[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:00] All right, I'd like to call the meeting to order here, if we can,
[0:08] and first item in business is the pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which the stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
[0:35] And then if we can do the roll call, please, Madam Clerk.
[0:42] All members of the council are present. Mayor Flynn.
[0:45] will be joining us via teams is the mayor is he's on but Mayor Pro Tem love will be actually
[0:54] writing the meeting tonight.
[0:58] Thank you there's no minutes to prove so the next item is public
[1:03] business from the floor so if anybody has some public business from the floor please come forward
[1:09] you five minutes and please state your name for the record on non agenda items. Thank you.
[1:20] Hello. For those of you who I haven't got to meet yet, my name is Jake Caldwell. My dad and I
[1:25] own Kinaiviation were one of the two operators that has proposed as far as the essential air service
[1:31] contract. It's open for the public comment period right now for a change in air service here for
[1:38] So I just want to kind of check in with the city here is that public comment period is scheduled to end on Monday and just be here answering questions you guys may have last time we talked proposals hadn't come out yet.
[1:52] We now have the proposals out.
[1:54] So there's any questions anyone has on what speed proposed and what our plans are. I'd love to answer any of that.
[2:00] Otherwise, I've just had a great time in the last couple of weeks, spend a lot of time
[2:03] over here on community, get to know business owners and other locals in the community and
[2:09] hear what their challenges are and hopefully coming up with some really good ways to help
[2:13] solve those challenges and it comes through your transportation here in and out of all
[2:16] these.
[2:17] Thank
[2:23] you for the comment.
[2:23] You got it.
[2:28] Any other public business from the floor?
[2:43] Mike is on.
[2:44] We're getting in council that Nate Smith, East Peak Resorts, I just want to give you guys
[2:48] an update regarding the lease that we applied for from Department of Natural Resources.
[2:53] On September the 4th, they issued their final finding and decision in favor of issuing
[2:59] us the lease. That starts out with a 20-year lease. Right now, we're in the 20-day appeal
[3:05] and reconsideration period, barring any of that going whichever way it could go. The decision
[3:12] will become effective on October the 5th.
[3:15] So just want to bring you guys in the loop on that and appreciate all your time.
[3:19] I know that Councilmember Alan Swarim, he wasn't at the work session, but we proposed
[3:24] to do another work session here in November to follow up on the last work session that
[3:28] we had, answer any questions and things like that and then move forward.
[3:31] If you remember, we had three items that we had asked for, money for basically the economic
[3:37] and overall encompassing study of the entire resort district.
[3:41] We had some items about money being set aside for the bridge and then perhaps the money set aside to put it down on a lift.
[3:50] And then we wanted to work that process to see if any of those items could then be put in the 2025 budget.
[3:55] That's what the work session coming up in November would be.
[3:59] Just want to give you that quick update and hopefully we can work together in November and have that to follow up work session and go from there.
[4:05] Appreciate it.
[4:06] Any questions?
[4:06] All
[4:10] right. Thanks Nate. Yeah, I appreciate what you guys do. Again, thank you for the
[4:19] else for public business from the floor. All
[4:24] right. Seemed none. We'll move on to the consent
[4:26] agenda items. We have one item on this consent agenda. It's the approval of write-offs of various
[4:34] city fees, importing to collections agency.
[4:39] They have a motion. Move to approve. Second.
[4:55] We'll call for the vote.
[5:01] All those in favor, please say aye.
[5:03] Aye.
[5:04] Aye.
[5:04] Aye.
[5:05] Opposed?
[5:07] We have seven yeas motion carries.
[5:13] Next item is unfinished business from our last meeting regarding establishing a position recruitment
[5:18] program and rescinding resolution number 18.
[5:22] this was postponed from the regular reading two weeks ago on September 3rd and we already had a motion on the floor to approve the item. So the item is still open for discussion.
[5:36] So, and I think we have during that meeting, September 3rd, we did ask that the hospital administrator Melanie here, and I see her as she's present here in the audience tonight.
[5:47] It looks like we have a couple of physicians too and the audience as well, three physicians,
[5:53] the audience as well, here I'm hoping to add to the discussion.
[5:59] So I guess I'll first turn it over to the council for questions in the discussion.
[6:12] I think the council had questions.
[6:15] First of all, I just want to let everyone know that I do work for Providence Valdeeds Medical
[6:19] Center.
[6:20] I don't believe this is a conflict, but I do want to just put it out there for the council to decide whether this is a conflict for me.
[6:29] Okay.
[6:30] Great. Just wanted to disclose that and be completely transparent.
[6:34] I think the council just wanted to make sure that this program is a successful program and that it, the way that it is in place currently is the way that it
[6:47] to stay with the success rate that it's had in the past.
[6:53] And if there's anything that the council can do to perhaps improve our opportunities
[7:01] to attract and retain physicians to our community, talking about ways that we can improve this
[7:12] program because it seems like it's it needs a little infusion perhaps and how we can work with
[7:19] providence to figure out a way to reinvigorate this program so that we can attract physicians
[7:25] to our community and maybe just talking about the successfulness of it. Like how many physicians
[7:33] we've recruited in the past year with this program and I know we've talked about market rate
[7:45] analyses for the state and we're on kind of like terms with the rest of the state is what you've
[7:54] hold us in the past, Melanie, kind of, yeah. So I guess for us,
[8:01] Vorgit, for me anyway, I can't speak for the entire council, but I think physicians
[8:06] are extremely important for our community and when we can attract and retain
[8:11] physicians that are full time and know our community and know the needs of our
[8:15] community is really important. And I think it is a priority for
[8:20] for the council to try and figure out how we can address this and be a more robust,
[8:26] like, come to Valdez, we have the scenery, we have the activities, we have the hunting,
[8:31] the fishing, all the things, and I just, how can we help improve this program?
[8:48] If my mic is on, those are great questions Olivia, thank you very much.
[8:53] As mentioned, my name is Melanie Tier and I'm the administrator at the hospital.
[8:57] So is this program working? I think was the first question. This is an excellent program and working I think means a lot of different things. It can be measured in a lot of different ways.
[9:08] The last time we presented this several months ago, I think this city had compiled some data and they had done a survey of those who had been recipients of the program in the past.
[9:18] I did at work or didn't at work.
[9:20] I would say you had candidates to ask.
[9:22] You had people who were in the position
[9:24] to be able to answer the question,
[9:26] therefore it did work.
[9:29] Family medicine recruiting right now,
[9:31] and that's what works best for the role
[9:33] that we're looking for.
[9:34] We have other options,
[9:35] but that's then the most well-rounded type
[9:39] of physician specialty that we have for our community
[9:43] that meets the needs.
[9:44] And they are in short supply.
[9:46] I know Dr. Cullen will speak to that, he does a lot of, you know, outreach and presenting
[9:50] nationally to this group, to family medicine physicians across the nation.
[9:55] We have fewer of them and we're graduating fewer of them, so the competition is increased
[10:01] over where it was even 10 years ago.
[10:05] So we're experiencing that here as well, and that's to be expected.
[10:09] Over the last year I think was another question, so the last year has been busy, we've done
[10:14] a lot in the last year, including closing the clinic, reopening the clinic, re-establishing
[10:20] the staffing for the clinic, which we are fully staffed, which is exciting with the exception
[10:26] of one physician position, which I'll tell you about.
[10:28] And then on the hospital side, making sure all of our shifts are covered with excellent
[10:32] positions has been our goal.
[10:34] And we started with two, Dr. Cullen and Dr. Todd, and we now have 19 excellent providers covering
[10:40] between the two settings.
[10:42] You mentioned consistency.
[10:43] Those 19, they come back over and over and we get really, really good feedback from our
[10:48] patients. They're happy to see them. They're giving great care. So we're really excited
[10:53] about the pool of physicians, the talent that we've been able to bring into our community.
[10:59] And they come for one to three weeks at a time, sometimes one to five weeks at a time and
[11:04] they cover our ER for the most part. They do cover some clinic as well, but we really do
[11:09] like the continuity of seeing your PCP in the clinic, so we focus on hospital shifts instead
[11:16] of clinic shifts for those providers that don't live here. Also, in the last year, we had
[11:21] Dr. Raymond sign on and she's rejoining our team in October, so we're very excited about that.
[11:27] We also had Chris and Kinstery, PA rejoin us after being out of the community for a while,
[11:33] knowing that they wanted to come here after a husband was done with the Coast Guard. They came home.
[11:38] so that's been great as well. So I would say all in all recruitment efforts this year have been
[11:45] exceptionally good, but then you ask about this program, right? So why are we not signing on
[11:51] full-time doctors at the rate that you'd like? Well the reality is we're only looking for two
[11:56] and we did hire Dr. Raymond as I mentioned. So we have one opening at this time. This program is very
[12:03] appealing for those physicians coming in. It allows us not only do we have a very competitive package,
[12:08] We actually pay higher than most places in the state, where that's where I said kind of the maybe there are some very
[12:14] rural positions that that may pay a little bit higher, particularly in the tribal system, but as far as
[12:21] non-tribal facilities are pay as exception. So that is a great package all by itself. This physician recruitment and retention program is really
[12:30] icing on the cake and it allows them a flexible amount of money to put a down payment on a house or pay school loans if
[12:37] that's the stage of life that they're in.
[12:39] So it has a lot of flexibility for the providers coming in.
[12:43] Now why haven't more people accepted it
[12:45] if it's the best deal, right?
[12:47] And I would say there's a wide variety of reasons.
[12:49] Why physicians haven't signed on with us.
[12:51] We've had a lot of candidates.
[12:52] We've vetted a lot of candidates this year.
[12:55] A lot of the times it's been for family reasons.
[12:57] So things that have been told to me,
[12:59] spouses work, just a job that doesn't exist here
[13:03] in the community.
[13:04] kids in high school, that's a pretty pivotal age. We've had some that have new
[13:09] warm babies and needed to focus on that rather than moving at this time. We've had
[13:15] life stage single years so that there are differences in what people are
[13:21] looking for for relocation based on their life stage. Also, we've had people
[13:26] tell us it's proximity to aging parents in the lower 48. All things that we
[13:31] understand we get this, we recruit for a lot of positions and we understand that these are the same
[13:35] challenges that we're having in a lot of positions. We've had most recently a desire to travel,
[13:42] to serve internationally, be a reason why somebody declined a position with us, that particular
[13:47] person is going to join us as a podium and eventually would love to settle down. But in the meantime
[13:53] It's like to serve underserved communities in in third world countries, which which we respect as well
[14:00] We had one additional candidate that was still in contract for another year and a half and so she just couldn't make that change
[14:06] I she couldn't commit to a change that part out
[14:09] So she's again on our short list as well
[14:11] And then also we are seeing a lot of physicians that don't want to commit to one location. That's okay
[14:16] Just like traveling nurses
[14:18] as we have a lot of physicians, especially in the first five years out of their schooling,
[14:24] they like to prefer a week and sit, come out to Valdez for a week, enjoy what different
[14:30] parts of this state has to offer, because they have the flexibility to do it.
[14:35] So we've tried to kind of offer so many options, including Cardiom, so that we are able to
[14:44] capture talent and they get to try a song and they love coming and they
[14:47] refer their friends and that's working but then also at some point when they're
[14:51] ready to settle down that they've tried a song and they like us and so we are
[14:56] hopeful that this is probably our very best recruitment strategy.
[15:00] But we would advocate that this program, that the city offers, is a differentiator between
[15:06] our program and many other places in the state. It's a rich plan. You also ask the question
[15:13] of what could be different. And I've given that some thought that I did get that feedback
[15:18] from John at our last meeting. And the one option that I've thought about and did a little
[15:24] research on the starting earlier. So we are recruiting early. Dr. Cullen is a
[15:29] believer in medical students. Dr. Todd as well, teaching medical students, they
[15:34] come back as residents. Those residents will eventually come back. And so we
[15:38] have medical students, we have residents. We're expanding that programming this
[15:42] here. We'd like to do even more with the Anchorage-based Residency. Dr. Cullen
[15:46] has some fantastic ideas about a rural fellowship for physicians. So we have a
[15:51] lot of options of pipeline, kind of building that pipeline. But I would say, you
[16:00] know, at this point, I think we need to continue with the pipeline start earlier
[16:05] perhaps with our offers. At this point, I haven't found anyone who's in their
[16:10] second or third year residency who's been able willing, bold enough to make a
[16:15] decision about where they want to be in a year or two years. But if we find one, I
[16:20] I would love for the program to have the flexibility
[16:22] to offer that stipend sooner,
[16:24] while somebody is still in their residency
[16:26] and would have need for those funds
[16:28] with a certain number of years commitment for the program.
[16:35] Dr. Kellin, did you have anything to add on that?
[16:38] Yeah, actually, that last point's a really good one.
[16:42] What I just came back from a conference,
[16:44] I was doing a series of lectures
[16:45] for the Family Medicine Obstetrical Conference,
[16:50] and whenever I give these talks,
[16:52] I have every other slide as a beautiful picture of values.
[16:55] I just use this as a latent recruiting tool.
[16:59] 350 doctors in the audience and I got one nibble.
[17:04] And part of that is that it's just incredibly competitive out there right now.
[17:10] And I think that we just need to realize that.
[17:12] And not only that, but that it's going to get worked.
[17:15] So right now we're suffering a shortage of about 30,000 family positions.
[17:20] In 10 years, it will be going up to 48,000 and in rural communities it's even worse
[17:26] because half of us are over the age of 55 and we'll be retiring in short order and so
[17:32] rural communities across the country are doing everything they can to recruit and that's
[17:37] just the reality.
[17:39] And they're coming up with really creative ways and that was one of the things that I found
[17:42] in that the meeting is a lot of the third year residents had already signed up for when
[17:48] they graduated and they had already received cash stipends just so that they can do better
[17:54] and that's going all the way back even to the beginning of second year of residency.
