... ,” he said. “I didn’t know why someone who makes half the amount of others pays the same.”
    Guevin said he’s hoping the ordinance will help distribute the burden better, and help the families who are struggling more than others.    Potrzuski said the amount available should “hold folks harmless” in the rate hikes.   
    Aaron Bean asked what the plan for future years would be, since the $400,000 set aside would be gone by the end of fiscal year 2018.
    “That would be up to subsequent Assemblies,” and the community, Guevin said.
    In other business from the city’s half of the presentations, Mayor Matt Hunter invited tribal representatives to the reception for the city administrator candidates 4:30 p.m. Friday at Harrigan Centennial Hall; and the all-day Saturday interviews with the candidates, starting at 9 a.m. at Centennial Hall. Lisa Gassman, general manager of STA, will sit on the interview panel with city department heads.
    Hunter said town hall discussions on the future of health care in Sitka are set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30, at ANB Founders Hall, and 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
    Community Affairs Director Maegan Bosak gave an update on the Comprehensive Plan process, with an open house set for October; and Hunter reviewed a six-page document on public works projects.
    From the STA half of the meeting, Gassman talked about successful collaborations between the tribe and city, including:
    – the pilot of a downtown-shuttle project, for which STA is compiling data for its month of operation. In the project, STA provided a van service, funded by city tourism dollars, to get cruise ship visitors around the core of downtown.
    – a collaborative project for a job training program that resulted in five tribal citizens becoming trained in traffic flagging, with other job training programs in the works.
    – the participation of city public works and police department on the tribal transportation committee.
    – working together to advocate to the state for more ferry service, which continues to decline.
    – the city contribution of $25,000 toward the RIDE bus service. Gassman said the ride is currently at 250 passengers a day, for three different routes.
    Tribal Council Chair KathyHope Erickson said she was pleased to see the Tlingit names on the rooms at Harrigan Centennial Hall, and a few ideas were discussed to help members of the public learn their pronunciation, including an audio button on the wall or smartphone app.
    “It goes a long ways to instill pride of the Tlinglit people, and in all the people that it is Tlingit country – and help children be proud of their heritage,” she said.
    Tribal council member Woody Widmark discussed the importance of the two organizations’ working together to maximize their mutual benefit. That can include lobbying efforts, he said.
    “It’s good to have meetings but it would be nice to set some goals to get things done,” he said. “(When) we work together, we can be pretty strong in this community.”
        Council member Bob Sam stressed the importance of taking proper care of the 20 cemeteries in town, which should include rezoning the Russian Orthodox cemetery on Observatory Street, from Residential to something more appropriate.
    “It’s not a residential place,” he said.
    Council member Martha Moses talked about the importance of workforce development as well as new job opportunities at the Aspen Hotel in helping build work experience.