Unalaska, AK – During a short city council meeting Tuesday night the council heard the first reading of a school bond ordinance. The ordinance suggests putting a $4.5 million dollar general obligation bond on the October ballot. The money would be used to fix the Jr./Sr. High School's roof and other improvements. If the bond passes, the state would reimburse the city for 70% of the principle and its interest. That means Unalaska would pay only $2.3 million over 20 years. Unalaska currently has $5.7 million in bond debt for other school projects, including the original swimming pool and the elementary school.

Also, a city council seat is now vacant. Juanita Lewis resigned her post, effective July 1. The city is accepting letters of interest for anyone who wants to fill the seat until the October election.

At the meeting the council also voted to approve a change in how local power bills are structured. The ordinance raises the base price for fuel from $1.50 to $2.50 per gallon and reduces the Cost of Power Adjustment fee, or COPA. Public Utilities Director Dan Winters explains that this will not affect the amount of your bill, just how it looks.

"You'll see the COPA stabilize on your bill through the months and you'll see your base rate go up but your COPA will back off," he says. "This is not an increase in electrical charges. You won't see an increase because of the changes. The only increase you'll see is because of the fuel."

Winters says he is not sure how much fuel prices will change.

In other public utilities news, Zhen Cheng LLC, the metal salvaging company, is still collecting heavy metals around town, but they are not taking refrigerators or stoves. They will be accepting junk cars for free soon as well; you'll just need to remove the liquids, batteries, and tires.