Assembly Regular Meeting of April 16, 2026

Okay, I will call the April 16th regular meeting of the Codic Island Borough Assembly to order. We're going to start things off with the invocation by Captain Diane Shadow of the Salvation Army. If everyone could please stand. [CHINESE] Let's pray.

Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you today acknowledging that you are the source of all wisdom, justice, and authority. Your word reminds us that if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God and it will be given. So tonight we ask you to give wisdom freely in this room today. You see every detail of our community its needs, its strengths, and the people that are called to serve. I ask that you guide them.

I ask that you guide the assembly. Give them the clarity of thought, integrity in decision-making, and a genuine desire to serve the good of all. Bless the work being done here tonight. Protect this community. God, tonight we celebrate those who so unselfishly serve their community.

I ask that you strengthen those who serve and help every decision tonight reflect fairness, responsibility, and care for others. We commit this time to you with gratitude and humility. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.

And now for the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

And we are gathered on the traditional homeland of the Sukpeyakaluptik people, and we acknowledge the 10 tribes of the Kodiakaluptik people. We recognize it as a culture that enriches our community to this day. Roll call, please. Mr. Ames. Here.

Mr. Gardner. Here. Mr. Johnson. Here. Ms. Roberts.

Here. Mr. Smiley. Here. Mr. Whiteside. Here.

Mr. Woods. Here. Mayor Griffin. Here. You have a quorum.

Next is the approval of the agenda and consent agenda. The consent agenda includes the regular meeting minutes of March 19th, 2026, and April 2nd, 2026. Mr. Whiteside. Move to approve the agenda and the consent agenda. Second.

This has been moved and seconded. Voice vote on the motion. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed, same sign.

And motion carries. Next is citizen comments. There are two designated citizen comments periods, one at the beginning and one at the end of the meeting. These comment periods are intended for general comments as well as for agenda items that are not part of the public hearing. We do have two public hearing items for tonight, which are ordinances number FY 2026-01A and FY 2026-23.

Comments for these items will be heard when the items are called during public hearing, so please wait until we get to that portion of the agenda. But for general comments, for those who wish to call in, the local number is 907-486-3231, toll-free 1-855-492-9202. Please turn off your radio or any listening device to prevent feedback. And for those in the room who wish to speak under citizens' comments— and we have quite a room tonight, it's great— please come to the podium and sign in, turn on the microphone, make sure that green light is on before speaking, state your name for the record, and please address all of your remarks to the Assembly as a body and not to any member thereof. So first, we'll see if there— we do have one call, so we'll take—.

[FOREIGN LANGUAGE] Assembly meeting, you're on the air. Please state your name for the record. Good evening, my name is Brenda Schwantes. I'd like to say good evening to everyone in attendance. I'm watching on YouTube.

I know lots of folks there, that's great. Um, I have a couple items on my mind regarding, uh, governing and for the citizens of Kodiak. One, first of all, I'm pretty concerned that the assembly has not had an agenda item to discuss the KIBSD budget. I've just noticed that the KIBSD is approving lots of— spending a lot of money, contracts, proposing H-1B visa purchases, and it just— I just haven't seen any direction from the assembly. Maybe I'm— maybe my timing's off, but I see a lot of money being spent right now, so I would ask the assembly to hold a public hearing specifically about the assembly's funding level offered to KIBSD on behalf of our citizens.

Um, to last night, while listening to the Parks and Rec Advisory Board, a longtime resident who had historical knowledge about the swimming pool clarified whose responsibility the pool is. And I've just noticed listening to the school district and the city and the borough board, nobody seems to know who's responsible for the operation and maintenance of the swimming pool. So I'm just hoping— wish the assembly would make a motion or ordinance or anything that just explains who is actually responsible for what operation and maintenance fees. Last, I would ask the assembly to hold a public hearing about consolidating the city and the borough. I think the public supports consolidation.

We, especially in these financial times, we only need one governing body, one mayor, one finance director, one IT department, one tax collection system. Etc. Uh, right now we have 2 of everything. It's hard for people to participate in, in our governing body. So I would ask the assembly to have a public hearing and listen to what the public has to say about the concept of consolidation.

Just have a good evening. Thank you. Thank you so much for calling in, Brenda. We have somebody in person.

That's you.

Hi, my name is Judy Carstens. Make sure that the microphone is on there. Sorry. My name is Judy Carstens, and I've been a citizen of the Kodiak Island Borough for 32 years. I'm here tonight to thank two new things that have happened, are happening tonight here in this building.

For, um, the borough. First of all, I think our borough manager for the courses and the classes that she put together for we as citizens to learn more about how our borough functions. I was able to attend 4 of those, and I walked away feeling much more secure as to why my taxes went up and how the assessment is done, how the clerk— we know has all of the work to do and such. But anyway, I commend, um, Miss Williams for putting these on, and I would plead to our community to come to the next round of educational meetings. The second one I want to say thank you for is to each and every one of these volunteers that sit here.