[18:00] We have had a lot of residents and I think that the majority of physicians that we recruited
[18:05] long-term have been residents that came, and so I think that that just makes sure that
[18:09] we continue to do that residency education, but like I said it's going to be tough I think
[18:16] over these next few years. The other problem is that we're really looking for kind of a unicorn
[18:23] in that we need a family physician with obstetrical skills and specifically we're looking for somebody
[18:28] with surgical obstetrics. And that's just not very many. That's less than 10% of the graduating
[18:34] residents at this point and it's probably even less than that. After willing to live in Alaska,
[18:40] they have to like the snow. They have to have a partner that likes the snow and they can have a job
[18:44] here and so the the number that we're really looking for is going to be very small and so we have to
[18:50] have these packages ready to go for when we find them because I can tell you we're just competing
[18:55] with certainly everybody in Alaska every every community in Alaska is down by at least 25% and a lot of
[19:03] communities are down there and so this is just going to be a this is just going to be an issue the
[19:10] The other thing is, is that value scares people.
[19:14] We don't have any backup.
[19:15] We have crazy stuff that comes into the emergency room and so we need somebody with skills and
[19:22] have that confidence and their skills to be able to handle what comes in the door and
[19:26] that kind of restricts that population even further.
[19:30] There are some other things, Meli talked about the fellowship, that's one of the things
[19:35] that we could do to improve the pool is to have basically would be a fourth year of
[19:42] residency. We could do half the time here half the time in Anchorage and just really work
[19:48] on building those skills so that they would feel confident in being here. So that is one
[19:53] of the big issues. The other is that we're not a HIPSA. We're not a health provider shortage
[19:59] area and we should be, but we aren't, we don't have a county. Because we don't have a county,
[20:06] we don't qualify as a Hipsa and Hipsa have additional grant funding for recruiting. And it may take
[20:16] going to the governor and asking if we could be designated as a Hipsa. Certainly in terms of the
[20:21] number of providers that we have in town, it's I think that we would qualify. So that would be
[20:25] That would be something else just to consider.
[20:30] It's great having Megan back.
[20:33] Man, I think that that was a big part of it.
[20:35] It's just having that baggage.
[20:37] I have to admit that it would have been nice if Kathy and I had access to that money back
[20:42] and the clinic was in private practice because I think that would have led us to stay open.
[20:47] But you know, that is a main.
[20:52] I don't know if there's any other things that we can do for recruiting.
[20:55] I just think that we just have to recognize that we're, that this is going to be a bidding
[20:59] more offer.
[21:01] On the other hand, every family physician, especially with OB, that lives in your community,
[21:07] generates about $1.6 million of economic activity just by buying houses and buying groceries.
[21:14] And so there is a little bit of an investment component to this, and not only that, but
[21:20] that they just, again, having enough of the physicians
[21:23] that we can continue to do will begin to take care
[21:27] of young families and young children,
[21:29] means that we're going to have to keep young families.
[21:32] And that's going to be an economic generative of something.
[21:36] So anyways, thank you.
[21:38] And let's set 30-todd to give a new debt.
[21:45] I'm going to take this from a slightly different point
[21:48] of view as a capy-todd.
[21:49] Um, but I want to follow up on something John said first, um, if we, if fellowship sounds
[21:56] really great, you've got to get somebody out of residency and then you give them six
[21:59] months of being here to find out how much they love it and what they really need to know
[22:05] and another six months that were, that they'd be subsidized to go learn the things that
[22:10] they didn't know.
[22:11] It's so much easier to learn to do C-sections if you get to do 16 of them in a row, then
[22:15] if you have to spread it out over years like Dr. Sherbin did for instance or Dr. Schurt.
[22:19] But that said, the only way that you can manage to do that is to be overstaffed.
[22:27] When I was having it, I don't know whether you could hear my heart being back there.
[22:31] When Melanie said, oh, when we get to four, we're fine.
[22:35] No, I mean, for one thing, I might want to retire some year here.
[22:39] But nowadays, you can't really do what I pictured when I came.
[22:45] that is Dr. Gerard was there to teach me and Andy and we are there to teach John. John was there
[22:52] to teach you know each one teach one and you can learn to do your C-sections over being here
[22:59] for four or five years. Millie is absolutely right that people don't do that anymore. They don't
[23:04] stay in one place. They move around and so unless you stay there for your ladder doesn't work and
[23:10] And so you're going to have to have a little bit of older staffing in order to, in order
[23:14] to be able to say, gosh, I just aren't, I need me to do anesthesia.
[23:20] Can I please have a month to go do that or can I have less than that?
[23:25] We have a CRNA who comes in once a month and I've done anesthesia in the past, but I would
[23:30] love to hang out with her, him while they're here and I can't do that because I got to be
[23:34] in the clinic.
[23:34] You know, so you need to be a little bit overstaffed in order to keep all those all the training things that you have to do.
[23:40] I hear as you Mr. Lolli nodding if you need to do training, you need to have extra people, right?
[23:46] Okay, so that said, I think that providence not providence, but providence thinks that at least some of the people there
[23:55] think that what you guys want is to have no rating on the bottom line.
[24:03] And that's something they can measure, that's something you can measure.
[24:07] And they say, okay, great, wonderful, we're making a go of it, and wonderful.
[24:12] But I would say that if you were talking about a restaurant, you could have a restaurant
[24:16] with no red ink if you had no clients and no cooks.
[24:22] Or you could have a restaurant with no red ink with clients and cooks.
[24:28] You might have to hire the cooks first and then go into a little bit of red ink while you're
[24:33] filling up your restaurant, but you can't really have a whole bunch of clients and no cooks,
[24:38] so you really, really, really need to make sure that you have physicians, nurses, whatever.
[24:44] And that might actually cost you something. And I would also say that if what you're talking about
[24:48] is not a restaurant, but the only feeding facility for your entire town, that you might say,
[24:54] boy, if I don't have to drive to Anchorage to eat, then you know, that wouldn't be worth
[25:01] actually putting some tax money into it if that's what it takes and there's no way I don't know
[25:09] what the way is for us in Valdez is to say to Providence. It's important to us to have medical care
[25:16] here. We don't want to have to get around to go to Anchorage for every little thing. We don't want to
[25:23] have to go hang out in Anchorage for three months before delivery. We don't want to let alone have
[25:29] somebody something happened that you can't get out of here. But we don't want to have to go to
[25:33] Anchorage every how much does it cost you every time you take a trip to Anchorage. So I've
[25:38] talked to a lot of people and they'd say yeah I've put a couple tax dollars into into the hospital
[25:43] if that's what it took to still have a hospital that does all of that our hospital does. That's an
[25:48] expensive proposition but we do that for all kinds of things we we subsidize the library we subsidize
[25:53] the EMTs, you know, we decide that what we want and we decide to do that. And maybe the
[25:59] way to convince providence that having physicians is important even if it costs a little bit
[26:06] more than what they think they can get out of them is to say this money is airmarked for that.
[26:13] And if that means we don't have enough money in that fund that you're generating to fix a rough
[26:18] Well, it'll just have to be that way.
[26:21] I think that by putting that money aside and saying,
[26:24] this is important to us, we want you to have money to do that.
[26:28] That is important.
[26:30] I stood up here last time we discussed this and said,
[26:34] oh, now that there's not Scarclaw,
[26:35] because it's not a private practice and Providence separate.
[26:40] And there was legal battles of how Providence couldn't pay us enough
[26:45] for us to be able to retrieve anybody.
[26:47] Now that we're all province employees, it's not a problem, but she is under constraints
[26:52] as to how much she can pay.
[26:55] And the people in the lower 48 maybe don't understand what it's like to be on call every
[27:02] other.
[27:03] Or, you know, we do not have a C-section crew already to go as a stretch absolutely every
[27:09] time.
[27:09] And I kind of look at who's on call in the ER.
[27:13] She's recruited some wonderful people.
[27:14] But some of them go, can you want me to deliver a baby?
[27:18] And I look at that every time before I go out kayaking.
[27:22] And you're not going to be able to recruit people to those beautiful, that beautiful scenery
[27:26] if they can't depend on their colleagues.
[27:31] It really is not a stable situation at the moment.
[27:33] It really is not.
[27:35] And we really need every tool that we can possibly get.
[27:38] And if provenants can't pay people for various things, then this city council needs to say those are important things to us.
[27:49] I'll say one more thing, the fellowship and the PAs and whatever.
[27:53] There was one day last week, two weeks ago, but I had two residents,
[27:57] that's third year people who are almost ready to go into practice, and a PA.
[28:01] And I personally saw four patients in a half a day.
[28:05] But I supervise all those people, and we've managed to see 25 people.
[28:10] But one of the parts of the package that makes it competitive is getting all of the boxes
[28:20] checked for, did you do all the diabetic tests and all that sort of thing.
[28:23] One of the things that you get is that gets you a bonus is how many patients you see.
[28:30] And if you're doing all those other things, the training things, the supervising things,
[28:36] whatever, if we want people to do that to make this a stable system, then we need
[28:43] to subsidize that.
[28:46] And maybe she can't put that in the package.
[28:49] She can only subsidize me for seeing more patients.
[28:52] And I can't do that when I'm doing those other things.
[28:54] So I think that you I don't leave this in the package so that you so that the city council can influence what the package buys
[29:03] Thank you. I
[29:08] have the resort
[29:10] Yeah, I don't know the first thing I've heard there. I don't know if we
[29:15] run it by the health advisory board, but the idea of a scholarship seems like
[29:22] You know a good idea. I don't think it'd be terribly expensive and I can see the advantage of
[29:29] You know, having that introduction and getting to know somebody early on before it's too late in their educational careers, I think that's great.
[29:39] I've pretty much always supported this program since its inception.
[29:44] And I think you do have to look at it as a tool. It's not the one and only thing that's going to bring somebody to the community.
[29:52] And I don't think it's something you could say, well, we have this program, but the retention
[29:58] hasn't worked out.
[30:00] Any retention is more of a long-term issue. You can't tell me that the docs and aren't the
[30:07] same boat as other professionals coming into the community. You know, we've heard that acting
[30:13] super-attended as schools talk the last minute. You know, he might have to hire twice as
[30:18] many people as he needs because when they come into the community, they can't find a place
[30:24] to live and the child care problems are the same thing.
[30:29] I mean, everybody's got the same problems trying to move
[30:33] into this community.
[30:34] So I think retention is going to have to look at a whole lot
[30:39] of other things.
[30:41] And the other thing that talking to a few doctors
[30:45] that I've known over the last few years,
[30:49] and I think Dr. Todd kind of hit on it,
[30:51] But there is sort of a critical mass.
[30:54] You can talk about all of our natural resources
[30:56] and all these recreational opportunities
[30:58] and all this great stuff.
[31:01] But if there's only a couple of docs,
[31:03] they don't get to do any of that.
[31:05] And they probably never will get to do all that.
[31:09] Until you get enough people on staff
[31:11] that somebody can actually have a vacation
[31:13] or a day off or not be on call.
[31:15] I think that's huge too.
[31:17] So like I said, I think the main thing you remember
[31:19] This is just one tool, and there's going to be a lot of other things that would come into
[31:25] retaining, you know, employees with, you know, any organization.
[31:29] I guess the other thing I throw out there is we're kind of in a unique position.
[31:34] I remember when the city ran the hospital and, you know, the money was a lot more back then,
[31:39] but you know, we routinely had a million to a million half-dollar deficit with that place.
[31:47] and we're in a position now having a providence in there in a new facility that they generate a reserve.
[31:54] So if you really wanted to look at it, we're not putting any tax property tax money into a program like this,
[32:02] and we can do a lot more and still, as long as Melanie keeps doing a good job, you know,
[32:07] we've got that reserve that we can use for this purpose.
[32:10] I don't know why, my two cents were never valid.
[32:16] Melanie, just a quick question.
[32:17] You ran through a list of, I guess, reasons
[32:22] why we've lost candidates in the past.
[32:24] And I didn't hear them specifically,
[32:27] but Councilmember Sorom mentioned child care and housing
[32:31] were they ever an impediment to, I guess, hiring or getting
[32:39] somebody to fill a position?
[32:43] I would say yes. I can think of two candidates, one who has twins that are just a couple years old.
[32:49] And so, you know, her situation was one that she is part of the year in another place,
[32:54] based on her husband's work, and part of the year close to here. But childcare is an issue that came up,
[33:02] you know, just figuring out how she logistically could make it work. So that is important.
[33:06] And we had a three of our positions actually had babies this year.
[33:11] One of them was the female, two of them were males, but the one female, that would be
[33:16] a barrier for her as well.
[33:17] We haven't gotten to the point of her saying this is going to be my forever home, what will
[33:20] this look like?
[33:22] But even trying it on, unfortunately, we are offering childcare services, right?
[33:28] Myself.
[33:29] I say, I'll watch your baby.
[33:31] You'll come and cover a couple of shifts.
[33:33] I'm reliable.
[33:33] I pass a background check.
[33:34] I love children.
[33:35] So, so yeah, it continues to be an issue for our team and really we had gone
[33:41] several years where physicians weren't asking those questions and now we've had a
[33:45] little search where they are. We do that with staff as well. There'll be periods of
[33:48] time where there aren't a lot of young children and then the glory of activity
[33:53] and all of a sudden we have several. Dr. Todd, do I add? Just to throw it a little bit
[34:00] But it's more settled than that, of course, because you throw a pandemic in there and all
[34:06] that's are off.
[34:07] But, Dr. Sherman's here, but his wife doesn't have any, there's no childcare, so she can't
[34:17] go out and do something else so you might say, over the physician didn't need childcare,
[34:21] but I know one person in particular that, and actually two, that said, holy cow, is that
[34:28] how much house cost?
[34:29] Now, they're comparing to a very cheap state, too bad, so sad, but they don't think they
[34:35] can afford to move here compared to what they're being where they are, and so that is
[34:43] a housing thing, and some of these people have huge loans that they have to pay, and so
[34:51] it's kind of like a house payment for their loans, or more than a house payment for their
[34:57] loans and so to that, you know, think about doing two house payments.
