Yoly’s Bistro will be hosting cooking classes for the first three Tuesdays in November starting November 6th 6-8pm. Award Winning Chef Steve Scherrer and Chef Matt Zimny will be sharing culinary techniques and treats for the Holidays such as Pancetta & Cornbread Stuffing, Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Red Wine Poached Pears, Cranberry & Blood Orange Relish and preparation of the Grand Turkey! Call 224-3295 or stop by at 220 4th ave and register for the classes.

SEWARD CITY COUNCIL

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

November 13, 2007

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Seward City Council will conduct a public hearing on the following items of business at its regular meeting of November 13, 2007.

Resolution 2007-097, Amending The Port And Harbor Tariff By Increasing By 5%, All Moorage, Wharfage, Boat Lift, And Other Harbor Rates And Fees (Excluding Passenger Fees), Effective January 1, 2008.

Resolution 2007-100 through 2007-109, Fiscal Years 2008 City Budget, Consisting Of General Funds, Enterprise Funds, The Motor Pool Fund And The Capital Budget.

Essential terms and conditions of leases and all other pertinent copies of public hearing documents are available for review at the city clerk office.

The public hearing will commence at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as business permits, in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 410 Adams Street, Seward. All interested persons are invited to attend the meeting and participate in the discussion; or, written comments may be sent to the City of Seward, c/o City Clerk, P.O. Box 167, Seward, AK 99664, or e-mailed to clerk@cityofseward.net.

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Monday nights work session was one of the most productive budget work session I have attended in this city. The city managers revised Budget Introduction was well put, input and questions from the council and the audience, thank you Mayor Corbridge for allowing public input, was well thought out and presented. This was a good start, however there is a long way to go, and as the budget is probed deeper it is apparent that more time is needed to finalize the administrations revenue plans, answer questions posed by the council/their recommendations into consideration.

After listening to the Parks & Recreation Director praise the self support of the teen and the teen center, while being very vague about the rest of the department budget, I strongly agree with Councilmember Valdatta, further review of the Parks & Recreation budget is necessary.

Again, every time mention was made of cuts in the budget, the response of the administration was “what services to cut”. I find it very hard to believe that there are no administrative cuts that can be made without cutting services, there may not be much, but every dollar counts. While some consolidation of services and out sourcing was identified, other items, such as transferring two mechanics to the Electric Utility Enterprise fund appear to be counter productive – how long will it be before the one remaining city shop mechanic will require assistance and another position will be required? Many projects involving repair of heavy equipment cannot be b performed safely by one person. How about leaving the mechanics as they are and charging out their time to specific projects?

As for the stated obligation of reserve funds; $8.7 million for the replacement of generators, a new building and switch gear ?? If Seward was generating its own electricity 24/7 like may communities in Alaska that could be justified – were not! This is an emergency back-up power system; containerized power units, with appropriate switch gear that do not require their own building are available for approximately $150K per megawatt that would more than suffice the needs of the city – we don’t need a Cadillac – a basic Chevrolet will do the job.

The City Manager had great fore sight is suggesting a review of leasing vs. buying vehicles – how about taking that a couple of steps further; do we need the ever increasing number of vehicles the city has?; and how about utilizing basic vehicles without the options that many of our city vehicles now have?

Remember – ITS YOUR MONEY ! GET INVOLVED OR DON’T COMPLAIN !

There was a power outage this morning at about 7:45 am. The City generators came online at 8:10 am.

[City Update]
“The outage this morning was due to 4 trees that blew into the transmission and distribution line at about mile 5.5 of the Seward Highway. Everyone south of mile 14 was out of power. We ran our 4 EMD’s this morning. The repairs were completed and everyone was back in power by about 9:30 a.m.”

The Seward Police Department will be hosting a Citizen’s Police Academy beginning in January 2008. The classes will be held one evening per week for approximately 10 weeks.

