Unalaska, AK – City Council met last night to discuss city contracts, utilities billing, and council travel.

The meeting kicked off with a spirited public debate about Horizon Lines' preferred use agreement, which guarantees the shipping company lower rates for use of the city dock. Representatives from the company and Trident Seafood made comments in support of the arrangement, while a representative from APL argued that the agreement was no longer necessary. City Council did not address the preferred use agreement in last night's meeting, but it will be considered later this fall. The agreement has been in place for 20 years, and is set to expire in October.

The meeting then segued into a financial presentation from Evan Rose, after an ordinance concerning out-of-town sales and taxation was tabled. The presentation addressed the general stagnancy of the economy, and Rose explained why so many of the city's bonds have gone from triple A ratings to double A ratings.

The council also held a hearing which resulted in the revocation of JoAnn Lee's taxi and chauffeur licenses based on her drug-related arrest record. Director of Pulbic Safety Jamie Sunderland testified. The decision to revoke the licenses was unanimous.

Following the hearing, Frank Kelty provided a fisheries update that focused primarily on the draft Steller Sea lion biological opinion, recently issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

During the regular session, the council handled a fair amount of new business. On the consent agenda, the council approved the receipt of an energy efficiency grant and also confirmed the appointment of Frank Kelty to the Iliuliuk Clinic board of directors. A resolution acknowledging the completion of a number of capital projects was removed from the consent agenda, but ultimately passed.

City Council also handled three pieces of new business. The council discussed a resolution that would allow City Manager Chris Hladick to amend an agreement with Pacific Pile and Maring. They then moved on to an ordinance that would reduce the time before an unpaid utility bill would be considered delinquent. This ordinance was meant to primarily target large businesses as opposed to residents, after the city suffered a los of $50,000 because of delinquency. The measure failed, 3 to 1.

The measure failed in part because it was not deemed to be a comprehensive fix to utilities billing and because there was concern that the ordinance was too focused on exceptional cases while not being narrowly tailored enough.

Lastly, council discussed travel to the Alaska Municipal League's September meeting in Anchorage, and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting in October.