[35:06] Thank you. I just, I support having a program that supports this issue. Obviously, I always
[35:15] have. I still do. And at first, I'll off, I want to say that I thank you, Melanie and
[35:23] the doctors. You've obviously been doing hard work at trying to recruit and get people to
[35:29] field positions and while we may not be fully staffed, we are more staffed and you're
[35:33] certainly trying to deal within the situation that you know you've been dealt and I appreciate
[35:37] that. I guess you know as Olivia had alluded to in the beginning, you know we're just trying
[35:44] to find the best way to implement or assist with this program to get you guys what you most
[35:51] need. You know, for myself, I want to make sure I'm happy to provide this funding. I want to
[36:00] make sure that it's being spent the best way possible to achieve the goals that we all have
[36:06] collectively. And of course the thing, and Alan kind of talks about it, but the thing that just
[36:11] seems the most sticky is the retention part. And even when you're talking, it sounds like you keep
[36:15] saying recruiting, recruiting, we need it for recruiting, recruiting, recruiting, and that seems
[36:19] kind of more than obvious. And that seems wherever it's been the most successful. But it's the
[36:25] retention part. And so I just, you know, question, does that need to be a part of it? Is there a
[36:32] way to revamp that? Do we need more money to be spent on recruiting? And, you know, and the
[36:40] retention, it doesn't need to be a part of it. I want to say that I feel like the last time we talked
[36:44] about it, you kind of mentioned, hey, two years. If somebody committed the two years, you know,
[36:48] we'd be happy.
[36:50] So talking about a five-year program
[36:52] is that the right way to look at it.
[36:54] So I guess when I think about what can we do better,
[36:57] how can we change it?
[36:58] That's still where I get stuck.
[37:01] If you tell me that retention is still as is
[37:06] and the program is critical,
[37:08] I'm likely going to believe you
[37:10] because you know better than I do.
[37:12] But that just seems to be that we haven't reached
[37:14] that success.
[37:15] So it feels that it isn't helping us
[37:18] the way we need it to help us. So how can we get there? And that's where I am with it.
[37:25] There's layers of wonderful questions. Let me tackle a few of them that stand out. There were many
[37:29] that stand out. Recruitment seems to be our bigger focus. Yes, because it does help with retention.
[37:37] And so Dr. Raymond probably can speak to a time where she was here and they were stretched really far.
[37:42] And Dr. Cullen can probably talk about a time where they were doing all of the hospital coverage and
[37:47] And all of the clinic coverage with two people or three people, Dr. Todd can remember the
[37:51] days really, really clearly of sitting across me saying we can't do this anymore, right?
[37:56] So that's part of retention is making it a job that somebody could love and stay in
[38:01] long-term.
[38:02] And unless you have the design right, Dr. Todd and I may arm wrestle later about the four
[38:06] versus the five, but we have a bigger model at play.
[38:10] I will be satisfied starting at four, testing that, and then adding five.
[38:14] And then we'd have to take shifts away from other hospital providers if we did that I'm okay with that
[38:19] But that we have to get a stable model that requires recruitment just a couple more so that life can look normal for everybody in the model
[38:27] Dr. Cullen would like to reduce his time further Dr. Todd would like to reduce her time
[38:31] So when I say four I'm talking four FTEs and that could be five people that could be six people as I mentioned
[38:38] and we're really, we're really flexible.
[38:41] So we lay out the buffet.
[38:42] If you want per day and we got that,
[38:44] you want part time, what does that look like?
[38:45] You want more clinic than hospital, we got it.
[38:48] You want hospital only, we have that too.
[38:50] So we have really tried to figure out what candidates need
[38:54] and then offer them based on their interest.
[38:57] So that's part to me of both recruitment and retention
[39:01] to make it a long-term job.
[39:04] I mentioned the two to three years.
[39:06] That's normal, unfortunately.
[39:07] that's good attention. The fact that we have a five-year program is phenomenal. I think with minor tweaks to the program, allowing someone to be eligible sooner.
[39:17] In their residency, for example, I, it was mentioned earlier about possibly even going as well as medical school.
[39:24] I have, I have concerns about that because I know a lot of medical students that don't know what they want to do next year versus what they want to do many years down the road.
[39:34] So I wouldn't want to obligate our positions to hold them for such a long time when somebody
[39:41] could change their mind, but I think two years in that, in the residency period, I think
[39:47] that's a really good time to be talking to residents.
[39:51] As I mentioned, I had it found one yet that's willing to sign, and we've had several as candidates.
[39:56] Actually the last two that we had as candidates spoke about wanting to come to Velby specifically
[40:02] because they wanted to be Dr. Cullen and that embarrasses him when I say it, but it's true,
[40:07] it's what they say. They want to be him when they grow up. So he does inspire those residents to
[40:12] to come here. We will we will have one time when I'm confident of that. So I think incentivizing them
[40:19] a little sooner in their schooling rather than you know wait till you start would be great.
[40:24] I also mentioned you had talked about recruitment. We have a great recruitment package as well
[40:29] with sign-on bonus and relocation, that's all taken care of in my package, but
[40:35] you're initial that helps with down payment on a house, which we know is a game
[40:40] changer in our community. One of the biggest issues we've been having lately
[40:44] with recruitment is actually pets. So to not allow the rest of your family to come
[40:49] with you, that's a game changer for people. Our one apartment that did allow for we
[40:54] do a three-month relocation, we cover the housing for three months for new
[40:58] employees for many types of employees, including physicians, but we can't wear one place burned
[41:04] down and with that, we can't place families with pets. And so that's, you know, being able
[41:10] to buy a house and bring your entire family. That's a game changer for people.
[41:18] I think that I think it's important that we reflect that the majority of the examples
[41:27] that have been given of reasons why there have been difficulties with recruitment or not
[41:32] reflected in this program. This program, in my opinion, has been very successful. And also,
[41:39] you know, several other members of the council have spoken on the retention element. That is
[41:45] baked into it specifically. They receive the money and payments over the period of time that they
[41:50] serve here. And if you look at the physicians that have benefited from this program, the majority
[41:55] of them have stayed relatively close to the 60 months that are outlined in the program.
[42:02] So, I think in the sense of recruitment and retention, this program is actually pretty
[42:06] successful. The problem that we're running into is the overlap period that happens when
[42:12] a physician decides to leave our community. The immediacy of need makes for a challenge
[42:20] and staffing and I would say just from what I've heard today that one of the biggest
[42:26] pressures of that is it access to immediate housing and that's not something that's reflected
[42:32] in the success of this program at all. I would say that this program has done exactly
[42:37] what it's intended to do. The problem is the availability of housing and the challenges
[42:44] is moving through remote community.
[42:49] Mayor Pratt, I love Mayor Fleming has his hand raised online.
[42:54] Mayor Fleming, did you have a comment there?
[42:57] Discussion there?
[42:59] Yeah, I sure did, Austin.
[43:02] I agree with everything that's been said so far.
[43:05] I think my biggest question was is that,
[43:08] and maybe I missed the meeting, but we never had,
[43:11] I do believe, as a council been brought in year after year,
[43:15] since we started the program and said,
[43:16] that it's been very successful and this is what we need to continue to do from what I heard
[43:23] from Dr. Collins and everything and all the doctors there but what I'm kind of hearing
[43:29] is that what we need to do instead of try to work these issues out as a council is in
[43:35] the next couple of years it sounds like recruitment is going to continue to get harder and harder
[43:39] and so what I would suggest is that the council and anybody else that we can think of that
[43:45] would help us with this process is that once a year we get together and we look at the recruitment
[43:51] process that we've gotten placed for the following year and kind of move from there and where we can
[43:56] work some of these issues and make this a robust program as we continue forward. I'm willing to
[44:03] put in a time and make that happen and you know for the meeting and I know almost all the council
[44:08] members are too. I don't hear anybody arguing with the attributes of this program, but I think
[44:15] what we're going to find out is that as things get tougher and tougher, even if we fixed housing
[44:20] and daycare, which we are doing a really good job, and I think we're moving in the right direction,
[44:26] but this is going to be a continual issue. I think Mr. Collins said that there was going to be
[44:32] in the next 10 years, almost like a doubling of needed physicians in places and, you know,
[44:38] with our package needs to continue to grow and supplement that as it goes on.
[44:42] So I think what I'd like to propose is that we do something like that as a working group
[44:46] once a year.
[44:47] We get together.
[44:48] We make sure everything we've got is the best package that values can put forth and kind of
[44:53] go from there and work the issues, rather than at a council meeting.
[44:57] Thank you.
[45:00] Anybody else have any? I would piggyback on to that and maybe even suggest that we have a work session with the Health Advisory Council to see if they can culminate some ideas, you know, Melanie's the expert. You know, I've, I've combed a lot of research articles recently to try and figure out what other places are doing and they're doing all of these things. And they also mentioned time off as a big thing.
[45:30] for folks. And I think we all understand the importance of having physicians in our community.
[45:39] And I also think that there is some room to talk about advanced practice providers as well.
[45:45] I get it. Physicians are the pantheia of like they can do all the things. But if we're going to run
[45:51] into this issue where we can't even get physicians because they just are non-existent.
[45:56] You know, 25% of the population in the United States lives in rural areas and only 10% of physicians reside in these areas.
[46:05] So if it's going to get worse than that, we're in for a rude awakening.
[46:11] But if we can work with the Health Advisory Council to try and put our heads together and figure out how we can be like that carrot that everybody wants, I think we need to do that for our community.
[46:25] especially with our current unicorns wanting to work less because then
[46:31] that's our obstetric program and that's a big deal for this community. We don't
[46:36] want to have to send our community to Anchorage for three months in the
[46:40] summertime. Can you imagine that if you don't have family? So yeah
[46:49] I guess just to
[46:49] close it out anyway. I think just from my perspective and talking with Dr. Todd
[46:54] and talking with Dr. Sherbin and one of the big pieces
[46:59] and kind of what council member Soorem talked about
[47:03] this city's program seems like it's just one part
[47:07] of what a recruitment and retention program needs to be.
[47:14] It doesn't seem like the retention thing is really where
[47:17] it needs to be in my opinion, keeping on to folks
[47:20] that have left, I certainly would have liked
[47:24] some of those folks that have left this state, and some of the things that, you know,
[47:28] those folks that have met, you know, left and people that are still here,
[47:30] have mentioned to me is that, you know, the different factors that play into retention
[47:34] and recruitment, it's not just a financial issue, you know, as, you know,
[47:38] everybody hears, I think, talked about, to some degree or another.
[47:42] And one of the things that really, you know, stuck out to me in my conversations
[47:46] with the physicians was the working conditions.
[47:48] It wasn't, it didn't mention, you know, financial benefits is really the thing that was like in the
[47:56] crawl of why they stay or leave. What really stood out was working conditions, things like schedules,
[48:03] things like how physicians that live here versus the physicians that are here part time in terms of
[48:10] scheduling preferences, people that weren't here in scheduling preferences, people that are here,
[48:16] and how that affects, you know, you're wanting to be here and then the pay thing too.
[48:22] So it just seems like this is only one part of it. I think it's a good idea to have the health
[48:29] advisory board and certainly our physicians in our hospital administrator and our
[48:35] administration get together to put together a more comprehensive program that builds on this part
[48:44] because there's stuff that the city can't, we don't have control over, we don't have control over
[48:49] local conditions, we don't have control over cultural factors. And you know, and you know,
[48:56] certainly Melanie doesn't have control about with big providence, I'm sure, you know, the
[48:59] streets versus, you know, little values, you know, the difference there. But yeah, I guess
[49:06] I'd like to see something more comprehensive. I think that this program is not enough to
[49:12] get what we want in more needs to be done,
[49:18] that's all I have to say.
[49:21] I just speak to the big proud statement. I felt the need when Dr. Todd was talking to,
[49:26] but I respect, we all have perspectives, right? Big prom versus little prom. I think I'm both,
[49:34] but Providence has been very supportive of our efforts. I just want that to be very, very clear
[49:39] no matter what they are. When I say, I want to take on a clinic and I don't want it to be under
[49:44] Providence Medical Group. They say, is that going to work for values? I say, yes, it's going to work
[49:49] for values. They say, go forth, do good. I say, I'm having a problem challenging. I'm having a
[49:55] problem with recruiting physicians for coverage for my hospital. They say, here's the contact information
[50:01] for our group. This is what we do. What might you use from that? And I've called their people and
[50:06] they've asked those questions.
[50:08] So our big private team, we're on the same team.
[50:11] They want the same thing we want.
[50:12] They want us to be stable.
[50:14] They want us to do everything that we can do here here.
[50:17] So they have not created any barriers.
[50:19] I just want to be really clear that that's not real.
[50:24] There are no barriers.
[50:25] Any kind of compensation structure, things like that.
[50:28] Yes, Alaska does pay better than any other state.
[50:31] That's true.
[50:32] That's not a providence thing, that's an Alaska thing, right?
[50:35] And we use national benchmarking data across multiple surveys to look at position compensation.
[50:41] So that's not a providence thing.
[50:43] Every large company does that same thing and that's what keeps you safe from lawsuits.
[50:50] Overpaying positions, even when employed, has implications and when I say overpaying, there
[50:55] are many ways that we structure a nice rich compensation package still within the boundaries of regulation.
[51:03] So, I just want to make sure everyone is very aware our Providence team is very supportive
[51:08] of our efforts here, and they're willing to help with whatever needs to be done.
[51:12] So Dr. Todd's point also though, we realize there's some time there, right?
[51:16] Some time that she needs to spend in meetings, that's not productive time, but it's productive
[51:21] for us, right?
[51:21] We need it.
[51:22] We need her guidance on policy issues.
[51:25] We need her guidance on drafting bylaws.
[51:27] We need her to oversee residents, and that's all part of our package, that math is all figured out.
[51:35] I guess I just had one last question for you, Melanie, was, you know, in regards to, you know, seward as a Providence facility, a similar population, you know, different in terms of access for road access and things like that.
[51:47] And Cody act does, too, you know, there's a lot more remote, but similar population size, but certainly different things these community needs.
[51:55] but what challenges are they facing in terms of physician recruitment? Are they the same?
[52:02] Are there city councils also giving financial incentives?
[52:06] No, we're the only group doing that and their structures are different. So you ask a great question
[52:13] even amongst my prominent siblings in critical access hospitals, we look very different.
[52:18] Kodiak, for example, they partner with an AHC for primary care.
[52:24] So they only have some specialty clinics, they don't do primary care, so they're partners.
[52:28] They've actually made some changes this year in those physicians covering in their hospital,
[52:34] but physicians were saying they're having a hard time juggling this, and so they've developed
[52:37] kind of a hospitalist program.
