The City of Unalaska has another year of big projects ahead.

In addition to continuing work on the water treatment, wastewater treatment and landfill projects, the city will be tackling several large paving initiatives and some serious harbor maintenance. 

How to prioritize and pay for those undertakings will be the main topic of discussion at tonight’s City Council meeting. 

The three ongoing projects are all mandated by state and federal regulations.  Their total cost is estimated at $34.5 million. 

The major proposed harbor project is replacing one of the docks at the Unalaska Marine Center.  That could cost upwards of $40 million.

In terms of paving projects, resurfacing several major roads is noted as a priority, but depending on funding several unpaved roads, including Ballyhoo, could be on the agenda.  Money for the paving projects will likely come out of the general and sales tax funds, although Finance Director Tonya Miller says the city will be seeking grant funding for all of its major projects this year, including paving. 

The city’s projected revenue for the fiscal year 2013, which starts in July, is $31 million.  That’s only about a million dollars more than fiscal year 2012, which in the words of a staff memo on the subject is “A positive note … that the revenues do not vary much.  However, that is also a negative note, because expenditures continue to rise.”

Almost half of that money is expected to come from taxes on the seafood industry, with another quarter from the 3 percent city sales tax.  The remaining revenues are from a combination of property taxes and investment earnings.

But like any other projection, those numbers are just a guess.  The actual amount could vary depending on seafood prices and catch volumes, fuel prices and other investments.  City Manager Chris Hladick wrote in a memo to Council that the biggest wild card is whether Shell Oil will be drilling in the Arctic this summer and if so, what kind of investments they’ll be making in Unalaska.

Also on the City Council agenda tonight is a resolution establishing taxicab rates for 2012.  They aren’t expected to change at all from 2011. 

Council will also vote on a resolution that would appoint a three-person committee comprised of Mayor Marquardt, Assistant City Manager John Fulton and a member of the public to evaluate community support applications for the fiscal year 2013.  The community support program provides grants to local non-profits. 

The final item before Council tonight is whether to submit a loan application for $8.5 million to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.  The loan would help cover the costs of building a new wastewater treatment plant.  Applying for the loan doesn’t commit the city to accepting it. 

The meeting starts at 7 pm in City Council chambers and is expected to last one hour.