Video Clips
Quoted moments from Alaska public meetings, hearings, and press conferences.
Sherman Powell
“The city council's idea to include a large number on the budget and then add a discount is concerning to me. I don't want our busy families to need to keep an eye on important— on an important discount every budget season. The city council needs to justify the large amount of labor costs and also the water fees for a public bathroom. I also fear that discount will be low-hanging fruit to go after the next time difficult financial decisions need to be made.”Cordova: November 4, 2026, Council Work Session, PH, & Regular Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
Marianne Bishop
“So this year we're asking for $2,800. And then for professional development, last year we had $250. We're asking that to increase to 750.”Cordova: November 4, 2026, Council Work Session, PH, & Regular Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
Malena Halverson-Mays
“we started this conversation either at the 50th percentile or the 60th percentile, and my recommendations are built on the average.”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Malena Halverson-Mays
“You've got folks that we are going to be moving the ranges, and in some cases pretty significantly. And what that might mean is that you've got some long-term employees, and you might even have some short-term employees that are going to be really close in this, in the range together, and that's what we call in-range compression.”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Malena Halverson-Mays
“23% of, of your folks, they are age 55 and over, which means in the course of the next decade they're going to decide to retire and go do something else with the rest of their life.”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Malena Halverson-Mays
“that is to place all of your employees on the step within their pay grade closest to what they were earning in an hourly rate of pay without a decrease. No employee gets any cut in pay. Okay, that is your least expensive option, and that least expensive option at this point is coming with a price tag of about $300,000 plus your benefit roll-ups.”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Malena Halverson-Mays
“Your average tenure here at the city is 5.4 years, and nationally public sector tenure is also 5.4 years.”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Tim Putney
“the last time we did a comprehensive evaluation of the structure and looked at job descriptions, it was like 2011.”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Malena Halverson-Mays
“So what we're finding is that the majority of the positions really do need to be moved.”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Malena Halverson-Mays
“the goal of this project was not to make sure that Kodiak is the highest paid.”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Malena Halverson-Mays
“The vast majority of your positions is under market.”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Malena Halverson-Mays
“49% of your employees have less than 2 years with the city. Okay, that means that you have had a tremendous turnover rate.”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Malena Halverson-Mays
“So I would say that this is your base number.”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Malena Halverson-Mays
“If you don't do that, what's going to happen is these ranges are going to fall behind the market and it's probably going to take probably no more than 2 years and you're going to be already feeling like you're behind the market again.”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Malena Halverson-Mays
“You have 3/4 of your employees that are in new positions, you know, and we're talking about less than 2 years. So you have a very inexperienced organization as well”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Malena Halverson-Mays
“That comes with an extra $200,000, so you're talking about a $500,000 cost for a full year.”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Charles Davidson
“this city has spent a lot of money on, on, uh, exits, like you say, the open door policy. And we've trained people like in our fire department or police department, and the next thing you know, they're gone.”Kodiak: November 4, 2026, Work Session · Nov 4, 2026
Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
City Attorney Bloom (City of Kenai)
“we're not asking for approval of the preliminary written findings. We're actually asking for the opposite. We're asking for comments, uh, approval of the city providing comments to DNR regarding their preliminary finding.”Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
City Attorney Bloom (City of Kenai)
“So that was a different, um, situation as far as ownership of the pore space was concerned. In that case, the city only owned some of the surface estate where the project took place, and when the city litigated that case, it argued that this— the pore space belonged to the owner of the surface estate.”Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
