City Council Meeting 10/26/2026

At its October 26, 2026 meeting, the Seward City Council approved several items with budget and property implications. On the consent agenda, it authorized the city manager to accept and appropriate a $500,000 FY2027 Alaska state legislative grant for harbor infrastructure and appointed Tiffany Siller to the Historic Preservation Commission. The council also unanimously approved two Seward Chamber of Commerce leases: a lease for 2001 Seward Highway, structured for an initial term of about 26 months followed by three-year extensions, and a lease for the Harbor boardwalk Derby Booth. The land leases are for nominal rent; council discussion cited an estimated annual value of about $26,000 for the highway parcel and slightly less than $6,000 for the Derby Booth site. The city manager reported that the city contributes $50,000 to support the Alaska Small Business Development Center’s Seward services; the presentation also reported $60,000 in state and federal support and about $10,000 from the borough.

Public Works reported that the failing Second Avenue/Chamberlain culvert has a completed design estimated at $5 million, partly due to conflicts with sewer and water lines and fish-passage requirements. The department is considering emergency excavation and replacement work to address flooding risk, but no contract or expenditure was approved. The council also heard that the electric department’s advanced metering infrastructure installation has been delayed, with meters expected in May 2027. Other adopted measures included moving city elections to November, which the clerk said could reduce election costs by about $5,000 through cost-sharing with the borough, and eliminating the separate $100 vehicle-for-hire permit by incorporating requirements into the business-license process. The council agreed to cancel its December 28 meeting and schedule an electric-utility future work session for January 11; no procurement decision was made on the utility’s future.