And, um, I became a part of Bayside Fire Department 32 years ago when I married into my husband, who has been a volunteer for that many years. But to see this here tonight, to thank not only the Bayside Fire Department active volunteers, but their families that support it. And each and every time that gong goes off, it also wakes up the wife, possibly the kids, but they all need support. So thank you for congratulating them and realizing that we do have a great set of volunteers at Bayside Fire Department. Thank you.

Thank you, Judy. Anyone else, or is there another call? Anyone else in the audience? Okay. Moving on.

We have— this is such— this is going to be a great meeting because we have so many awards and presentations and acknowledgments today. So I'm going to get us off to a really a really good start.

Oh, Carleen!

Good evening, gentlemen and ladies. I too got to attend the Citizens Academy, and I learned an awful lot. And would you believe it, the last meeting Dora sent us home with homework. So it— and it took me 2 days, but we learned a lot about foreclosures. We learned about how things are put on the agenda, that it takes probably 2 assembly members to get that on the agenda.

And we learned that the main duty of the municipality are the schools, and then there's the elections, taxes, land, these meetings,.

Records. And then we learned that what goes on in this room is a direct reflection of what goes on in Juneau. And I learned, because I asked a lot of questions, that our borough manager is very well informed. And I learned about our clerks, what they go through when they become— the municipality is so different than a business. And you put the money into the bank at a low risk, where some people come up here and want you to make a lot of money on that, but it's— you can't do that.

And I learned that there's a lot of ethics, that people take oaths, and they take a lot of continuing education, and it takes a lot to get into this position. Our financial officer actually is a CPA. She worked for Weyerhaeuser. But there's a whole lot more. I just have pages of what I've written this week.

But I really appreciate what you do. And I'd like to know if there's a borough code of ethics that I could read. So, um, we just have amazing staff. People are audited, many audits, and they like to do that, and they do their job well because they get better and better at it. And I, I like how well-informed people are and just, um, all the work behind The lines that people do.

Thank you. Thank you, Carleen.

Anyone else?

Sounds like the kids want to say something.

All right, our first awards and presentation is the Bayside Fire Department swearing-in ceremony.

Let's pull this up. Um, all right, so we'll bring Chief Ellis down. Thank you so very much, Mr. Mayor. I just want to, uh, thank the entire assembly, uh, my boss, the borough manager, uh, the clerk's office for facilitating this. Um, we are super excited about this continued succession planning as it comes to play here at the fire department.

Um, tonight we are going to be, uh, having the clerk swear in 8 of our new officers. They're the important part. I just want to say how much work that these firefighters and leaders have put in. Not only do they do their training, which oftentimes is a 4-night-a-week endeavor for those that are doing EMT-1, EMT-2s, 3s, AEMTs, firefighting officer training. It's Monday nights, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Wednesday nights where they're spending more time pushing on their information.

The individuals here, this promotion process was not a Pick your favorite, right? These individuals spent a month with 4 separate texts that they had to study in addition to knowing their risk, their area, their community, and they took a written test. Beyond that, they sat for an oral board where it was our Deputy Chief of Training and 2 other chief officers from mutual aid partners. Beyond that, then they were selected based on their ranking. These individuals have put a lot of time into this.

This was a very professional methodical process. And tonight we get to celebrate them and their families who stand behind them all the time with this. So I can't thank you enough. With that, Madam Clerk, if we could have the new officers please come up so you may get sworn in, please.

What's that? Doesn't matter. Facing the audience.

Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, state your name, do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear. That I will support the Constitution of the United States of America. That I will support the Constitution of the United States of America.

And the State of Alaska. And the State of Alaska. That I will respect, uphold, and enforce. That I will respect, uphold, and enforce. The laws and ordinances of the Kodiak Island Borough.

The laws and ordinances of the County of Alameda related to public safety, health, and environment. That I will obey and enforce the rules, regulations, and policies of the Bayside Fire Department.

And that I will honestly and faithfully, honestly and faithfully, serve my profession, serve my profession, and fellow firefighters, and fellow firefighters, in discharging my duties as, state your position, in discharging my duties as, Deputy Officer. Further, I recognize and accept, further, I recognize and accept, the badge of my office, The badge you wear. As a symbol of public faith. As a symbol of public faith. And deep trust.

And deep trust. I will stay true to my profession. I will stay true to my profession. And my duty. And my duty.

To protect life. To protect life. Property and the environment. Property and the environment. So help me God.

So help me God. Congratulations. Thanks to all of you. Okay, at this time, it gives me great pleasure to call forward one at a time a designated family member who is going to be carrying out the time-honored tradition in the fire service of pinning their new badge of office on their loved one. If we could have Assistant Chief Justin Thron, step forward, please.

And if we could have his daughter, Liliana, step forward, please.

Liliana, we have a little something for you.

Assistant Chief Donovan Antalick, if you could step forward. We have retired Deputy Chief and one of our prevention staff, Douglas Mathers, is going to be presenting his badge of office.

And as you can see, we have a— our duty crew is on. Chief Antalick is our duty officer for the evening. With Engine 11 and his crew. So he's not wearing the fancy stuff tonight. He's ready to go to work.

[FOREIGN LANGUAGE] We could have our Safety Officer of Hazardous Materials and Special Operations, Monique Lewis, step forward. And her husband Sterling Lewis will be presenting her badge of office.