This will be a highly informative and interesting learning experience. The Citizen Police Academy will offer insights into the law enforcement profession here in Seward.

Prospective applicants must be at least 18 years of age, commit to attend 10 weekly sessions lasting 2-2.5 hours, sign any required waivers or agreements, and be subject to a criminal history and driver’s license background check.

There is no charge to attend this academy; however, the class size will be limited to the first 20 selected applicants.

We are currently accepting applications at this time.

Applications are available at the Seward Police Department.

Contact Sgt. Valadez at 224-3338 for more information.

Application deadline is December 15th, 2007.

Seward residents now have a safe and environmentally-friendly way to dispose of fluorescent bulbs. The Alaska Cruise Association (ACA) donated the Bulb Eater, a machine that crushes and compacts the glass, to the city in late September. Citizens will be able to use the machine free of charge. Please contact the Public Works Department at 224-4095 for a schedule. For more information about ACA, see www.akcruise.org.

Questions, comments, tip suggestions;

coptalk@cityofseward.net

Mark your calenders for an Alaska Aces hockey game on Sat. Dec 8. Grab your buddies and have some fun on the “Aces Fan Van”!! Let us do the driving! Get a party of 15 or more people together and enjoy the savings on ticket prices into the game (www.alaskaaces.com). This is a great way to have fun and everybody gets to join in! The ride on the “Aces Fan Van” is $23. Register today at Community Schools by calling Tanya Brewi at 224-4056, Mon-Thurs from 5-10pm. Tanya Brewi Seward Community Schools Coordinator (907)224-4056 tbrewi@cityofseward.net

A reminder to the Seward community that acclaimed Christian singers and songwriters, Jim and Jean Strathdee will be in town this week at the United Methodist Church to help raise funds for the He Will Provide Food Bank. The concert starts at 7 pm on Thursday, November 1, in the sanctuary of the church, which is on Fourth Avenue, between Jefferson and Church Streets. There is no charge, but an offering will be taken for the Food Bank. For more information, please call Pastor Peter Perry at 224-5624.

1) The Seasonal Sales Tax may look good in the budget document, but what are the adverse affects on the businesses?, summer workers? and citizens? of Seward. It costs businesses to change register and computer programs; summer workers, that are heavily relied upon by many businesses, will migrate to other communities or business will be forced to raise wages, in turn forcing up prices to consumers. Will the Borough tax accounting system be able to accommodate this change, if so at what cost to the city ? Note: This item is included in the revenue section of the budget, yet details of its viability and applicability have yet to be worked out.

2) Health Care Premiums; is the contribution by employees keeping pace with that paid by employees of private businesses ?

3) Public Safety Fee applied to all properties receiving utility bills. By this statement it has to be assumed that this would be applied to properties outside the city limits as well as within. Properties outside the city limits already pay for these services through borough property taxes, for which the city has no authority to change. NOTE: This item is included in the Budget Highlights as a “major change”, however there is no associated line item for revenue. ? ? ?

4) Slip Assignment Fee. Although there has been no fee established, the revenue line ($75,000) leads one to believe the fee will be approximately $500 (if there were 150 slips available). At a $40. per hour billing rate that equals 12.5 man hours of staff time to assign a slip?? Surely this is not realistic.

5) There is an obvious discrepancy between the Budget Introduction (8.7 immediate capital needs for generators & Building) given to the public and the proposed budget for funding the replacement of the emergency generators and building.

6) Budget Highlights state reduction of two positions in the city shop, with no indication of increased employment, leading one to believe there is a cost savings; however budget footnote #19 indicated the creation of two new mechanic positions in the electric department ? ?

7) A change to electric charges for out of town customers ?? based on current discrepancy in tax rates ? ? ? Is this taxation without representation ? ? ?

These are items that raised a red flag with just a cursory review of the budget. I do not believe the budget, with the major changes proposed, is the best we can do, and that additional time for review and public input is justified; postponing action on the budget, even if a continuance of the current budget was necessary (90 – 120 days) would be in the communities best interest.

