June 9 City Council Meetings ~ and more!
Congrats to the Mariners Girls Track & Field team, remembrances, nerding out on municipal budgets, etc.
Congratulations to the Homer Mariners Girls Track & Field Team for winning State at the DII State Championship meet last week!! Not only did they win overall - they also received the sportsmanship award, and broke several school records. The boys team came in sixth overall, with a first place finish in the 4x800 relay. Student athletes succeed with their hard work, and also with the support and dedication of coaches, family members, teachers, volunteers, friends, and community. I love school sports, and can’t wait for next year!
Each week brings moments of joy and loss, and I want to pause here to remember with care some of those who we’ve recently lost. Dave Seaman’s memory will live long on the waters and along the shores of Kachemak Bay. I found this fabulous 1996 video of Dave talking about living in Homer from the Project Jukebox oral history program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. There’s also this 2022 interview at the Library of Congress as part of an Occupational Folklife Project - Beyond the Breakwater: Gulf of Alaska Small-Boat Fishermen. Homer also lost Janosh Cook, family and friend to so many, with decades of stories and connections that are part of Homer’s fabric. While we don’t all always know every name or story, we can hold space for those our community has lost and the people who grieve them. Each loss can remind us of the depth of connection we share here, and how even in grief, community holds and carries us.
Last week I met with a member of the ‘Homer Airport Advocates Group’ to learn more about concerns and ideas around our airport. The City of Homer owns and operates the terminal only at our airport. The State owns and operates the runway and everything that happens on it! I learned a lot in our conversation, and invited them to come in the early fall to give a presentation to the Council.
High-level things that I’m thinking about, City-wise, include a plan for a joint training and meeting with all Commissions and Boards + Council in the fall, and working towards alignment with the Council and staff on strategic priorities, milestones, and timelines. With so many Big Things happening simultaneously this year, it’s a bit of a juggle to try and hold on! Are you interested in serving on a City Commission or Board? There are resident and non-resident seats - learn more and apply here!
Ask Me Anything - this is a simple one-question form for you and others to send me questions that I can address in this newsletter. A question I received last week asks: Online shopping collects the local-Borough sales tax. How much revenue is generated in a year here in Homer? Does this revenue go into the General Fund?
This is a great question, and one that I didn’t have time to get a full answer to before the weekend! I can easily say that yes - all sales tax revenues coming into the City of Homer go into the General Fund (with portions for HART, HAWSP, and the Police Station debt). I’ll have another newsletter out by Tuesday to give a quick overview of our Wednesday joint meeting with the Planning Commission to review the updated draft Comprehensive Plan. Stay tuned - there will also be information about online sales tax!
Do you have a question you’d like to ask? Send it to me here, and I’ll include it in a future newsletter! Onto our meetings ~
Homer City Council Meetings: June 9, 2025
Worksession at 4PM
Find the Worksession information, including zoom link and packet, here
The City’s budget is on again for Monday’s worksession. We’re getting closer, and expect continued deep dives by the Council on various budget ideas. There should be a memo from the City Manager in the supplemental packet on Monday, answering some of the questions that came up in the last meeting.
If you’re interested in city budgets, I highly recommend spending some time listening to this Strong Towns podcast episode: How To Understand and Fix Government Budgeting. There is some fantastic food for thought about the inertia of assumptions that underline municipal services across the country, the challenges of budgeting for maintenance and capital projects, and more. I listened to it a few weeks ago on a drive to Anchorage, and I need to listen again!
Also, I mentioned this article at our last Council meeting: Governing like Caesar with Jesus in mind: Why cities fail when they plan top down and hope bottom up. I think there are some wild & inappropriate jumps in comparisons in the post, and it seems like he's saying 'just say no' to big infrastructure projects. I'd be interested in digging deeper there. However, there is a really great underlying message.