[52:40] So their model has changed this past year, and it's very different than ours.
[52:43] So it is probably most like us in structure and the fact that they're in a management agreement with Providence just like we are they're owned by the city just like we are and the city does invest in capital.
[52:57] We're going to build another cottage we hope this year for their long-term care and that will come from city funds from the profits that are in a holding accounts similar to ours.
[53:05] So, their structure is like ours, but their primary care was private, and it is still private,
[53:11] so it's not operated under-sourced hospital, and they've had some devastating blows to
[53:19] that practice this year.
[53:20] So, they've had to change their model based on not being able to find that practice as
[53:25] unable to recruit, and therefore, seward hospital is doing kind of like what we've done with
[53:31] our hospital model of directly employing per-dem positions for the most part to cover their
[53:36] hospital shifts. So their challenges have kind of led them to a similar place to where
[53:43] we are, but they haven't yet taken on primary care.
[53:48] Great. Anything else from Council?
[53:54] Hope for the vote, I suppose.
[54:04] So the motion on the floor is resolution number 2436 establishing physician recruitment program
[54:12] and rescinding resolution number 1820, which formerly established this program.
[54:19] So that's the motion on the floor.
[54:21] All those in favor, please say aye.
[54:23] Aye.
[54:24] All those opposed.
[54:25] Aye.
[54:26] We have six yeas.
[54:30] One nay.
[54:31] The nay is mere filming.
[54:33] Motion carries.
[54:34] Did you see?
[54:35] I think you was an aye.
[54:37] Oh, I agree.
[54:38] I was an aye.
[54:38] I. Will you come in on the nay section, Dennis?
[54:44] I've been a victim of the delay to, Dennis, don't feel too bad.
[54:48] I stand for it.
[54:50] You have seven years, motion carries.
[54:53] Thank you for everybody's comments and I too.
[54:56] Appreciate y'all being here.
[55:03] The next item up for new business is the approval of the selection
[55:08] of the West Wing of Herman Hutchins Elementary School
[55:10] as the site location for future child care center development.
[55:14] move to approve. Second.
[55:17] Moved by Council Member Storm. Seconded by Council Member Shane.
[55:23] Council of discussion.
[55:32] I did get a letter from a member of School Board requesting that we have a work session
[55:39] on this topic in the near future. Is that something that can be arranged?
[55:48] John, I would say, Andrew. Certainly something we can facilitate at the council's discretion
[55:53] when you'd like to have that up to you. Sounds like the school board is interested in having that
[55:58] with you all. And would that discussion be respective or irrespective of the vote today?
[56:05] Would this be a binding vote that can't be changed if we learn some sort of ground-breaking
[56:14] information from the school forward or something? That thing's pardoned, of course, for God's
[56:20] not going to answer it. So Councilmember Devons, if that becomes a will of council, a work
[56:31] session, I mean, always my suggestion would be that you postpone action on this. If that's
[56:38] much easier than trying to undo something and something that you're going to learn in the
[56:43] future information that you don't have readily available now. So that's always my recommendation
[56:50] for that. That's about what I expected you to say. In light of that information, can I make
[56:58] a motion to postpone this to the next regular meeting?
[57:07] If you're looking for a second, I'll
[57:09] second it.
[57:14] Okay,
[57:18] so it will be postponed to the next regular meeting. It will be postponed to
[57:23] the next regular meeting and so that will be October 1st. So I'll let you discuss the
[57:31] motion first before I offer any options for your work sessions.
[57:36] Yes, the motion on the table is the motion to postpone. Has it more so on?
[57:42] Yeah, and it gets to be a little bit overlapping, but we open process and I think it's a little
[57:54] odd to throw a monkey ranch in things when we've been trying so hard to make progress
[58:01] on this.
[58:02] There's issues I wanted to talk about before we start postponing things, but when we tried
[58:07] to get the middle school bill. The school, you know, we had real hard time getting the
[58:13] eds back because the school was overbilled. The footprint was too big for the existing school
[58:19] population and it's gone down since then so they were able to move the whole middle school
[58:26] into that space at the elementary school. I don't, you know, there's so many benefits to it for the
[58:33] community and for the school district and for the teachers, and people had, we had a workshop
[58:40] with school board on this subject and they really didn't want to participate. I mean,
[58:45] I can remember one of them, two of them saying, what do we have to do with child care? I mean,
[58:53] literally, they didn't think they had any role in that, which I find just amazing. I think,
[59:02] at some point, we need to move on. I don't know what else to say. It's the
[59:08] Valdez city schools and that facilities belongs to the city of Valdez and it's
[59:15] not being fully utilized. I don't really see, you know, this people you get
[59:22] probably all about it, but you know, I mean, there has to be a certain level of
[59:26] operation we fund that school above and beyond anything that's required by the state and we find
[59:34] creative ways to fund them some more. I mean I think it's got to be a two-way street. What's
[59:39] good for the communities? Good for the school. Thanks.
[59:45] Mayor Flutton has his hand raised.
[59:47] Mayor Flanne. Good to you next. Yeah. Can everybody hear me? Yes. Yes.
[59:54] Yeah, okay. I'm sorry about that. I was working some technical difficulties when Jimmy kind of
[1:00:00] I did that the motion, which I'm glad he did, but I was trying to get in there. I agree with
[1:00:07] Alan in some respects. I definitely think that we've talked about this and we're not rushing
[1:00:12] this by any means, shape, or form. But I think this program as a whole is something
[1:00:17] that I'm willing to talk to the school board about before we make this decision. And regardless
[1:00:24] hardless of how we got to this position, you know, of the work session and maybe some
[1:00:30] people on the school board not knowing that we were going to pick the building, whatever
[1:00:34] the reasons are, I think this is a worthwhile project and I don't think that by postponing
[1:00:41] it two weeks is going to hurt us in any way shape or form for our next steps to continue
[1:00:47] on.
[1:00:47] And then I also want, you know, we talk about community involvement, community, everything
[1:00:52] else and I get where Allen's coming from. I'm kind of a little frustrated there myself, but
[1:00:57] at the same time, I don't want such a good program to have a contentious beginning. I think that
[1:01:03] we have done RG diligence and by just having the school board there for, you know, a work session
[1:01:10] with us to talk us through this, maybe we've seen something that maybe they see something we don't,
[1:01:14] maybe they just want to get on board with what we're going to plan on doing. I know that there's
[1:01:18] a lot of talk about, you know, a potential remodel of the elementary school while we move
[1:01:24] the, you know, the daycare into that place. And maybe those are parts of those conversations
[1:01:28] that they want to have to understand what we're trying to accomplish. But by no means do
[1:01:33] I think that this program's going to fail because, you know, that we have to go back and explain
[1:01:39] ourselves one bit. I think this program is very much needed in our community. I don't see
[1:01:45] a problem with postponing it for two weeks given the school board the opportunity to hear
[1:01:49] what we got to say and hear what they have to say and then moving on. And I just really
[1:01:53] don't think there's a big issue here but I agree with Alan on some of the frustrations
[1:01:58] when especially when we add you know the superintendent that was there that was part of this whole
[1:02:03] selection committee that was doing all this work but regardless of that I still think
[1:02:08] it's well worth a great project and I'm 100% forward. I just don't think that we need
[1:02:14] to start out with some contentious issues
[1:02:17] when we can just talk about it and work it through.
[1:02:19] That's my two cents, thanks.
[1:02:23] I absolutely agree with the points that Alan made.
[1:02:26] We have had a very robust public process
[1:02:30] in regards to this topic
[1:02:31] and obviously all of this information is available.
[1:02:35] I will say that in the majority,
[1:02:37] the majority of all the questions that were asked
[1:02:39] in the email that I received from a school board member
[1:02:42] are answered in the publicly available materials.
[1:02:45] It's my perspective that what the school board is wanting,
[1:02:51] what they're requesting is just a part in this section
[1:02:55] of the public process, and if that's what they want,
[1:02:58] I think that it's fair that we offer that to them.
[1:03:00] It is their facility as much as it is ours.
[1:03:03] So I think that even though all of this information
[1:03:07] is readily available, I think delivering it
[1:03:10] in a public meeting is a reasonable request.
[1:03:15] Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[1:03:17] Yes, I agree that it's been a very public process.
[1:03:20] It's obviously been our priority for some time
[1:03:22] and we've been working towards this very outcome.
[1:03:26] But I do think it's absolutely appropriate
[1:03:29] to meet with the school board.
[1:03:31] I'm actually surprised we didn't meet with them
[1:03:34] before this made its way onto the agenda this evening.
[1:03:36] So I think I'm totally in support of doing that.
[1:03:39] I would like to do it quickly
[1:03:40] because I don't want to keep kicking this hand down the road, but I don't think, I agree with
[1:03:46] Dennis, I don't think it was pointing at a short period of time. I don't believe I've heard or seen
[1:03:51] that we're under any huge time constraint that we're going to lose anything, so I think that we
[1:03:57] should do it. I think it's totally appropriate that the council would meet with the school board
[1:04:04] on this very specific project so I agree with everything that's been said so far.
[1:04:15] The only thing that I would say is to, I guess, justify the work session is the loss
[1:04:22] of the superintendent the week before school started and maybe that bridge that was to
[1:04:29] to this child care issue was lost when he departed.
[1:04:36] So maybe that's where the gap became evident.
[1:04:39] So I would support the work session
[1:04:42] and but not postponing very long.
[1:04:46] Jerry, in terms of the October,
[1:04:50] one already on the agenda,
[1:04:52] what's already on our agenda on October one?
[1:04:56] We could basically what I would probably suggest is that we have the museum, but we can
[1:05:04] move that into the agenda as a corporation.
[1:05:07] So that frees up space prior to your next meeting.
[1:05:11] You could start at 30 if you need a little bit longer, you think, but this will come back
[1:05:16] on October 1st, but if you haven't worked three or issues, you could still postpone again.
[1:05:22] But so if you did the work session on October 1st with the board, if the board could be available for that, then that would give some time for them to go through the materials that are available.
[1:05:39] regarding the school, some of the architectural drawings, notes, whatever. I mean, we have all that.
[1:05:47] It could have the opportunity to listen to some of the meetings, but that's just my suggestion is that we've
[1:05:54] got a little bit of space and do the work session prior to the meeting on October 1st.
[1:06:03] That's perfect suggestion. I think if we can, you know, have that meeting, you know,
[1:06:09] my one reservation is just that we may not have all the answers to the questions that folks want now.
[1:06:14] I think Nate, the ball spoke a little bit about it that there are a lot of logistical questions
[1:06:20] and, you know, who's going to go where, when, and how.
[1:06:23] And, you know, it was always the intention to have a much more detailed conversation about all of those issues.
[1:06:30] at a work session in the future so we just can move that up identify those
[1:06:34] questions you know I think blues and rain coastal strategies there they're
[1:06:39] contractually is to look at some of those foundational organizational
[1:06:42] questions and they can look at ways to maybe bring them in to make sure that they're
[1:06:46] aware of those concerns that have been identified and that she's got that in her
[1:06:50] mind as she develops your own her product for his scope for her work so to you all
[1:06:58] I'm happy to puzzle the facility or work session with the clerks on the first.
[1:07:04] It would also give us time to contact the architects and see if maybe they could be available
[1:07:10] if there's questions at the work session.
[1:07:15] So I guess I would ask the School Board Presidency and one of our school board members, would
[1:07:23] do you like to could you go could you ask if there's availability for the majority of the members
[1:07:30] to meet with us on the first you
[1:07:35] think it'll work?
[1:07:40] Well I can't remember it faster. So I agree to
[1:07:46] the work session but I think the reason why this ended up on our agenda is because we've had super
[1:07:52] superintendent involvement with this exact item.
[1:07:57] And actually, it was recommended to us
[1:08:00] front by the superintendent to use
[1:08:04] Herman Hutchins Elementary School
[1:08:05] and touted as this would be a really great place
[1:08:09] to have a childcare facility.
[1:08:11] And then at the work session for the childcare facility
[1:08:15] selection, the acting superintendent again
[1:08:20] was at that work session as a strong proponent of this work moving forward.
[1:08:30] And so that's why I think it ended up on the agenda, the way that it did.
[1:08:34] And I do believe it's been a very public, very transparent process.
[1:08:39] I think that childcare is, we just have to make sure that we are delineating these lines.
[1:08:45] It is not school board, it's not school K through 12 related and we've been very, you know, open and transparent about that as well with the superintendent, you know, the whole time it's been, this is not a school board issue, this is not related to K through 12, this is its own function, it's an independent industry that will reside alongside our elementary school.
[1:09:14] So I think we were not trying to slight the school board in any way shape or form and the reason that it got on this agenda is for all of those reasons that I just mentioned.
[1:09:26] So I'm amenable to having a work session but I really I would like to see this work to continue to move forward as it is a council priority and it's been a top priority for a number of years.
[1:09:39] and this is taken, it takes, this is hard work and it takes long, long hours and we've had
[1:09:46] a child care task force that volunteered to come in with all the leaders in our community and put
[1:09:53] in a tremendous amount of time to this work. So I'm amenable to a work session but I think that
[1:10:00] that is my explanation as far as why that and this ended up on our agenda this evening
[1:10:05] And I wish we could vote it through tonight, but I'll go for the rest of it.
[1:10:11] I'll just chime in on the motion to postpone from
[1:10:19] the very beginning of the Childcare Task Force.
[1:10:21] We've had school involvement from day one from the superintendent involved in that task force.
[1:10:28] And that was open to people, the public, and we have volunteers serving on that task force.
[1:10:31] And, in fact, the superintendent was on the subcommittee of that task for us, regarding
[1:10:37] specifically for the facility.
[1:10:42] And even early on, that subcommittee was circling to the school is something that this makes
[1:10:48] a lot of the boxes.
[1:10:51] So we've had the schools involved from the very beginning.
[1:10:54] This is over a year ago, more than.
[1:10:56] and countless volunteer hours.
[1:10:58] Now we extended public funds for the architectural analysis.
[1:11:02] Everything was publicly noticed.
[1:11:04] It was deliberative.
[1:11:05] It was methodical.
[1:11:07] Board member Prox, who shared the email with the council,
[1:11:11] he came and voiced his ideas when the task force report
[1:11:17] came out.