City Attorney Bloom (City of Kenai)
“we have 30 days after the hearing to issue a decision, and we can go into what's called an adjudicative session to discuss every everything at any time within those 30 days. So you can hold the hearing and then we could meet in an adjudicative session at any time within 30 days of the hearing to get a decision out.”Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
City Attorney Bloom (City of Kenai)
“I think it could confuse issues if whether you heard something at that meeting versus what you heard at this meeting. However, if you were an observer or at, at that meeting, I don't think it disqualifies you from making a decision at a later date because you weren't participating in that meeting.”Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
City Attorney Bloom (City of Kenai)
“you shouldn't be having any communications with any of the applicants or landowners And also, you shouldn't go and visit the site unless it's like part of your normal route home. It's— you can use your knowledge in making these decisions based on your knowledge as a member of the community, but you shouldn't go out and do any independent investigations on your own.”Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
City Attorney Bloom (City of Kenai)
“This case is different. The city is asserting that we own, uh, rights underground that include the pore space.”Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
City Attorney Bloom (City of Kenai)
“This is what's called the de novo hearing. So you're not providing any deference to the Planning and Zoning Commission that made the decision prior. You're looking at all the evidence yourselves for, like, the first time.”Kenai: 11/04/2026 City Council Meeting · Nov 4, 2026
Dillon Gillespie
“First, we're gonna look at building envelope. This is the foundation for energy efficiency in your home. Then we're gonna look at home appliances, how much power they use and how long they run. Third, we look at heating-related electric loads.”GVEA: Home Energy Audit Basics · Nov 4, 2026
Dillon Gillespie
“When an appliance is on, ask yourself two questions: does it use a little bit of power? Does it use a lot of power? And does it run for a short time or a long time? That's it. Every appliance in your home fits into a combination of these patterns.”GVEA: Home Energy Audit Basics · Nov 4, 2026
Dillon Gillespie
“The building envelope is the system that separates the inside of your home from the outside environment. That includes things like the insulation in your attic, walls, and floors, your air sealing and vapor barriers, or the quality of your windows and doors.”GVEA: Home Energy Audit Basics · Nov 4, 2026
Dillon Gillespie
“The colder it is outside, the more time we spend inside, and that means consequently the more energy we're likely to use.”GVEA: Home Energy Audit Basics · Nov 4, 2026
Dillon Gillespie
“This is where we need to talk about the space heater. They feel small and they feel convenient, but they use a lot of electricity and are often run for hours at a time. People usually use a space heater to compensate for things like drafty rooms, poor insulation, and cold floors or windows.”GVEA: Home Energy Audit Basics · Nov 4, 2026
Dillon Gillespie
“Electricity powers circulation pumps, fans and blowers, controllers and thermostats, and things like igniters and safety systems. If these components are running more, it does affect your electrical usage.”GVEA: Home Energy Audit Basics · Nov 4, 2026
Dillon Gillespie
“Once you understand your building envelope, the next step we recommend is looking at your appliances. This is usually the bulk of your home electric usage.”GVEA: Home Energy Audit Basics · Nov 4, 2026
Dillon Gillespie
“Insulation slows heat loss, and it's measured by something called an R-value. A higher R-value means a better resistance to heat loss. Air sealing is something different. It stops warm air from leaking through any holes or gaps in your wall.”GVEA: Home Energy Audit Basics · Nov 4, 2026
Dillon Gillespie
“windows, they're a really common weak point. You often feel drafts around the windowsill. If you see something like that, you want to take a look at what your weatherstripping looks like on your window”GVEA: Home Energy Audit Basics · Nov 4, 2026
Dillon Gillespie
“MyGVA is especially helpful after you've made changes, whether you've installed a vehicle timer or decreased your laundry usage. So instead of guessing whether it helped, you can actually see the difference in the data.”GVEA: Home Energy Audit Basics · Nov 4, 2026
Dillon Gillespie
“MyGVA is a powerful tool, and when you pair that with a better understanding of your energy use, and a walkthrough of your home, you can make more informed decisions that could help save you money.”GVEA: Home Energy Audit Basics · Nov 4, 2026
Dillon Gillespie
“The next graph it'll bring up will show your usage in 15-minute intervals. Every appliance drawing electricity in my home is represented here in nearly real time.”GVEA: Home Energy Audit Basics · Nov 4, 2026