Committee of the Whole at 5PM
Find the COW information, including zoom link and packet, here
The Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting provides an opportunity for the Council to engage with City Department Heads to ask questions on items on the upcoming meeting agenda, and then to focus on a discussion topic if there is one. On Monday, for the discussion we will be hearing from ecohydrology researchers from the University of South Florida who have been working on a project with local researchers in the Bridge Creek watershed.
Regular Meeting at 6PM
Find the regular meeting information, including zoom link and packet, here
Call to Order, Pledge of Allegiance
This is the formal start of the meeting, and includes a roll call of all Council members to ensure a quorum (four Council members are required for a quorum).
Agenda Approval
The City Council reviews and approves the agenda for the meeting. No items that aren't on the agenda can be discussed, and nothing can be added to the agenda that wasn’t publicly noticed. Items can be removed from the agenda with unanimous consent from the Council, and any supplemental items will be read into the record.
Mayoral Proclamations and Recognitions
As I mentioned for the last meeting, based on the clear desire across the community, proclamations are back! In the interest of time and the long hours Council spends at the dais (table), there will be a maximum of three per agenda. I will read them into the record, if someone is there to accept the proclamation we can do a quick photo, and then we will move on. If folks are interested in speaking to the Council and talking more about a particular topic, that needs to come through a request to be a visitor (which is also limited to three per meeting!).
Requests for proclamations or recognitions should come directly to me - you can email me at rachellord@ci.homer.ak.us!
Tonight we have two items on the list: Recognition of the City’s Wastewater System Award, and a Recognition of Roberta Highland. I hope you’ll take a minute to read about Roberta’s amazing life in the Homer News this week.
Public Comment on Matters Already on the Agenda
Want to talk about something that is on the agenda tonight? Here is your first chance to speak from the public during the regular meeting. You can talk about anything anywhere on the agenda EXCEPT what’s under “Public Hearings”.
If you have a different issue to bring up that is NOT on this agenda, you’ll have to wait until the end of the meeting! To comment, you just show up (or raise your hand via zoom, or unmute on your phone) and when you’re invited to speak you state your first and last name for the record. You will have three minutes to comment. Under the Council’s operating rules, there is no question and answer or conversation during any public comment time.
Reconsideration
According to the City Council Operating Manual (pg 11): “Reconsideration is an opportunity to bring a motion back before Council after it’s been dispensed with. A member must have voted on the prevailing side to move for reconsideration.” This doesn’t happen super often, but it sure can. There are more details in the operating manual on the process.
There are no items for reconsideration on this agenda.
Consent Agenda
The Consent Agenda allows the council to approve routine and non-controversial items in a single motion. The consent agenda usually includes things like minutes approval, advisory body appointments, liquor and marijuana license renewals, travel authorizations, introduction of ordinances (which then have a public hearing, usually at the next meeting, before they are voted on), and resolutions of a general nature.
Any Council member can pull items from the consent agenda and have them placed in the appropriate area of the meeting agenda in order to have further discussion.
The consent agenda for Monday includes the following items:
Approval of past meeting minutes (May 27 and special meeting June 2)
Liquor License Renewal Applications - non-objections for a liquor license renewal for Land’s End, application and transfer for Vida’s Thai Food, and applications for brewery manufacturer, distillery manufacturer, and distillery retail licenses.
Memo CC-25-156 - Authorizing the Mayor and Councilmembers to attend the summer Alaska Municipal League meeting in August, to be held in Utqiagvik. You can see more about AML and the summer meeting here.
Introduction of Ordinance 25-44 - Following lengthy discussions by the Council at our last regular meeting, this ordinance would provide funding, contingent upon a number of stated factors, from the HART Trails fund for a parking area and part of the trails in the northern part of the Diamond Creek Recreation Area. There are a lot of players in this larger proposed project, including the State Department of Transportation and dedicated community volunteers with the Homer Trails Alliance.
Resolution 25-055 - Acknowledging that there weren’t enough signatures by the deadline to proceed with a water and sewer special assessment district that was attempted in the East End Road and Meadow Drive area. You can read more about the special assessment district process from the City Clerk’s office here and within Homer City Code.