[1:11:19] And then now we're hearing from him
[1:11:21] that we surprised to see this on our agenda.
[1:11:24] that even though two weeks ago we had a public work session
[1:11:27] on the old thing, I believe President Kim was invited
[1:11:30] to that work session.
[1:11:32] The acting superintendent was there
[1:11:34] and elementary school principal is there.
[1:11:38] George's strong support for what's in front of us right now,
[1:11:41] which is approval of the selection of the West Wing
[1:11:43] or their Herman Hutchins Elementary School.
[1:11:46] And when the Task Force Committee's report came out,
[1:11:48] one of the key things we discussed was we need
[1:11:50] to identify this facility so that we can actually start
[1:11:53] having concrete operation and management discussions so that we can actually bring that box.
[1:12:00] And the only questions I saw in Board Member Prox's email that were substantive were about
[1:12:06] management and operation. They weren't about the site selection. And so what I'm afraid of is by
[1:12:13] postponing, we're going to get down the road of this management and operations discussion, which
[1:12:20] first we need to either approve this school thing or not because if we're not going to go
[1:12:24] with the school, we're talking to the wrong people about the management operation part.
[1:12:28] We've already highlighted that as council member Devon stated, in the task forces
[1:12:33] combed through all that, we know that's going to be the huge rat's nest that council member
[1:12:38] prox said that is the harder part, the management and operations. So I don't approve post-pony
[1:12:44] this just so that we can have a discussion about items that are going to be coming down the road.
[1:12:49] but I absolutely support meeting with the school board
[1:12:52] about what this could look like management now,
[1:12:54] facing wise, and if things come up in that,
[1:12:56] that clearly state that the school ain't the spot,
[1:12:59] then that's a whole other horse of a different color.
[1:13:01] But we've had architects where experts
[1:13:03] in designing childcare facilities,
[1:13:05] who were here two weeks ago,
[1:13:07] telling us what a great spot this is,
[1:13:09] and we unanimously, not by vote, but all give a head nod.
[1:13:14] And now it kind of seems like there's the surprise,
[1:13:16] but we've had a superintendent and numerous school board people on board the
[1:13:21] whole time. Are they not telling the school board what's going on? I just don't
[1:13:28] understand it's a failure to communicate because I feel like we've done our
[1:13:30] part to communicate. So I don't see the harm in moving ahead without this
[1:13:36] phoning and just getting this rolling and having a work session absolutely we're
[1:13:39] going to be in the facility that they manage. So we have to have that
[1:13:42] discussion. So once we approve this hopefully then we have that
[1:13:46] discussion. So, and we have such an agenda coming up with the next, you know, all our budget
[1:13:52] meetings. You want to stuff the, you want to stuff the museum discussion with a regular agenda
[1:13:57] meeting? I mean, I don't, but that's just my two cents. That's my resort and then now Lallie.
[1:14:05] Yeah, I think you kind of hit the nail on the head. My frustration is board member Pracks was at the
[1:14:14] very initial task force meeting. And like I said, they literally didn't know they said
[1:14:22] out loud, why are we here? We don't have an interest in child care. But what frustrates
[1:14:27] me is his position has not changed. And he can't tell me he hasn't followed this from
[1:14:33] one end to the other. So that's my objection to a delay is the one person I got email from
[1:14:41] is on record and already opposed this a long time ago. I don't see what's changed.
[1:14:49] You know if everybody else put the effort into it and he hasn't changed his
[1:14:55] position so why is that a surprise at this point?
[1:14:59] Have a good day.
[1:15:00] And I guess my concern is what the mayor mentioned about starting this off on the wrong footer with a bone contention, but if we postpone this and have a work session, and there's questions that we're not going to be able to answer. So I think with the head nods that we got to during the last meeting or during the work session, I don't think there's anything
[1:15:30] that's going to change the minds here so is it still going to are we going to get by that
[1:15:36] bone of contention at the next meeting or are we going to be in the same place and we've just
[1:15:41] kicked the can down the road for two weeks.
[1:15:47] I agree with the points that everybody is making in
[1:15:50] regards to the delay. I personally do not see a specific utility in this delay. I'm with the
[1:15:59] opinion that the sole utility of this delay is a professional courtesy of another elected
[1:16:05] board who is in a position to oversee the facility that we are discussing. I don't see
[1:16:13] at just as Councilman Lalli was just saying, I don't see any possibility that they are
[1:16:19] going to come up with a million great reasons why this is a bad idea because we've had four
[1:16:23] years to figure that out. And so far, it has every time come out as the best possible solution
[1:16:29] of the problem is we see it. However, I think that the wheels of the government turn slowly
[1:16:35] because they're hard to stop and they're hard to start. And if an elected person in a position
[1:16:43] of overseeing this facility says that they have apprehension and they requested a meeting specifically
[1:16:48] for the purpose of discussing it, I think that we should offer them the opportunity to discuss it.
[1:16:54] Even if we don't feel that our minds will be changed, and I'll be honest, I do not feel that my
[1:16:58] and mine will be changed.
[1:16:59] I support the use of this facility absolutely,
[1:17:02] but I would like to lend them the opportunity.
[1:17:05] Ms. Mershaye.
[1:17:07] I agree 100% with what council member Devon's just saying.
[1:17:11] That is exactly what I feel the purpose
[1:17:13] of the discussion would be.
[1:17:16] Mayor Flamingo's was hand raised.
[1:17:18] Mayor Flamingo?
[1:17:21] Yeah, and I just want to say I support, you know,
[1:17:23] exactly what Jimmy said.
[1:17:24] I just see this as an opportunity for us to get
[1:17:27] the two responsible parties together that are going to be running a facility right next to each other.
[1:17:33] One inside the other is building ours being the building and our facility inside with the
[1:17:38] school board answering questions because we did make some assumptions in the original talk.
[1:17:44] Now I'm not talking about going back and you know if there are council members or school board members
[1:17:49] that say well who's going to run your facility. At this point we don't know and it's basically we're
[1:17:54] going to work, you know, to try to solve that problem. I have no problem saying that.
[1:17:58] But at the same time, if there's discussions around, well, is it possible, you know, when
[1:18:02] you guys are doing this, that we get this done in this building, this done, as we kind
[1:18:06] of move forward, I don't really see it a big deal. I'd like to give them the professional
[1:18:11] courtesy of being there when we make our, just before we make our decision. And that's, that's
[1:18:17] where I'm at.
[1:18:18] Any other council comments or discussion?
[1:18:23] Public comment, discussion?
[1:18:29] The only king of all these city school board chair.
[1:18:32] I just want to bring you up to date on how with that.
[1:18:35] You guys are kind of right.
[1:18:37] We did have a superintendent.
[1:18:39] He's no longer with us.
[1:18:42] Guess why?
[1:18:43] But that superintendent you guys say was all with you.
[1:18:47] At a meeting with Florida Prox on the radio.
[1:18:49] And he said to go forward it's incompatibility and expense of changing the space isn't going to work.
[1:18:57] So he said that on the radio.
[1:18:59] We were under the impression this was not, you guys were doing your thing and it just was not going to happen for us.
[1:19:05] Like it didn't work.
[1:19:06] That's what we were under the impression of.
[1:19:08] You may have told you something different.
[1:19:10] I don't deny that.
[1:19:12] We did get an invite from Nate Devall, assistant city manager the other day.
[1:19:16] I was out but Jason Weber was able to attend and I think that's what you're referring to.
[1:19:23] That's the elementary school principal and the acting superintendent and he was all excited about.
[1:19:29] He came back and told us about it and that was literally the first we'd heard of it other than in the past like we were an option.
[1:19:38] So we're like, oh wow, we're the one and nobody's contacted us on that.
[1:19:42] did seem like this was the first for us.
[1:19:46] So we asked Superintendent, wherever to contact Nate DeBal,
[1:19:50] he sent him an email, said, hey, can we have a meeting?
[1:19:53] Nate is, I assume, out, okay.
[1:19:55] So he didn't get back to him.
[1:19:57] So then we saw it on the agenda.
[1:19:59] Joe proxied that you guys had it on there,
[1:20:02] and it was new stuff.
[1:20:03] So that's kind of how that went down.
[1:20:07] I do think that it would be good for our board
[1:20:11] to be on board with this as you would be operating a daycare in the school system. How that's going to work. I
[1:20:18] don't know. I have submitted this question to our lawyer, John Cedar, just if he has any concerns. I just
[1:20:27] think of it a great idea to press all of you on the same page. And that's why we're not. That's why we're
[1:20:33] fully in the dark. And I apologize for that.
[1:20:43] Mayor Fleming, did you have something to comment on?
[1:20:48] No, sorry, my hand was still ready. Sorry.
[1:21:04] Happy Todd speaking is a Veldy School Board member, but speaking for myself, because really,
[1:21:10] you know, we already heard how much extra I'm working.
[1:21:14] So I haven't gone through you guys as a agenda every single time or every.
[1:21:18] I haven't served on the on the gun of the meetings at the child care, whatever.
[1:21:23] But that really was the first time that we had heard that we were in the main
[1:21:29] intention for being the facility. I'd probably, probably all for it, but I heard about that you guys were going to vote on that by reading my KVA K of newsletter at eight o'clock this morning while I was eating breakfast and managed to print that out and I haven't had a chance to read all 51 pages of it yet.
[1:21:45] I can't speak as myself, I can't speak as anything other than myself because the board hasn't had a chance to discuss this.
[1:21:53] It does affect K-12 education if we're going to say, okay, now we need to use this many classrooms instead of this many classrooms.
[1:22:01] I think that's entirely doable as a person, but I don't know what the board thinks about that.
[1:22:06] Or the last time I heard about using school district facilities was using the administration building and using moving the administration over to that that wing of the school.
[1:22:16] So we're way behind. I think that when you're talking about superintendents leaving and destroying a bridge, I'm not sure there was very good bridge there to begin with is the problem.
[1:22:26] and that's not you guys' fault in any way, shape or form, but we're very sorry about that,
[1:22:32] but it would feel less like I possibly take over if we did what Mayor Fleming said and kind of
[1:22:41] you know get to start out on good foot instead of on a bad foot. So I hope you can do this.
[1:22:48] I have a worry about you doing the session right before your meeting because that doesn't
[1:22:56] and give us any time to talk about it with each other.
[1:22:59] I think I hope, Caitlin, is the one who sets our agenda
[1:23:01] that we get to talk about it maybe ahead of time,
[1:23:04] but we won't have any other information
[1:23:05] within that 51 page thing.
[1:23:07] So we can, and maybe what Jason knows.
[1:23:09] But we can definitely talk about it in our meeting,
[1:23:12] or move our work session so that we will have a chance
[1:23:14] to talk about it before the October first meeting
[1:23:17] because then you're gonna vote on it.
[1:23:19] Right after that, which basically says
[1:23:22] that whatever you guys say in the work session
[1:23:24] is us telling you it has nothing to do with the school board having anything to do with what happens in its buildings.
[1:23:31] So it's less of a slap in the face, but it's still not great.
[1:23:35] And we deserve it because we didn't know what our superintendent was doing, but it would be nice if we could actually have some real conversation.
[1:23:44] Thank you.
[1:23:44] Any
[1:23:50] other public comment on the motion to post them?
[1:23:59] I agree with Dr. Todd Sentiment about the timing of the work session.
[1:24:06] If we could consider an alternate date, if that's possible for somebody, I know that the
[1:24:11] time frame is relatively short, but even just a few days earlier, I think could really give
[1:24:18] them an opportunity to have their own work session on the topic if they would like to prepare
[1:24:22] a statement.
[1:24:23] And it's just the school board meeting before the first or next
[1:24:30] Monday, they're meeting
[1:24:31] next Monday.
[1:24:45] So at your meeting on October 1st, if something comes, if there's something that would cause
[1:24:55] you to want to delay it further, you always have an option of postponing that again.
[1:25:01] And there's no rule and there's no limit on postponing items.
[1:25:08] So if something came out of that work session where you still felt that you're not wanting
[1:25:14] to make a decision that night on the item on the agenda, you can postpone it again.
[1:25:20] So you do have that option.
[1:25:21] You are not tied into taking action on until reversed following the work session.
[1:25:28] My concern is that with our work session rolling directly into the meeting that doesn't give the school board an opportunity to speak as a unified body.
[1:25:39] We would just hear the individual opinions of the school board members and I would like to offer them an opportunity to deliberate if they were to need such an opportunity.
[1:25:51] So we defer, we defer this item from the last agenda matter, and this will be the second
[1:26:03] time.
[1:26:04] We just introduced it since the first time.
[1:26:08] We just have the work session regarding the report from the architect that our last meeting
[1:26:14] is the first time this is the upper action.
[1:26:17] Okay,
[1:26:23] let's call for the vote on the motion to postpone.
[1:26:27] All those in favor of postponing this item to the meeting of October 1st, please say aye.
[1:26:34] Aye.
[1:26:35] Aye.
[1:26:35] Aye.
[1:26:36] Those opposed.
[1:26:37] No.
[1:26:39] Okay.
[1:26:40] It appears that we have four years and three days, but let's do show a hand for me.
[1:26:46] All those in favor, please.
[1:27:00] Okay, so this
[1:27:08] will be postponed to the meeting of October 1st and now we just have this
[1:27:13] look back to resolve the work session is what is the we move forward with the work session
[1:27:20] and before the meeting on October 1st,
[1:27:24] is that the will of the council?
[1:27:26] And my instructor Nelson just noted
[1:27:29] that October 3rd would be an option as well
[1:27:32] because there is not that Thursday,
[1:27:34] if it wanted to be a standalone day,
[1:27:36] is also open because there is not a budget work session
[1:27:39] on that Thursday.
[1:27:40] So we don't have a budget work session as well.
[1:27:42] So the special meeting?
[1:27:44] Following the discussion.
[1:27:46] No work session.
[1:27:48] But with this, we'd still be on the agenda item
[1:27:50] with that October virtually so we have to postpone then again yeah for two more weeks so if
[1:27:57] there's any availability for an earlier work session that would be ideal for me I don't know
[1:28:02] how everybody else feels about that so is it possible to have a work session on the 23rd
[1:28:11] September since
[1:28:14] they're meeting on the 23rd I just give them that's time to prepare don't think that just that
[1:28:22] It sounds like we're in deferred until the 15th, so just to be able to be clear here as
[1:28:29] well.