Its Your Money ! If you don’t Get Involved - Don’t Complain !

The popular Holiday Wreath and Garland Fund Raiser for the Arts and Music in the Schools Program is back for the 13th year.  This program is sponsored by the Seward Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) Arts Committee. Funds raised by the sales are reserved to fund art and music programs for the schools.

To purchase a beautiful 24” live mixed Wreath for $25.00 or a wonderfully fragrant 25 foot live all-cedar Garland for $30.00, mail a check with all the order information to the Seward PTSA Arts, P.O. Box 409, Seward, AK 99664.

Include your phone number, email, and residence (physical) address. Personal delivery to your home or business in the Seward area from Forest Acres to town is an additional $5.00 donation.

The deadline for orders is Monday, November 12, with expected delivery the first week in December.

Thanks to all past and future supporters of the arts for our kids!

Sincerely,
Carol Griswold
PTSA Wreath Coodinator

The Seward Volunteer Ambulance Corps is offering both an ETT and EMT class, starting November 6. The class will be held in the evenings and some weekends. The ETT class will consist of 44 hours of training including CPR, and the EMT 1 bridge class is a continuation with an additional 80 hours of training. Space is limited, and there is no charge for the class. Call 224-3987, or email SVAC@seward.net

This is a delicious way to support AVTEC’s Culinary Art students!

• Seating times at 6, 6:30, 7 and 7:30 p.m. The maximum table seating is 6 people. Please, no large groups.
• Reservations are required. Call 224.6104 or Elizabeth Fackler [elizabeth.fackler@avtec.edu]
• Cost for a four course dinner is $15 per plate (cash or check only).
• Located in the Culinary Department at 518 3rd Avenue near the AVTEC cafeteria.

This Fall’s menu will have an “American Harvest” theme featuring seasonal foods prepared in a creative fashion. Contact the Culinary Department to request a menu.

Seward City Council Regular Meeting

Action Agenda

Monday, October 22, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.

The Following Resolution Requiring a Public Hearing Was Postponed To November 13, 2007:

Resolution 2007-097, Amending The Port And Harbor Tariff By Increasing By 5%, All Moorage, Wharfage, Boat Lift, And Other Harbor Rates And Fees (Excluding Passenger Fees), Effective January 1, 2008.

The Following Resolutions Requiring a Public Hearing Were Approved:

Resolution 2007-098, Expressing Official Intent To Issue Bonds To Finance The Expansion Of The Spring Creek Prison Facilities And Determining Related Matters.

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Seward Community Schools is offering a Beginning Crochet Class in November!!! Join Instructor Becky Buchanan for this fun and relaxing class! The fee is $10 and class will meet in the High School Teachers Lounge at 6:30pm on Mondays through Nov.
Participants will need to supply a crochet hook G and 4ply Red Heart brand yarn to the class.
Please contact Tanya Brewi at (907)224-4056 during the hours of 5-10pm, Mon - Thurs evenings. Participants will need to register for the class by Mon. Nov 5.
Tanya Brewi
Community Schools Coordinator
(907)224-4056
tbrewi@cityofseward.net

If you know of anyone in need of personal computer service, the AVTEC Information Technology class is having its annual computer clinic.
The dates are:

October 22 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM
October 23 - 25 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM

To reserve your space contact AVTEC IT at:  avtecclinic@hotmail.com

Rachel James
Job Placement Specialist
Alaska Vocational Technical Center

Here is the budget in electronic [pdf] form thanks to the folks at the City Clerks Office. The file is also available from the City website in the ‘news‘ section. The file has been optimized for web viewing but is still quite large at 4.5 Mb. It may take some time to load.

