Minutes of the Work Session

Denali Borough Assembly

Cantwell School

June 9, 2002

 

CALL TO ORDER    Presiding Officer Jerry Mueller called the work session to order at 2:37 p.m. due to building access problems.

 

ROLL CALL               Assembly members present were: Jim Caswell, Jerry Mueller, Gerald Pollock, Carol Shields, Teresa Hall, David Talerico, Jim Payne, Sid Michaels and Mayor Gonzales.  Assembly member Teresa Usibelli was absent due to a family emergency.

 

1.)   Ordinance 02-05, Version A, an ordinance amending the Sub Area Land Use Plan for Village View Subdivision.

 

MICHAELS asked if draft C is going to be used to amend this ordinance.  MUELLER said yes.

 

2.)   Ordinance 02-06, Version A, an ordinance providing for an Ethics Commission and providing for disposition of alleged violations.

 

HALL read the Personnel Committee report that stated that the committee would meet on June 21st and 25th to address this ordinance.

 

MICHAELS said this ordinance is in committee right now so unless the assembly votes to take it out of there, it will remind with the Personnel Committee. 

 

CASWELL asked if anybody could state an ethics violation that has occurred.  CASWELL asked why we are trying to fix something that is not broken.  HALL said she has not observed an ethics violation since she has been in office.

 

HALL said this process should be in place before something occurs.

 

MUELLER stated that there has been some administrative complaints brought to the Borough and according to this ordinance the Personnel Committee will be handling those complaints for now.

 

TALERICO stated that we may not have had an ethics violation, but complaints have come forth. 

 

CASWELL questioned how an individual would go about clearing their name once it was proven a complaint was without merit.

 

PAYNE said the ordinance seems to give too much power to the commission.  He said it seems as if they can make their own rules.

 

Discussion followed and Mayor Gonzales refuted MUELLER’S earlier statement pertaining to administrative problems.  The Mayor said the blame should not be shifted to the Administration.

 

POLLOCK said he plans to put forth a motion during the regular meeting to increase the salary of the Mayor.  He said this would need to be done soon because the change would not take effect until after the next election when the Mayor’s seat is up. 

 

MAYORS                   Mayor Gonzales said he and the Staff had been working diligently on the Northern Access Reconnaissance Study (NARS).  He said the NARS project would be completed in phases, and phase one is currently underway.  Mayor Gonzales said he has formed the NARS Management Team, which will include Assembly member Jim Caswell, the Borough Clerk Shelly Acteson, business owner Bill Nordmark, and himself.  He asked the Assembly if they had any objection to the Team, and no objections were voiced.  Mayor Gonzales stated that he had already met with the Denali National Park Superintendent Paul Anderson per phase one of the Project.  He said Assembly member Caswell was in attendance for that meeting.  The Mayor said the Superintendent seemed to be agreeable to how the project was going to proceed.  Mayor Gonzales said the Park Service had already completed a feasibility study in 1997, and they would make that information available to the Borough. 

                                   

                                    Mayor Gonzales said the next step would be to hold agency scoping meetings in Fairbanks, Anchorage, and the Denali Borough.  He said the step after that would be the preparation of a budget, scope of work, and a Request for Proposal (RFP).  He said the Borough would need to hire a person or persons, not a consultant, to help with those matters.  He said whoever is hired would have a good knowledge of State and Federal guidelines as they pertain to this project.  Mayor Gonzales said we already have an agreement with Alaska Transportation Consultants (ATC) through a resolution.  He reminded the assembly that the resolution states that if the Borough does not agree with something they do, then they’re out! 

 

ADJOURNMENT      MUELLER declared the work session adjourned at 2:45 pm.

 

 

 

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