[1:28:29] Today's Wednesday.
[1:28:30] I was just going to ask, like, I've been on the school board, but never been in this sort
[1:28:37] of position before, but when you guys have your meeting and you were able to review the material
[1:28:43] and discuss it, you'll come to consensus or do any kind of a vote, how would we get the,
[1:28:51] I guess, the input from the school board so that it weighs in on our work session and decision, I guess, when we make it on the first.
[1:29:03] President Kennedy, do you want to speak to that?
[1:29:05] We could
[1:29:16] set something on the agenda following that meeting, but in the form of a discussion that we could forward to you or you could be attention to.
[1:29:30] You
[1:29:32] wouldn't have anything prior to your October 1st meeting after that, so.
[1:29:43] So my, maybe I was confused, but what I was thinking that it would be a joint work session
[1:29:50] with the council and the school board on the 1st of October.
[1:29:54] So this is a joint work session.
[1:30:00] Yes, the item has to come back on your agenda October 1st as well, but I just was thinking that this would give you a time period to go over the materials prior to our work session on the first. We would be more than happy at least has all the information to any more than happy to to give you anything that you need during that time as well. So let's, it's everybody on board with the first do a work session before that means.
[1:30:30] So we do have it, and that's that.
[1:30:34] No opposition tonight.
[1:30:35] Can we hear what the president members of the school board have to say?
[1:30:39] They seem to be prepared with some sort of,
[1:30:42] you know, they're standing at the podium.
[1:30:43] I assume they have some sort of implied hours.
[1:30:44] No, we're just trying.
[1:30:46] So speculating, you know,
[1:30:49] Caitlin and the acting superintendent in charge of the agenda,
[1:30:51] we could change what we were going to do for a work session on the 23rd to be this.
[1:30:56] Either with you guys or without you guys.
[1:30:58] And then we could have an item on our agenda, if saying, you know, do we want to make
[1:31:03] an official statement, which we could either make an official statement or not make an
[1:31:07] official statement, if that were on the agenda, the same day as a work session.
[1:31:12] I just don't know how we make a statement prior to that.
[1:31:16] Well, no, but we could say, you know, put something on there and then revise it.
[1:31:21] So, I mean, we could come to a consensus at that meeting, but only if we put it on our
[1:31:26] agenda based on what we think might happen at the work session.
[1:31:32] But I think that then we could have, speak with one voice which we would not be able to
[1:31:36] do after the October 1st session.
[1:31:41] So the matter of whether you guys come to our meeting or we come to your meeting and whether
[1:31:46] the thing we have for our work session, we could probably post on.
[1:31:49] Yeah.
[1:31:50] Jerry, do you have any advice?
[1:31:51] Yeah, I have one more thing.
[1:31:53] I'm sorry.
[1:31:53] So,
[1:31:56] he's played a huge part in this and so the 23rd, I believe that's his first day
[1:32:05] back.
[1:32:06] This is his first day back in the office.
[1:32:08] So I think it's really difficult to throw him into a work session with no kind of background
[1:32:14] of what's going on on the 23rd.
[1:32:16] I think it would be, I think we need to give him the opportunity to participate fully.
[1:32:26] So I think it would be, it would be difficult for staff, I think, to prepare for a work session on the 23rd.
[1:32:35] Do you manage it, Deborah?
[1:32:37] Just one thing, if, you know, I think my work collection is clearly not the best right now, but I believe what council of the work session,
[1:32:48] and to use the report from the architects from that feedback,
[1:32:51] you all came to a joint sort of nod
[1:32:53] head that the school after the advice from the architects
[1:32:56] and their opinion and all the positives and negatives
[1:32:59] for all the sites.
[1:33:00] That's the information that you all use
[1:33:02] and you get the decision of that.
[1:33:03] Well, there's no additional information
[1:33:05] that's being provided.
[1:33:06] Yeah, and that, that we can provide
[1:33:09] in terms of additional information
[1:33:11] before you all would meet on the 23rd.
[1:33:13] So I don't know if there's anything else we could provide.
[1:33:15] That would be a more informed decision
[1:33:17] I think the only other thing is the childcare task force report that talks to some of the sites that build up that went into the architect report.
[1:33:25] I think those two, those are the two.
[1:33:29] Is that the, I found a six page.
[1:33:33] No paper on the.
[1:33:34] The mic.
[1:33:35] Let's say President King and member Todd.
[1:33:40] I did today send the link to our work session and it was too late in the afternoon probably for folks to see it.
[1:33:49] But I did send the Architects report, the Child Care Task Force final report and links to a couple of key work sessions along to Jason and you came into your school board email.
[1:34:02] So hopefully you all have that and can distribute it through the school board for review.
[1:34:07] The Child Care Task Force reports about 70 pages, which is significant.
[1:34:12] there's a couple of pieces in there that are really specific to the facility and I can direct folks to the child care task force meetings where facilities were discussed as well if that's helpful.
[1:34:33] So to clarify, I feel like what you're saying, and I believe so too, that with the information
[1:34:38] out there that they can provide, I mean, I think the thought would be that you guys in
[1:34:44] your own work session can utilize those materials to, you know, then come to our work session
[1:34:50] on October 1st with your feelings about the project and we can have a good conversation
[1:34:56] about, you know, your concerns or what you think about the project or, you know, what have you.
[1:35:02] I believe because we use all of that information to come to whatever decision, you know,
[1:35:08] where the council stands as a right this moment. So you guys should be able to do that as well.
[1:35:13] And it sounds like Elise has provided that information. So, I mean, I think we can have a good
[1:35:18] conversation on the first. If you guys are prepared to review all of that and discuss it ahead of that.
[1:35:23] Yes, we're agreed to.
[1:35:25] Council member Sorom.
[1:35:28] Yeah, I know we just talked about Nate's gone.
[1:35:31] Can we provide the architect or a city staff member?
[1:35:36] Given the same briefing we got, if they didn't know about this,
[1:35:41] at least they go into the work session prepared.
[1:35:45] Because I think that's the issue is we're prepared to nobody else.
[1:35:50] I think we should be able to provide the architect
[1:35:52] and maybe somebody from the task force,
[1:35:55] and maybe somebody from staff,
[1:35:57] and tell them what's going on in government events.
[1:36:01] I am a little concerned about the timing
[1:36:03] of their work session in regards to Director Duval,
[1:36:09] because he has been really instrumental
[1:36:11] to this project as it's come along,
[1:36:14] and also I presume that the majority
[1:36:17] of the questions will be facility-specific questions
[1:36:21] for which he would be the person that's obviously
[1:36:22] the most qualified to answer.
[1:36:24] So I don't know if that's a major concern timing-wise,
[1:36:28] but I do suspect that that Director Duval
[1:36:32] would be probably pretty instrumental
[1:36:35] in the answering of many of their more difficult questions.
[1:36:39] I'm just worried that if we throw a volunteer
[1:36:42] from the task force into the lion's den,
[1:36:44] they may be asking questions
[1:36:45] that they don't know how to answer it.
[1:36:47] Well, Mayor Fleming, did you have anything to add?
[1:36:52] Yes, I'd be more than happy to listen to attend any work session or we got I just wanted
[1:36:57] to point out that I'm on the road so I will try to make any work session or meetings
[1:37:02] that you guys have on this issue but the chances of me being able to are going to be slim
[1:37:09] to none but I'll try to make the best effort I can so I just wanted to kind of throw that
[1:37:13] out there that you know I'm going to be busy until October 3rd.
[1:37:19] Well, I think we've got a head now, if the president came
[1:37:21] regarding them doing their best with the timing,
[1:37:24] trying to get their questions all written down
[1:37:27] or prepared or whatever to bring to the October 1st
[1:37:30] meeting so that we can bring all the appropriate consultants
[1:37:33] and staff to hopefully answer any outstanding questions
[1:37:36] that this school board may have,
[1:37:38] and hopefully the director can evolve it and be there too.
[1:37:40] I think that's a good plan and go forward with that.
[1:37:44] I would just add one thing is that any questions
[1:37:47] that are collected for Nate Duvall or any other city staff could be provided and could
[1:37:55] be answered between the 23rd and the 1st by Nate Duvall or anyone else that can answer them.
[1:38:14] Okay, thank you very much
[1:38:25] thank you for that discussion moving on to ordinances ordinance 24-12
[1:38:32] amending title to chapters 2.48 2.56 2.64 and 2.66 the values municipal code relating to
[1:38:41] a certain city about these boards and commissions,
[1:38:44] first reading public hearing.
[1:38:46] Move to approve.
[1:38:48] Second.
[1:38:51] Council discussion on emotion.
[1:38:54] We got a motion from Elfman Fasters, second by Laud.
[1:39:02] And we're right.
[1:39:04] I guess I just had a question.
[1:39:06] I know we made this change already to EDC, right?
[1:39:12] I can't remember when we did that.
[1:39:13] My brain is, I can't remember if there's been some time
[1:39:16] under our belt or not and I'm just wondering, do we have a sense of how that's impacted the EDC?
[1:39:21] Do we feel that it's been positive and it's doing what we want? I imagine probably, but I just
[1:39:26] thought I'd ask. Thank you, Council Member Shite, through the Mayor Pro Tem. Yes, it has
[1:39:32] positively impacted EDC's ability to have a quorum when they only need three members present versus four,
[1:39:40] and they only have a total of five members. They have the only reasons they've canceled meetings
[1:39:46] recently we're not core and related. They were just lack of agenda items related.
[1:39:52] Great. Thank you.
[1:39:54] How's the Mirfoss student givens?
[1:39:56] I'm curious what is going to happen to those six and seven members until
[1:40:01] well once we approved this. Sure. So how it's written is that
[1:40:08] members will just go away by attrition. So we've maintained our normal appointment cycle this year
[1:40:15] If this is adopted, folks will still be at seven members basically through this year.
[1:40:22] Next appointment cycle, it will go down to five members per commission and we just will not be
[1:40:27] appointing as many members.
[1:40:31] That's more of a devence of you. My question was answered in the last two
[1:40:37] questions. So no one's going to be removed from a commission. They will just go off naturally due to
[1:40:46] we just want we advertise for the position and when we get down to five then we're good with the big commission.
[1:40:56] This will be a great help to the ports and harbor commission. I know that they're looking forward to this.
[1:41:04] Any other council comments on the ordinance?
[1:41:08] comments from the public.
[1:41:13] All for the vote.
[1:41:16] All those in favor, please say aye.
[1:41:18] Aye.
[1:41:20] How about opposed?
[1:41:22] Okay.
[1:41:23] Seven years, motion carries.
[1:41:24] Thank you.
[1:41:25] All right.
[1:41:27] Up next, we have resolutions.
[1:41:29] The first one on tap is 24-37 authorizing the submission of a reconnecting community's pilot
[1:41:36] discretionary grant program application to the U.S. Department of Transportation to assist
[1:41:41] with the subsequent pavement management construction of motion.
[1:41:45] Move to approve.
[1:41:46] Second.
[1:41:47] Kevin's move.
[1:41:49] Second of the foster.
[1:41:53] We have Director Nelson up.
[1:41:54] Do you want to speak or you just have a question and comments?
[1:41:58] Oh, I'll just give you a little preview of this one.
[1:42:03] Mostly because there's some important news here
[1:42:05] that written in the agenda statement,
[1:42:08] we did not get the raise grant with USD of 2.
[1:42:10] And so this is our second choice for that same scope of that project.
[1:42:17] And so here we are, it's a higher match, and so that's why it's the second choice.
[1:42:23] And we also think that there's some criteria that maybe we just don't qualify for.
[1:42:28] So it might be a stretch, but we're going to try and this is a presumed to an internal policy
[1:42:35] to just bring a resolution forward and City Council just brings transparency to the activities
[1:42:42] that the organization is pursuing as far as financing opportunities for some of the upcoming
[1:42:47] projects. So thank you, Dr. Nelson. Questions and comments for Council? So, Rob? Mr. Boster?
[1:42:56] I just want to reinforce what Senator Sullivan said. At that last meeting, we probably should
[1:43:04] hang on him that we're applying for this. He made a big point of that, so why not?
[1:43:14] We reach out to CHCG and they bring outreach to get letters of support for all of those
[1:43:19] items. So they're courting for all of our Alaska delegation to get those letters of support.
[1:43:25] Foster, I think it's great that we're attempting to apply for another grant. I did know what
[1:43:31] Alan says and hopefully this year when we travel to DC we can find some other
[1:43:37] unveils some new grants that we could potentially apply for because I feel
[1:43:40] like that happens when we
[1:43:42] lobby.
[1:43:46] All right, I'll be coming.
[1:43:49] All for the vote.
[1:43:54] All those in favor.
[1:43:57] All the polls.
[1:43:57] Hi.
[1:43:59] Seven. Seven yeas motion carries.
[1:44:03] Yeah, you're faster at that flattened canvas.
[1:44:09] We
[1:44:14] got a resolution 24-38 amending the 2024 Valdez budget by appropriating additional $150,000 to leave liability reserve relief cashouts to be transferred from budget variance reserve.
[1:44:26] We have a motion.
[1:44:27] No, too approved.
[1:44:29] Second.
[1:44:30] Second by Foster, second by Lally.
[1:44:32] Dr. Nelson.
[1:44:34] Thank you, Mayor.
[1:44:37] I do have the exact number that we came up with with $111,311,328, rounded up to $250,000.
[1:44:49] So I just want to point out that during the 2024 budget process Council Member Soorem
[1:44:53] a question my figure that I put in for the leave liability reserve and mentioned it.
[1:45:00] I wondered if that was enough given the macro conditions with long-term employees moving in and out of positions here and there and seeing that in other communities. And I assured him that I was budgeting for a reasonable figure, the high end of average. And for the first time in my life, I was wrong.
[1:45:21] We have a confession? It's on record. We have a confession on record from Director Nelson.
[1:45:30] All right, I don't know if we'll get forgiveness that we do have a confession. Any comments or questions on the motion?