[2008-preliminary-operating-budget.pdf]

Based on the City Managers Budget Introduction the ’08 budget is a work of art – for a top down budget. As always at this time of the year it’s a matter of what services the citizens want to see cut if they are unwilling to pony-up for tax and/or service fee increases. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to see a budget developed from the bottom up; placing the needs of the citizens first, filtering out the fluff, then building and funding an administration that realistically meets those needs, not the needs and wants of the city administration and ever growing government engine at the expense its citizens.

The City Manager has made several presentations of the Budget Introduction over the last couple of weeks, each one has been designed to seek involvement and input from the citizens, to make a point of this, each presentation has included reference to having the budget posted on the City web site for citizens to review. Alas, here we are, less than a week away from Council work sessions, with the public hearing process behind us, which is a curious turn of events in itself, then moving forward to budget approval with access to the budget document limited to city hall and the library, where a copy is available, for a fee; not on the web site in a timely manor for the masses to review, digest, question and/or make comment to elected officials about it.

It’s your money ! It’s not too late to speak up !

when:November 13th, Tuesday

where: Providence Seward Medical Center Phoenix Room

times: 09:00 - 11:00 am and 3:00 - 5:00 pm

cost: approximately $40. we bill your insurance.

Come out and sign up for the Nordic Ski Membership Drive at Yoly’s Bistro November 3rd from 6 to 9pm. Live music provided by Dave Edward Smith. Free Dessert with every new membership registration.

Date: 10/27/2007
Time: 10 am-1 pm
Place: AVTEC Gym

The Seward Community Playground will be hosting a all community garage sale at AVTEC gym.  All donations should be dropped off between 8:30-10 am.  Public doors open at 10-1pm.  All proceeds from sales will go towards fundraising efforts to build the playground

If you’re interested we could use SIX volunteers to stay and help set up and break down.

If you want to just drop your stuff that’ll be fine too!  Bring an idea of what your stuff is worth and we’ll give you a form for tax write offs. If you have a huge item you could take a photo and try and sell it from the photo.

Leftovers will be donated to the Compassion Closet or Rays Reusable’s.  There will be tables and everything will be sorted by type of items. Prices of items will not be posted

October 27th is Oktoberfest at Yoly’s Bistro. Join us for German Cuisine, $2 drafts and Live Music by Elite 9. No Cover. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the new Seward playground.

The Seward Elementary Library is hosting a Scholastic Book Fair that will be open to the public from 8 am to 4pm on Thursday, Oct. 25 & Friday, Oct. 26.
It will feature a wide variety of books and novelties for children, including activity kits, computer games, posters and more. There is a small selection of adult interest books, but no adult literature.
It’s never too early to start holiday shopping! We accept local checks, all credit cards and MC and Visa debit cards. For more information or questions, contact Valarie at the school at 224-3356 ext. 7573.

Seward City Council Regular Meeting

Agenda

Monday, October 22, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

A. Swear In Newly Elected Officials.

3. ROLL CALL

4. CITIZENS’ COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING.

5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA

6. SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS

A. Proclamations and Awards

B. Borough Assembly Report

C. City Manager’s Report

. D. City Clerk Report

E. Chamber of Commerce Report

F. Seward Planning and Zoning Commission Report

G. Other Reports, Special Presentations

1. USDA Forest Service- Seward Ranger District on the Chugach National Forest.

7. PUBLIC HEARINGS

A. Resolutions Requiring a Public Hearing

1. Resolution 2007-097, Amending The Port And Harbor Tariff By Increasing By 5%, All Moorage, Wharfage, Boat Lift, And Other Harbor Rates And Fees (Excluding Passenger Fees), Effective January 1, 2008.

2. Resolution 2007-098, Expressing Official Intent To Issue Bonds To Finance The Expansion Of The Spring Creek Prison Facilities And Determining Related Matters.

3. Resolution 2007-099, Expressing Official Intent To Issue Bonds To Finance The Electrical Facilities Described Herein And Determining Related Matters.

B. Other Items Administration requested be held for Public Hearing

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