Resolution 25-056- This is one of three resolutions on the agenda that would authorize a sublease at a City lease property on the Spit (the old Happy Face building). You can see details of the sublease applications in the packet!
Resolution 25-057- This is the second of three resolutions on the agenda that would authorize a sublease at a City lease property on the Spit (the old Happy Face building). You can see details of the sublease applications in the packet!
Resolution 25-058- This is the third of three resolutions on the agenda that would authorize a sublease at a City lease property on the Spit (the old Happy Face building). You can see details of the sublease applications in the packet!
Resolution 25-059 - Details alert! Taxpayer money can only be authorized to be spent via an ordinance, which requires at least two meetings and a public hearing. But the next step often also requires Council action through a resolution! This resolution would authorize the City to work with Alaska Harbor Consulting, LLC to help with a grant application for replacing the System 4 floats in the harbor. Because resolutions don’t authorize the spending itself, this resolution specifically states that it is contingent upon Ordinance 25-42 passing! That ordinance, which is under public hearings, authorizes the spending of the $7,000 for this general purpose. This resolution, which would only go into effect if the ordinance is passed, authorizes the task order to this specific contractor. It seems fairly complicated, but the basic things to remember are that resolutions will be dealing with money that’s already been authorized to be spent on that purpose - either through the budget or another budget ordinance. Homer City Code and the City’s Procurement Policy will guide when spending decisions need to be additionally authorized by the Council, for example in this instance when it is a single-source procurement.
Resolution 25-060 - Last year, the Council authorized the City to apply for a $1,235,000 loan through the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to help with financing the Beluga Sewer Lift Station project, with $500,000 of the loan eligible for forgiveness. This resolution authorizes the City Manager to finalize and sign the loan agreement with ADEC. The repayment term is 10 years on $735,000 with an annual finance rate of 2.0938.
Visitors
This section allows individuals or groups to present information to the City Council that is not specifically on the agenda. Visitors are typically allotted 10 minutes each to present. Visitor requests must be approved by the Mayor or City Manager. The Council can ask questions and engage in conversation with visitors, but no questions from the public are allowed during this time.
For Monday’s meeting we will have a presentation by Derotha Ferraro and Ryan Smith from South Peninsula Hospital.
Announcements / Presentations / Reports
From the Council’s operating manual: “Reports may include, but are not limited to, Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly report, Advisory Body reports, Worksession and Committee of the Whole reports, Mayor’s report, and Travel reports. No action by Council will be made here, although the Council may request a matter brought to their attention in a report be placed on an agenda for a future meeting.”
There is a 5-minute time limit for each report, and an opportunity for the Council to ask questions and provide general thoughts after each report. Occasionally reports are provided as written reports and are included in the packet.
Public Hearings
Public hearings are formal opportunities for the community to share their opinions on ordinances that have already been introduced at a previous meeting. All ordinances are required to have a noticed public hearing. You’ll have three minutes for your testimony, and again the Council will not engage in a back-and-forth.
Ordinance 25-38(S) - This is the City’s proposed operating budget for Fiscal Years (FY) 26 and 27. The (S) indicates that the original ordinance was updated with a similar but different “substitute” ordinance - in this case it swapped language with the capital budget for clarity.
Ordinance 25-39(S) - This is the City’s proposed capital budget for Fiscal Years (FY) 26 and 27. The (S) indicates that the original ordinance was updated with a similar but different “substitute” ordinance - in this case it swapped language with the operating budget for clarity.
Resolution 25-030 - The Council discussed this resolution during the April 14 and May 27 regular meetings. It is now following the budget ordinances (above). The reso amends the City’s Personnel Regulations around on-call and shift differential pay. The recommendation is increasing the shift differential for the swing shift from 2 to 3% and graveyard shift from 4 to 6%. For on-call pay, the recommendation is to increase from $3 to $5 per hour. The accompanying memos have financial impact information, and rationale for the recommendations.