[1:45:45] Seeing none, public comment, call for the vote.
[1:45:49] Well, those are favorite, please say aye.
[1:45:51] Aye.
[1:45:52] Aye.
[1:45:53] Those votes may have 78 motion carries.
[1:46:00] Third resolution, we got 24 to 39 amending the 2024 budget by accepting an award from the state of Alaska
[1:46:06] the Department of Corrections and the amount of $7,500 for capital improvements benefiting
[1:46:10] the jail and $40,164, maybe two cents in general operation support, authorizing expenditures
[1:46:18] in the amount of $47,664, the 82 cents.
[1:46:23] We have a motion.
[1:46:24] We have to approve.
[1:46:25] Second.
[1:46:26] Second.
[1:46:26] Second.
[1:46:27] Hi.
[1:46:31] Thank you, Dennis.
[1:46:34] Okay.
[1:46:38] Okay.
[1:46:39] Director Nelson, do you have anything on this one?
[1:46:41] We submitted a couple of requests from the state for $7500 and they said, here's your money and by the way, take some more and we said, okay.
[1:46:51] Thank you, State of Alaska.
[1:46:53] Comments from Council questions?
[1:46:58] Will they comment?
[1:47:00] I'll put them up.
[1:47:01] All those in favor, please say aye.
[1:47:04] Aye.
[1:47:05] Aye.
[1:47:06] I already noticed.
[1:47:07] All those opposed?
[1:47:09] Seven years.
[1:47:10] Motion carries.
[1:47:11] Thank you.
[1:47:13] All right.
[1:47:15] Resolution in the fourth one, 24-40, amending the 2024 city budget by accepting a U.S. Department
[1:47:21] of Housing and Urban Development Community Project Funding Grant, an amount of $3 million in authorizing
[1:47:27] the expenditure of the same motion to approve?
[1:47:30] Second.
[1:47:31] Moved by Devon, second by Foster,
[1:47:35] council discussion.
[1:47:37] Councilor Foster.
[1:47:40] I just want to send my deepest gratitude to Senator Murkowski
[1:47:44] for allocating this $3 million to our city
[1:47:48] for us to help address our childcare issues.
[1:47:52] And I'm grateful for Elise Sornberg's work with all of this
[1:48:04] I just wanted to make the point that even the federal government believes that housing
[1:48:08] and childcare are deeply connected and this program specifically illustrates that.
[1:48:20] I would just say that just to add that during the work session on the childcare facility,
[1:48:27] it was stated overtly that the $3 million comes off the table for new construction that it
[1:48:35] has to be used for an existing facility refurbishment.
[1:48:44] I'll get some questions on the resolution.
[1:48:49] Help me comment, help it vote.
[1:48:54] On those in favor, please say aye.
[1:48:56] Aye.
[1:48:57] Aye.
[1:48:58] Who's opposed?
[1:49:00] Seven yeas, motion carries.
[1:49:03] All right, next on the document we have reports.
[1:49:06] I'll just go through individually and somebody call out.
[1:49:09] If you want to pull one, we've got the quarterly financially
[1:49:12] some reports from June 30, 2024,
[1:49:18] right?
[1:49:19] Nobody will now in procurement report, purchase of annual financial management system from
[1:49:24] Kacel in the amount of $40,000, $40,000, $48.
[1:49:32] Number three procurement report, purchase of Microsoft 365 GCC, annual from structured communication
[1:49:38] systems in the amount of 75,600,
[1:49:43] and procurement report, purchase of Valdez Container Terminal
[1:49:46] Fiber Repair and Replacement Project with Sherman Technologies, LLC, and the amount of $79,200.
[1:49:52] Another
[1:49:58] report?
[1:50:00] City Manager report.
[1:50:02] Thank you, Mayor Prattem.
[1:50:04] Love.
[1:50:05] I just wanted to give you an update, Council on the Housing and Scentive Program.
[1:50:09] We have eight applications that have been fully approved and awarded.
[1:50:13] We have a total of 15 that are working their way through.
[1:50:17] There are a couple, two, that have been denied and we're working with those folks to see if
[1:50:22] there's a way that they can qualify just just the orientation of their uses and site.
[1:50:27] It's just not doesn't meet the qualifications in the resolution, but we do, you know,
[1:50:32] encourage them to reapply if they can find a way to meet those conditions.
[1:50:37] So we're in through that.
[1:50:38] There's one you updated that still moving forward.
[1:50:41] The Sean from the senior housing project reached out recently and said that they're basically fully
[1:50:49] intended, I think they're looking for one more unit, but I think they're really solid
[1:50:54] for their financing there.
[1:50:57] I think some of their income levels, the amount of income they can, sorry, the amount of
[1:51:02] rent they can collect has been reduced from their original pro forma, so, they may raise
[1:51:12] that issue in the future, but I just wanted to highlight that for you, but it's so far really
[1:51:18] positive and they're leasing up. And then just wanted to highlight that we have a new staff member,
[1:51:27] we have Lizzie Bird, who's just doing the IT department, the IT tech. So, we're doing a lot of
[1:51:35] frontline work with our staff and, you know, Matt can speak to it if he'd like, but sounds like Lizzie,
[1:51:41] the big gamer and loves to crochet stuff to animals. So, either of those things are
[1:51:47] and interest to you, call Lazy Bird.
[1:51:51] Then that, we had a robust discussion on child care,
[1:51:54] so I think we're next up there.
[1:51:57] Of course, as Jacob said from Keynide, the EAS,
[1:52:02] some committee has met twice.
[1:52:05] We reviewed the applications about the matrix of things
[1:52:10] that sort of are of concern from hearing from the public.
[1:52:16] And so, and some of the criteria is that the subcommittee fields are important for consideration.
[1:52:24] So we still need to find a time to meet one more time before the October 1st meeting to try to formulate something to bring to the council for a recommendation.
[1:52:32] So looking at October 1st date, but we still need to meet.
[1:52:36] I don't know if we'll have time to meet before the bill.
[1:52:38] We need to do that.
[1:52:38] That's the essential air service of committee.
[1:52:41] So it's a government response through them, that is.
[1:52:44] And so yeah, public comment, there's been about 30 comments
[1:52:48] from the public so far.
[1:52:49] They're also on the same website as the applications.
[1:52:52] So you can review those as well.
[1:52:54] And so that public comment period ends the 23rd.
[1:52:57] And just wanted to highlight that.
[1:53:02] Other than that, that's it for today.
[1:53:04] Did I answer your question?
[1:53:05] Sorry, yes, okay.
[1:53:06] That's it for me.
[1:53:07] Any questions for to you, Andrew?
[1:53:10] Council Member Shae?
[1:53:11] Yeah.
[1:53:12] Is it?
[1:53:14] No,
[1:53:17] sorry.
[1:53:17] I'll do it.
[1:53:17] Do you have an update?
[1:53:18] Yes.
[1:53:19] So we,
[1:53:23] and I'll let Jake to jump in as he sees fit, but we, you know, I wasn't here for
[1:53:29] the Council meeting, but you all proved the ability for us to draw two contracts that we
[1:53:36] have drawn this up.
[1:53:37] We've reached out and we've gotten two contractors to do the hookups here in town.
[1:53:41] So we developed the waiver.
[1:53:42] So we feel this city is removed from liability for the contract work and the contractors also so feel confident in that
[1:53:50] So they're doing all the inspections anyone who hadn't got their final CFO or billion inspections are
[1:53:56] These contractors will do start to finish if they sign the agreement and so we've made the agreement available through docu
[1:54:03] Sign at the front counter with the clerks and also be
[1:54:07] the paper copy and then they can also do it on, you know, a tablet in the main lobby
[1:54:12] of City Hall. So, folks who wanted, you're part of that hookup system, the city is doing.
[1:54:19] They can sign that waiver and the contractors will get started on their project, but they're
[1:54:22] here. They've just, they got your last weekend, so they should be here for the next week or
[1:54:27] so.
[1:54:28] I'm sorry, just to follow up, did you? Are we just reaching out? Did we reach out to all
[1:54:32] those people directly to say hey this is in place and if you need a small work with us you know
[1:54:38] command or what I did instruction. Yeah so we um did an initial outreach around email to make sure
[1:54:45] that and inform the property manager and um so that was communicated we start going to do the door
[1:54:54] knockers um which gives sort of the explanation of what we're doing um and so that'll be the next step
[1:55:01] but it sounds like the quickest way to reach people
[1:55:04] to get them to fill out everything out
[1:55:05] was through doc design, was minor training,
[1:55:07] but through Kate, and so we've gotten about like 20.
[1:55:11] So they're busy, but certainly have Kate speak
[1:55:16] to the next council meeting.
[1:55:17] We should hopefully be done by them.
[1:55:25] I just had one other question.
[1:55:29] We, back in May, we had housing work session
[1:55:34] and where we talked about a whole bunch of stuff.
[1:55:36] But one of the things we talked about
[1:55:38] was having another housing work session
[1:55:40] where we kind of talked about the next steps, right?
[1:55:43] And looking at the potential future subdivisions
[1:55:47] and we kind of laid things, options out the council
[1:55:51] and we were gonna come back and sort of talk about them
[1:55:54] and get some direction on how the committee could move forward.
[1:55:58] So I was just wanting to circle back
[1:56:00] And I know we kind of shifted our focus towards rightfully so, you know, towards the mobile home program and everything, but I guess I just wanted to find out I'm not on that committee anymore.
[1:56:13] So I was wanting to find out, you know, what it is. And if we had a timeline or a thought on when that work session might happen, don't want to drop the ball on, you know, forward motion and continue to look at future housing opportunities.
[1:56:24] So I checked in.
[1:56:27] Absolutely, and I need to still convene that so I need to reach out to subcommittee members
[1:56:31] and pick up where the last subcommittee left off there.
[1:56:37] We are
[1:56:42] happy to pull that together in terms of the next steps on housing side.
[1:56:47] We also wanted to discuss a couple of snow lot locations in conjunction with that that
[1:56:54] they've identified as meaning the need as we see more growth in some of the sites that
[1:57:01] we use informally and formally for snow storage become less available because we're, you
[1:57:06] know, in construction downtown, which is a good thing.
[1:57:09] So I think we'll have the conversation around, you know, feature up with side what that looks
[1:57:14] like.
[1:57:14] I think we've brought you a preliminary design on what that could be, and so we'd probably
[1:57:19] maybe a touch of K about how much time we've been able to massage that feedback into the
[1:57:24] site plan. So when Kate and Nate are back on Monday, I'll follow up with the subcommittee
[1:57:29] and try to form a time for us all to get together.
[1:57:32] Okay, thank you. Appreciate it.
[1:57:33] Thank you for minding me.
[1:57:34] Remember these from May?
[1:57:36] Yes.
[1:57:38] You guys ever saw?
[1:57:40] Yeah. I was wondering if the administration's got anything in the realm of the public
[1:57:46] employees' relations act. The city, and I don't know why they did it, but they
[1:57:54] opted out of that mechanism or homeroom municipality.
[1:58:00] And I don't know how it
[1:58:02] ended up that way, but every city I ever worked for had opted out of it, which I
[1:58:05] think is unfortunate. I think there's probably support, at least talking to the
[1:58:12] mayor for the mayor to put something on the agenda. I think there's probably a couple council members that be happy to put it on the agenda.
[1:58:21] I know Wrangle opted back in by Resolution. I don't think it's a heavy lift. I know there's members of a fire department that would like to be in the International Firefighters Association because there's some unique benefits available to that.
[1:58:37] And I think there's a lot of advantages
[1:58:40] in our employees being represented.
[1:58:42] But I'd like to get it on the table one way or the other.
[1:58:47] It's just been discussed and beat around.
[1:58:51] And I think at some point, we need
[1:58:53] to get it on the table and talk about it.
[1:58:59] Yeah, it certainly come up in discussion internally.
[1:59:06] You're right. That's a sort of that seems like accurate from my understanding that maybe one
[1:59:14] week maybe that proposes that you know I don't believe there's anything for venting anyone from
[1:59:21] joining something like that organization whether the city recognizes it on site is a different matter
[1:59:27] So I just want to make that find distinction for folks in that way.
[1:59:34] And so we are actively working with folks staff internally to figure out what was see coming
[1:59:42] out of some sort of change and how we do operate around public employee relations.
[1:59:47] What's the end goal?
[1:59:48] Is it to expand healthcare benefits, is it to, you know, what are we looking at?
[1:59:52] And so trying to identify what that looks like and if we need to take any counsel action to you know or bring anything to
[2:00:00] Council to solve any concerns around payment. Yeah, and I guess I'd like to see a resolution with the city of L.D.'s opting back into pair. I think that should be the discussion.
[2:00:14] Home rule, municipality, I think back when this was set up, they're supposed to provide kind of equal service opportunity or actions with employees. And I can't really release
[2:00:29] my time and values. I don't think that was exactly how things were run. And I
[2:00:35] guess my point is I want to see a resolution on the table from the city to
[2:00:40] opt back in the pair. I think that's what the discussion needs to be very
[2:00:47] I do. I know that Rhea, a human resource has been doing work on this. And so she's not
[2:01:02] here. You are here. You're hiding back there. So maybe Rhea can add some.
[2:01:10] We spoke, we've spoken about it and there's a lot of implications to it. So certainly certainly
[2:01:16] something that Council is interested in doing. We're happy to explore, but it would be a major change operations for short.
[2:01:25] Mayor Fleming, did you have something to add?
[2:01:32] Sorry, I have to get off mute there.
[2:01:34] Yeah, and what I think needs to happen before resolution comes to the floor because I would support a resolution to get that there, but at the same time, I think the council as a whole.
[2:01:46] We need to be breathed by Rhea and the city manager on what advantages and disadvantages if any it gives the city, you know, and so I hate to say this, but I think there is another work session that we need to have with the council to discuss the pluses and minuses of opting back into pair and then from that point on, I think we can have, you know, that brought back to the table.
[2:02:12] So I totally support having real look into it,
[2:02:17] but I think we need time as a council, too,
[2:02:21] to understand it.
[2:02:23] And so whatever Rea can provide for us at a work session
[2:02:26] to where we can discuss it
[2:02:28] and find out what the pros and cons are.
