Unalaska, AK – Yesterday, city council passed an ordinance that would shorten the delinquency period for utilities bills.

What the ordinance does cut the amount of a time a person or company has to pay their bill before the power is disconnected. Previously, one could wait forty five days after receiving an overdue notice before their power is shut off - giving that property 80 days of extra power after a bill was mailed before the city acted. Now, that period has been cut by twenty days. The city will mail the bill and give a person a month to pay it. After that month is up, a late fee will be charged and the property owner will be notified of delinquency, giving them a chance to lean on a renter if the property is leased out. After that, the person tasked with paying the bill has another month to make up the balance before the lights are turned off.

The ordinance initially failed in August, due to concerns that the ordinance was overly broad and that it might leave property owners on the hook for debts accumulated by renters. The final version of the ordinance should protect property owners, since the city already collects a two month deposit from a person before providing them with electricity. This time, the ordinance passed 5-1, with council member Dick Peck voting against the ordinance for not being comprehensive enough.

The council also unanimously passed an ordinance that shuffles the city's budget. The ordinance increases funding for public safety and reallocate money for the inner harbor and Carl E Moses boat harbor projects. It does not introduce any new spending outside of grants received for the implementation of LED street lights.

There was also one item of new business. An ordinance that would authorize City Manager Chris Hladick to enter a $3.8 million agreement with Lake View General Contracting received a first reading. That money would be used to build an 8-plex building for employee housing. The ordinance passed 5 to 1, with council member Dennis Robinson dissenting on the grounds that the city should categorically not own housing units.

This was the last city council meeting before the October 5th municipal election.