FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]
By SHIRLEY SNEVE
Indian Country Today
A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]
Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Gus Schumacher, the Anchorage Olympic cross-country skier, a [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
Alaska’s rural schools are on track to access faster interne [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska, [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]
Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m. [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly will start the annual process of determi [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Assembly to Approve Surplus Fund Transfer
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly will have a full agenda at Tuesday’s regular meeting, with a vote on approval of a city strategic plan, an appeal on a variance request, extending the duration of the Sitka Bear Task Force, a deposit to the city sinking fund, reaffirmation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and approval of a $250,000 project to repair fire damage at Crescent Harbor.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
Crescent Harbor Fire
The Crescent Harbor fire, set by juveniles last May, caused damage to a finger float and “fairly immediate repair is needed to ensure damaged sections remain usable through the winter and cause no further damage to the rest of the dock,” a city staff memo to the Assembly said.
“Given that the finger was so newly replaced, further work will be required to ensure that the original lifespan of the asset will be realized — the second phase of the repair is anticipated to take place in the fall of 2023,” the staff memo said.
Sinking Fund
Every year the city administrator makes a recommendation on how much of the city’s “unassigned fund balance” from the previous budget year should be placed in the public infrastructure sinking fund.
This year administrator John Leach is recommending a $5 million transfer, leaving $9 million in the fund balance from fiscal year 2022.
Finance Director Melissa Haley said this transfer is higher than in prior years, and follows two years of limited capital appropriations for projects, including roads, during the pandemic.
Leach in his memo noted the historic high sales tax receipts for FY22, and Haley added that the city used federal relief funding for revenue replacement in areas such as sales tax revenues.
FY22 sales tax revenue was $16.4 million, which is $3.2 million higher than last year, and $3 million higher than the last pre-pandemic year, FY19.
Haley said fiscal year 2022 revenues include the sales tax receipts from the 2021 partial cruise ship season. The first ship in fiscal year 2022 arrived July 21, 2021, with ships sailing at less than capacity.
“We were very cautious the last couple of years,” Haley said. “When the pandemic first hit we cut capital projects or funded very few in fiscal year 2021. Now that our financial picture has improved, and we used relief funding for revenue replacement, we now have more funds available to invest in capital projects.”
The city finished fiscal year 2022 with a surplus of $4.9 million, Haley said. Fifteen months ago officials expected to finish the year $1.9 million in the red.
Leach had similar comments.
“We were very cautious in a post-pandemic budget environment,” he said. “Making the right investments and spending cautiously have resulted in end-of-the-year surplus budgets, ever since I’ve been here. This gives us the flexibility to make much-needed investments in our infrastructure. Sales tax dollars from the tourists sure helped too.”
Tuesday’s agenda includes other items, such as liquor license renewals, and reports on the tourism survey, and on the seaplane base.
Login Form
20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....