[2:02:30] If there are any, if there's none,
[2:02:31] then yeah, I don't mind bringing it forth to the council.
[2:02:36] I don't understand, John, your last statement,
[2:02:38] they were real quick about,
[2:02:39] it would impact city you know very much because I don't know so I'm taking your word for that
[2:02:47] but I need to have Ria and you explained to me what that would be in the council you know so
[2:02:54] that's where I'm at with it I would love to see a work session with us to figure out what's best
[2:03:01] for the city and the city employees. Can we start with the discussion item too? We just maybe start
[2:03:08] there and then before we go full-blood work session, is that the medible?
[2:03:18] That's my resort?
[2:03:21] Yeah, I'm good with whatever. It just seems like there's been multiple, you know,
[2:03:29] tasks for... How about a discussion item so we talk about it? Well, that's what I mean. It's just,
[2:03:34] it's like stalled out and I'd like to see some movement on it, so that'd be good.
[2:03:44] Anything
[2:03:48] else for the city manager?
[2:03:55] Holy cow.
[2:04:00] So speaking of that, we kind of skipped over a little bit that task force that was put together
[2:04:07] to look at the essential air service.
[2:04:10] And so I think that on Councilmember Devons and Councilmember Foster, Councilmember Foster's
[2:04:17] put together sort of a spreadsheet on that.
[2:04:23] So I think that you guys have, you feel
[2:04:28] like you have a recommendation for them yet? No, you need more time?
[2:04:34] I discussed earlier with the city manager that it might be responsible for us to have one
[2:04:40] more meeting as subcommittee before we come with a final recommendation.
[2:04:52] So I can say the public comment period is over until the 23rd of September.
[2:04:59] We can submit to DOT afterwards.
[2:05:02] Okay, so if we bring for the resolution on the, I'm sorry, we have a side part.
[2:05:05] If we bring for the resolution like on the 15th, is that going to be timely?
[2:05:11] The sooner the better, how about that?
[2:05:12] Yeah.
[2:05:14] Okay,
[2:05:17] so what's around hearing is you don't feel that we're ready to do like a work session or anything with council.
[2:05:23] I think we can be ready to do a work session by the meeting on the first.
[2:05:29] You already have a work session on the first.
[2:05:30] Yes, I am aware, but we were discussing whether we could shift that around for different purpose.
[2:05:37] Maybe we will find a way to get, how about we'll find a way to get your recommendation
[2:05:44] on the agenda for the first.
[2:05:46] That's perfect.
[2:05:47] And then we come from perfect.
[2:05:49] Yeah.
[2:05:50] Sorry.
[2:05:51] Is this another example of the time that we should have a discussion item or should we
[2:05:55] have an action item?
[2:05:57] I think that your action item probably needs to be in the form of a resolution that we send
[2:06:03] off to the Department of Transportation. So I guess what we need to do probably is, you know,
[2:06:14] a discussion item council needs to give some some direction so that we can prepare that resolution.
[2:06:21] And so I think we're still looking at the 15th going to approve the resolution and get that to
[2:06:27] right away to the Department of Transportation. I will check I will also mark this out and so I think
[2:06:33] we can also talk to Martha and just make sure that we will, we're going to be timely with that
[2:06:39] resolution going to them on the 15th or if we need to do it sooner. If we need to do it sooner,
[2:06:45] we may have to just do a brief special meeting. It's very brief in order to prove it.
[2:06:51] That's fine by me. We did? Yes, third. So we could put a special meeting before that work session.
[2:06:56] So, we're good. Thank you. Sorry. Other than that, I don't think we, Corp's Office
[2:07:07] has anything that we need to port other than Elise is going to be out starting on Thursday.
[2:07:18] Thursday? Is Thursday? She's going on vacation. So at least it's going to be out of the office
[2:07:25] until the 3rd, at least 7th. Yeah, so she'll be out Thursday and then she'll be back October
[2:07:37] 7th. I have a brief family matter I need to take care of. And so I'm just going to be out of the
[2:07:45] office next Monday and returning on Tuesday so there'll just be one day where
[2:07:51] police and I will both be out at the same time but just one day and I'm always
[2:07:56] you can get me by phone and Dennis always does that so yeah so I'm reachable
[2:08:04] if you do need me other than that I don't think that we have anything else to
[2:08:09] report. You did enough of that earlier. Great report earlier.
[2:08:16] Right. Any questions for the City Clerk?
[2:08:19] All right. Next up is the City Attorney Report. I think we have Mr. Stacer on the line.
[2:08:27] I am here. Thank you Mayor for some love. Can everybody hear me okay?
[2:08:32] Yes we can. Okay very good. Well good evening everybody. Just a brief update for you this evening.
[2:08:38] I mean, escape property, pretty much status quo, we're just working away on the findings
[2:08:43] of fact and conclusions of law, which are doing the 27th as I told you before, these basically
[2:08:50] to still down the record into the most convincing, most critical facts that we can identify and
[2:08:57] then articulates the law as we see it, which will result in a decision in our favor.
[2:09:05] So we're working away on that.
[2:09:07] After that, there will be objections, we'll file objections to the taxpayer's FSDL on
[2:09:12] the 18th of October, and then there will be oral closing argument scheduled thereafter.
[2:09:20] Redistricting, something we haven't talked about for a long time.
[2:09:24] Where we left it last was that we were trying to get some attorney's fees back.
[2:09:29] And this is a Supreme Court that issued a favorable decision in favor of the Matt Subaru.
[2:09:34] We received a favorable decision since we last met from the Spear Court saying that we are
[2:09:41] profaling a constitutional claimant. So we're entitled to some fees. They've asked that
[2:09:48] we segregate our bills to identify those that are in any way reasonably connected to the claims
[2:09:55] that we've prevailed on, which was the compactness claim. So we're going through the process of doing
[2:10:01] that. Our position has been about 60 percent of our fees were reasonably connected to that issue,
[2:10:10] and we haven't included the process of identifying, you know, each specific bill, but we anticipate
[2:10:18] that it'll come in somewhere around there, about 60 percent, and that's what we'll ask for from the court.
[2:10:26] older wood, so John spoke to it. As of Friday,
[2:10:30] I catered, informed us that 14 folks have filled out the water hookup agreement that we drafted.
[2:10:36] And John mentioned that that provides some indemnification for the city.
[2:10:40] It says fourth expectations with regard to who maintains the hookup once installed and that type of thing.
[2:10:48] So some legal protection for the city and the contractor and I anticipate more folks have signed up.
[2:10:53] So I think case email went may have gone out on Thursday and we had 14 by Friday, so I thought that was a really encouraging sign that folks in Alderwood were engaging in the process.
[2:11:06] I intend to deliver a revised settlement agreement regarding the litigation to Alderwoods Council this week.
[2:11:14] And that of course will contain the terms that we discussed in executive session. So we'll go from there.
[2:11:20] She planned comments, ADC still hasn't issued their response to Aliaska's responses to
[2:11:28] the RFAIs that were last issued and needs to be done soon because the plan expires on
[2:11:34] November 7th, the current sea plan.
[2:11:38] But in communicating with RCAC, it sounds like ADC will respond shortly and they expect
[2:11:47] to provide a 20-day comment period. So that's good, rather than a 10-day period.
[2:11:53] And we've transmitted draft comments that we anticipate. We'll address the issues that we expect.
[2:12:01] But when we get ADEC's decision or response, we'll work to revise those to the extent necessary
[2:12:09] before we finalize them. So we're really just standing by, ready to mix and, you know,
[2:12:15] We think we'll be relatively modest changes and then go ahead and file this and I think that's it for you this evening.
[2:12:25] I'd be happy to stand for any questions you may have.
[2:12:29] Thank you Jake. Any questions from council has a more storm.
[2:12:34] This is going to be too much for one meeting.
[2:12:38] When Dr. Colin was talking about counties, I think he was talking about burrows.
[2:12:44] So I'm wondering, there's a manifest HRSA that has a designation for a community that
[2:12:51] has insufficient physicians, but yeah, I'm just wondering if that's something Jake might
[2:12:58] add to his list on when he looks at burrow stuff.
[2:13:06] Did you understand that, Jake?
[2:13:09] I'm going to gather it except for the acronym.
[2:13:23] I don't believe she's sharing out her mic on it couldn't quite catch it I'm sorry HPSA it's health provider shortage area.
[2:13:34] It's it's managed by health resources and services administration.
[2:13:38] Yeah, thank you, Dr. Cullen mentioned a governor's, because it sounds like yeah, the county
[2:13:47] borough, there's another route that you can also do the governor's exemption.
[2:13:52] So it's something that we also could talk about for state lobbying efforts as well, just
[2:13:58] something to think about.
[2:14:01] Absolutely.
[2:14:02] I'll take a look at it.
[2:14:05] Anything else for city attorney?
[2:14:07] All right.
[2:14:10] City Mayor report from wherever Dennis is.
[2:14:16] Airflang.
[2:14:20] I got nothing this week.
[2:14:21] Be traveling all week and then I'll be back up the third.
[2:14:25] So but I'll try to make every work session that we got if I can and any other things
[2:14:31] that pop up.
[2:14:35] Council business from the floor.
[2:14:36] We'll start with.
[2:14:38] Councilmember Sohram.
[2:14:40] I have nothing.
[2:14:41] I think I've talked enough for one day.
[2:14:43] All right. Well then I will speak on Allen's behalf.
[2:14:50] Specifically on the the
[2:14:52] paragraph discussion I do want to go on the record saying that I am in support of
[2:14:57] of the eventual resolution.
[2:15:00] In regards to offing back into the paragraph program, but I do agree with Dennis that we need to have several internal discussions before that to just make sure that we have a plan for the transition between how we currently operate and how we will operate, presuming that the resolution passes. Also, in regards to Alderwood, so I've been out to Alderwood several times in the past week.
[2:15:29] and I've discussed with some of the residents there,
[2:15:33] some of them were even nice enough to show me up
[2:15:35] underneath their house and I looked at their pipes.
[2:15:37] I didn't crawl around and it was only the people
[2:15:39] who's pipes were right by the edge.
[2:15:40] I didn't really want to get my hands that dirty,
[2:15:43] but I did look, I did look, and I will say
[2:15:45] that the contracted plumbers appear to be doing a great job.
[2:15:50] The piping is installed, the heat trace,
[2:15:54] and the insulation all seemed to be up to snuff,
[2:15:57] But while I was there and while I was being shown the plumbing by one of the residents of Alderwood other residents of Alderwood approached me and said they had no idea what was going on at all
[2:16:07] So I do think that it is very important that we pursue that second phase that the city manager was describing in which we
[2:16:14] Hand out some door knockers and so on
[2:16:17] Because I do believe that there are still residents that are not even yet aware that this upgrade is happening
[2:16:23] So I think it's very important that we pursue that
[2:16:27] And finally, in regards to what Sharon was asking, sorry, Council Member Shite, was asking
[2:16:35] about the Housing Subcommittee on which we very much miss your presence.
[2:16:42] I think that we should consider having another meeting with the Subcommittee in the near
[2:16:48] future so that we have something to prepare to deliver to Council after the budget period.
[2:16:54] because I think getting it, you know, in that middle of winter slump is the best time to deliver these type of, you know, project plans because then we have an opportunity to get them rolling by spring time if there's anything that can be done in the short term.
[2:17:11] And that's all I have for today.
[2:17:12] Right,
[2:17:15] so we have some exciting community events coming up. We have this suicide prevention rally and walk on September 20th, which is this Friday from 12 to 2 at the Kelsey doc.
[2:17:28] It'll be a good event as it is every year. Please come out and join us on the 20th of September. We have the Sound Wellness Alliance Network Wellness Symposium.
[2:17:38] We are partnering with, oh, so many community entities to show you all the ways that you can be healthy and well in balladies.
[2:17:48] Providence will be there to take self-directed labs. You can get your vitamin D checked and all the most important things.
[2:17:57] So please come and join us and you'll get a free bag of organic vegetables provided by Rogues Garden.
[2:18:04] and it's just an amazing bag of vegetables and fruits.
[2:18:08] So we'll see you there.
[2:18:10] The mammogram will be able to be there.
[2:18:11] The blood bag had to unfortunately cancel,
[2:18:14] but make your appointment if you need a mammogram
[2:18:17] at Providence Imaging Center.
[2:18:23] I just wanted to thank Providence Melanie and the doctors
[2:18:27] for answering all of our questions
[2:18:28] tonight regarding the position retention
[2:18:31] and recruitment program.
[2:18:34] I also wanted to thank the city for supporting the 9-11 Memorial Service from last week.
[2:18:41] Chief Rainer did a great job and told the story of Steven Siller, who's the fireman that
[2:18:48] ran through the tunnel to join his company and then ended up perishing in the 9-11 attacks.
[2:18:55] And he also, his brother started the tunnel, the Towers Foundation kind of thing that
[2:18:59] provides houses for gold star families. So all of that came out of 9-11. It's near
[2:19:07] and dear to my heart because I was in the Coast Guard and stationed in New York and
[2:19:10] helped with the evacuation of Manhattan when that happened, so I just wanted to thank
[2:19:15] the city for that.
[2:19:19] I have nothing. Thank you. The only things I had is just appreciation
[2:19:24] and support for the city of Aldi's conducting that comprehensive emergency response exercises
[2:19:29] this past May. It has saw the video in the use update that I sent out there. Man, that was an impressive
[2:19:37] event and it's just such an important thing to be ready for an emergency response in our town
[2:19:43] at the end of the road where we can get cut off from resources and services and just have
[2:19:47] city staff coordinating with other resources around Faldi and have that ready in the training with
[2:19:53] the ICS and everything. It was amazing just to see the video and it seemed like a lot of work and a
[2:19:59] a lot of time went into it and it seemed really helpful to have our city prepared for a disaster
[2:20:04] ahead of time. As we all know, our city has been struck by such things in the past, so
[2:20:10] being prepared is key. So that was awesome. Appreciate support that. And then the other thing I wanted to
[2:20:15] report is the city manager review. We do have a meeting scheduled with the city manager, the stride
[2:20:24] the 20th for his quarterly review, so let you know if anything comes out of that, but for doing that on
[2:20:29] Friday. And with that, I will adjourn the meeting.