Ordinance 25-40 - This accepts and appropriates community assistance money from the State. The Council decided many years ago to not budget this money, as it’s incredibly variable and we didn’t want to be dependent on it to balance the budget. The ordinance would appropriate the funds for a mobile generator ($120,000) and a narcotics analyzer ($23,428.05).
Ordinance 25-41- This accepts and appropriates funds from the State and the Borough (both equal to $4,612.50) from the Commercial Passenger Vessel Tax Program (i.e. cruise ships). The funds are required, per state law, to be spent on projects that enhance and benefit cruise ship passengers. The ordinance appropriates the Borough funds to replace benches along the harbor walking path. The state funds are appropriated to pay down the Ramp 2 restroom project from 2018.
Ordinance 25-42 - This ordinance appropriates $7,000 from the Port Reserves fund for engineering support to help with the development of our 2025 federal PIDP (Port Infrastructure Development Program) grant application. The proposal is for construction funds to replace Float System 4 in the harbor.
Ordinance 25-43 - This ordinance will follow the budget ordinances, and sets the water and sewer rates for the year. The accompanying memo outlines each of the components of the rates, with a brief description.
Ordinances
Ordinances are pieces of legislation that require at least two meetings to pass. The first meeting is for introduction, and the next is usually for a public hearing. Occasionally there is more than one public hearing. We will often have ordinances for introduction on the consent agenda, unless there is obviously some discussion to be had around an issue.
There are no additional ordinances on the agenda tonight.
City Manager's Report & Financial Reports
The City Manager provides an update on current projects and issues affecting the city, and the Council has an opportunity to ask questions and discuss. No action is taken under this item.
City Manager’s Report There is a lot in there around transportation, including from the AK Department of Transportation about different projects planned for the Homer-area this summer, information on how and where roads should be striped in Homer, and cost estimates and information on the scope of a cross walk with curb cuts on Heath Street at the Library.
There are no financial reports in this agenda.
When doing a quick review of the Council packet as a citizen, I would strongly encourage reading the agenda to see if anything strikes your interest, and then always checking out the City Manager’s report! It will give you a great snapshot of important things happening.
Pending Business
Items postponed from previous meetings that require further discussion or action are addressed in this section. There’s no pending business on the agenda.
New Business
New Business items are typically brought forward for discussion or action by individual councilmembers.
Memorandum CC-25-166, from Councilmembers Davis and Erickson. This memo outlines an idea for a low cost trail loop at the new City property above Karen Hornaday Park, and would either direct Public Works to move in this direction or asks the Council to refer the idea to the Parks, Art, Recreation, & Culture Advisory Commission (PARCAC) for further discussion. There’s a memo from Dan, the Public Works Director, and a copy of Homer’s Steep Slope code with concerns that any activities - including foot paths and trails - would need to be reviewed and permitted under this code.
Resolutions
Resolutions are formal statements expressing the City Council's opinions or intentions on a specific matter. Resolutions are also used for a variety of procurement and procedural matters. There are no additional resolutions on the agenda.
Comments
The agenda concludes with opportunities for comments from the audience, City Attorney, City Clerk, City Manager, Mayor, and Council members.
During the Comments of the Audience, you’ll state your first and last name and if you’re a City resident, and you can speak to any topic at all for up to three minutes.
Adjournment
This marks the formal end of the meeting. The next regular meeting is Monday, June 23 at 6pm, with the committee of the whole at 5pm, and worksession at 4pm. We have a joint worksession with the Planning Commission on Wednesday, June 11 at 5:30pm to review the updated draft Comprehensive Plan.
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Ask Me Anything - send along your questions about the City and I’ll work to answer them in future newsletters!
Want to set up a time to chat? You can text or call my cell at 907-435-7209, or email me at rachellord@ci.homer.ak.us!
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