HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-02-21 Council Minutes - Work SessionKENAI CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
FEBRUARY 21, 2007
5:00 P.M.
KENAI COUNCIL CHAMBERS
MAYOR PAT PORTER, PRESIDING
NOTES
Council present: J. Moore, R. Molloy, B. Eldridge, P. Porter, R. Ross, L. Swarner,
and M. Boyle
Staff present: City Clerk C. Freas, City Manager, R. Koch, City Attorney, C.
Graves, C. Kopp
The work session was called to order at approximately 5:03 p.m. City Attorney Graves
briefly reviewed a memorandum included in the work session packet entitled,
"Municipal Regulation of Boat Launches."
Discussion follows and comments included:
• The city's authority is as the owner of property which is different than
authority as a governmental entity.
i The city lobbied to be excluded from the Kenai River Special Management
Area (KRSMA); the city has a vested interest in commercial development on the lower
river; the city needs to act now; adopting a wait and see attitude would be
irresponsible; and, if the city passed an ordinance to prohibit two-stroke engines on
the lower river and would be challenged, what would be the loss.
• The city has no authority on the lower river on two-stroke and methods
of fishing and would not have the resources to enforce such an ordinance.
• Willing to make a statement, but not willing to pass an ordinance
without it being able to be enforced.
• There will be many users of the river being inconvenienced if an
ordinance would be passed to exclude the use of two-stroke engines.
• There is no guarantee the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will
develop regulations excluding the two-stroke engines.
• An ordinance would be worthy of consideration if it were only a July
restriction, tied to the pollution issue, and would have an a future effective date to
allow DNR to develop regulations.
• Concern the city would be challenged, however it would be good to do
something to discuss the issue further and to keep it in the forefront.
Hosting a joint work session with City of Soldotna and Kenai Peninsula Borough
Assembly representatives was suggested.
Council Member Moore was requested to help set the agenda.
Comments from audience:
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
MARCH 21, 2007
PAGE 2
Gary Knopp, Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Member -- Suggested
representatives from the KRSMA be included in the work session, and a resolution be
developed from the governmental entities and DNR as a combined body.
Dwight Kramer -- Stated he believed the two-stroke engines would be restricted by
2008 and believed there were other options with the Board of Fisheries. Kramer
suggested submitting a 'placeholder' before the Board of Fisheries with
recommendations of how to handle concerns for the lower river. Kramer submitted a
copy of a placeholder proposal stating vessels with two-stroke engines must be
anchored with the engines off before fishing from a boat in the area below the Warren
Ames Bridge.
Ricky Gease -- Stated he believed the city has direct authority over the river below the
bridge; suggested passing an ordinance with a 2008 effective date; did not believe the
state would sue because the city is putting forth an effort to do something about water
quality concerns; and, believed there was strong support in Soidotna to put something
in place for 2008. Gease stated he believed it would not be helpful to send a proposal
to the Board of Fisheries as the council had the power and responsibility to do
something itself.
Robert Ruffner, Kenai Watershed Forum -- Agreed with a lot of the comments made;
believed there would be support from the City of Soidotna and the borough Assembly;
believed a joint work session would be interesting; submitted a draft Board of
Fisheries proposal to ban two-stroke engines from the river during the month of July.
Administration was requested to contact the following persons for a joint work session:
City of Soldotna Council Members and City Manager
Borough Assembly Members Gilman and Knopp
KRSMA
Kenai Watershed Forum
Department of Fish & Game
Department of Environmental Conservation
Department of Natural Resources
The work session ended at 6:15 p.m.
Notes prepared and submitted by:
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Carol L. Freas, City Clerk
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