City of Palmer is the municipal government of Palmer, Alaska, seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Its council, mayor and police department decide zoning, water system projects and public safety matters. Its meetings, including Planning and Zoning sessions, are recorded and posted publicly.
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cityofpalmer.org ↗Palmer, AK 99645, USA
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Palmer council will seek outside counsel on ethics complaint and cuts library kitchen
The Palmer City Council voted unanimously Oct. 27 to have the city clerk and city attorney bring in outside legal counsel to handle an ethics and governance complaint that names the mayor, the city manager and other city leaders.
Resident Drew Frohling submitted the complaint to the city clerk Oct. 19. The council had planned to discuss it in closed session, and it voted after meeting behind closed doors.
The complaint has not been released. Attorney Anna Crary described it in open session. She said it raises questions about the city golf course, including its lease, appraisal, liquor license and contracts. It also covers access to public records and the city's response to concerns former Council Member Victoria Hudson raised the night she resigned. It names City Manager Kolby Zerkel, Mayor Jim Cooper, Airport Superintendent John Diumenti, Public Works Director Jude Bilafer, the council and the city attorney, including Crary's firm. Being named is not a finding of wrongdoing.
Crary said the complaint asks for an independent investigation and written findings. Who will be hired, and at what cost, is not yet known. Crary said a pending lawsuit, Borgford v. City of Palmer, limits how much the city can discuss the matter.
The council also cut a $226,640 kitchen expansion from the new library, approving $733,869 instead of the $960,509 it had been asked for. Council Member John Alcantra proposed the cut, calling it a "half baked kitchen idea" that needed more time. Library Director Joy Bailey said the item would have expanded the warming kitchen and added a coffee and snack bar. The second-floor finish, about $550,000, stayed in. H5 Construction's contract now totals about $12.9 million.
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About City of Palmer
Photo via Wikimedia Commons · Photo source · Public domain
cityofpalmer.org ↗Palmer, AK 99645, USA
The City of Palmer is the municipal government of Palmer, the seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Its mayor, City Council and police department work from City Hall, and its boards include the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Airport Advisory Commission.
The council adopts the budget, property taxes and utility rates and approves capital projects such as the city library, while the planning commission decides zoning and parking variances downtown. The city runs the Palmer airport, where some rents on airport land need FAA approval, and a water system that draws mostly on city wells. Downtown parking, airport hangar space and water supply are recurring questions.