Daily Sitka Sentinel

Help With Utility Bills On Assembly Agenda

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Assembly at tonight’s regular meeting will consider a revised ordinance for a utility subsidy to help Sitka’s neediest citizens.
    The ordinance was first introduced on Feb. 13, but action was postponed to allow an Assembly committee and staff to work on changes.
    The ordinance would set up a program that would offer up to $65 a month to qualifying families to help with their utility bills. The subsidy was intended to help offset the effect of utility rate hikes on the most needy families.
    The program would be funded this year with $400,000 already set aside in the budget for this purpose.
    The amount of subsidy per qualifying family would depend on the city funds available each year, divided by the number of qualifying families.
    Families would qualify through their qualifications for other programs, such as the National School Lunch Program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid and Baranof Island Housing Authority assistance.
    Among the changes in tonight’s version of the ordinance was an addition to the “Purpose” section referring to the program as a “social welfare program.” Another change tightens the rules to allow only one subsidy per household; clarifies that boat liveaboards are households; and deletes a rule that would remove the subsidy if a qualified family was behind on paying bills.
    The ordinance was co-sponsored by Kevin Knox and Bob Potrzuski, who worked with staff on the revised changes. Potrzuski said he’s pleased with the changes.
    “It doesn’t do any good to have a subsidy that doesn’t work,” Potrzuski said. “The goal is to a) have an ordinance that works and b) be acceptable to other members of the Assembly.”
    Also on the agenda is the reconsideration of a resolution that passed two weeks ago supporting a carbon fee and dividend. The resolution passed on a 6-1 vote, with one of those voting in favor, Aaron Bean, calling for reconsideration of the resolution.
    The program as outlined by the Citizens Climate Lobby would levy an annually increasing fee on fossil fuels based on their carbon content. It would then return to citizens, on an equitable basis, all of the net revenues generated from the fee.
     The program would encourage carbon pricing action by other nations trading with the U.S., by suitable carbon-content-based fees for imports, and rebates for exports to nations that do not have equivalent carbon pricing to that of the U.S.
    Since the last meeting Bean has drafted a substitute resolution supporting action on climate change, but without the fee and dividend provision.
    When the item comes up, the Assembly will first have a yes-no vote on whether to reconsider, and will proceed with reconsideration only if the majority votes yes on that question.
    Among the budget proposals on the agenda is an idea for saving some $71,500 annually by canceling garbage pickup service in 97 off-road, hard-to-reach locations inaccessible by the garbage trucks. The 97 locations have obstacles such as steep or narrow roads and sharp turnarounds that require the use of 4x4 trucks to make the pickups.
     Public Works Director Michael Harmon and Maintenance and Operations Superintendent Harry Greene said in a memo to Assembly members that when prices went up on the collection and off-island contracts last September, that highlighted the need to look for ways to cut costs.
    “During the master planning process this route was identified as costly, in some cases dangerous, potentially expensive and likely to be an issue under a new (garbage pickup) contract/contractor,” Harmon and Greene said.
    Customers will have the option of taking their garbage containers to a city-maintained road for pickup, take their garbage to a shared dumpster tub, or elect to pay extra for their current level of service.
    The Assembly is also set to take up a proposed water export agreement between the city and Green Gold Distributors of Cape Town, South Africa. The South African city is in the midst of a severe water shortage.
    Other agenda items include liquor license renewals, budget issues and an executive session related to Baranof Island Brewing Company.
    The meeting opens at 6 p.m. in Centennial Hall.