If we could have our Safety Officer of Operations, Charles Daniel Eubanks, step forward. And his wife, Nan.

If we could have Captain Russell Grimes of Tender Company 11 step forward and his wife Stephanie, please come forward.

If we could have Lieutenant Kellen Zollner of Squad Company 11 step forward and have his wife Erin and his two lovely daughters.

We have Blair and we have Scarlett.

If we could have Lieutenant Christopher Glade step forward.

And we are going to be having Firefighter Marty Sutton pin his badge on him.

And my apologies, Lieutenant Glade is assigned to Engine Company 11 as the officer in charge.

And certainly not least, if we could have Lieutenant Cody Foster step forward.

And if we could have his wife Lindsay and son Arlo come on up, please. Lieutenant Foster is assigned as the officer in charge of Engine Company 10.

Our firefighters spend a lot more time on the critical tasks of life safety than looking pretty.

Thank you, guys.

I want to thank everyone. I want to thank borough staff, citizens of the Kodiak community, and most of all, family members and those who support our firefighters and new officers and promoted officers. Thank you for what you do. It is a privilege to serve along each and every one of you. Thank you.

Chief, would you like to join us? Sure. I'll take a picture.

Perfect. Thank you to our mutual aid partners who are in the room. We have Chief Putney from the PD, Chief Gonzalez from Kodiak Fire, and Chief Maydoff. Thank you so much. Everybody else will, uh, firefighting and our, uh, family and friends downstairs in the conference room for a little bit of refreshments.

Thank you again.

For the listening audience, we're just piling out of the room right now. There's refreshments going on downstairs, so we'll take just a few seconds for a break. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you very much.

[FOREIGN LANGUAGE] And congratulations again to the fire officers who were just promoted. I think we think a lot of times that, like with the mayor's seat, that leadership is symbolic, but in that case, right, leadership is practical. It's on the ground. It's immediate. And so I really appreciate that about our fire officers.

All right. Next, yes, we're giving out more awards. It's a great day. Up next is the awards for certificates to the Citizen Academy graduates. Amy.

Thank you, Mayor Griffin. We have 3 Citizen Academy graduates in the room. If you guys would please come up Front will hand you your certificates.

I don't want you to get the wrong one. You'll never get— [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] Will you guys stand together for a quick picture?

Would you like to join them? Of course I would.

1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3. Congratulations! Do you want to say anything else? No?

Okay, well, I will say something. Will you help me? Yeah, yeah, come to the mic. Yeah.

Oh, thank you. Um, yeah, I'll just say, because I know a lot of people have already talked about the whole program, but they did not falsely advertise when they said that it would teach us how to get things done here in Kodiak, you know, and behind the scenes and who to talk to, and I learned so much. I feel so much more connected to Kodiak. And there were things that— we had some longstanding property issues at the Salvation Army that we just kind of ignored because we really didn't know what we were going to do about them. And this class taught us exactly how to address those issues.

So this is not just theoretical knowledge, but this was practical knowledge. You really can use it for, for whatever you need. And so I highly recommend it to anybody out there that's listening. You guys, I mean anybody, just any, any citizen in Kodiak, I highly recommend that they take this class.

The presentations from each week at the Citizens Academy will be posted on the borough website. We just are having those sent in to get posted now, so people who are interested but weren't able to make it will be able to— I'll post that in the manager's report next week, our next meeting, where that link is at, so that information is something that you can access. I know Miss Carleen took really good notes, but I think there's probably more information that is accessible that way. And I'll just add to what my wife said, that me and Diane came to Kodiak in July last year, so we've been here almost a year, and we didn't know anything about Kodiak when we got here. We didn't know the difference between the city and the borough.

When we got to the Salvation Army, it was very interesting to learn that the Salvation Army is in the borough, but we also have an easement for the city that goes to Potato Patch Lake there. So we got sort of the best of both worlds, right? And we got property that goes back to the 1960s that's gone through all kinds of changes with ships and bars and lots of interesting activities over the years. And so the building we're currently in has a lot of property issues. Including issues related to address and codes and stuff like that.

So learning all the differences between the.

Community Development Department, the Assessing Department. We were able to get building records for all of our properties from the Clerk's Office, so we thank you for that. And just to get some insight into what you all do here is— was incredibly useful. And I would give a pitch out to the community that It is important to fulfill your civic obligation to get involved in your community, whether you live in the city or in the borough or you get— well, if you're in the city, you're in the borough, right? But it's important to get involved in your local government and support them because they got a lot to do and we appreciate what they do.

So thank you. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] I wanted to say thank you to all the presenters because the one thing I learned is everybody in the government here in the borough is very good at their jobs. I mean, they demonstrated their knowledge and skill, and I was amazed by that, just how many— they had questions flying in at them and they could just answer them on the fly. They were really, really good at their jobs. So I think there's a lot of mistrust of governments out there, but they do solid confidence in the government and also realizing there's accountability too in all of the different areas of government.

[FOREIGN LANGUAGE] [Speaker:COMMISSIONER MILLER] Well, thank you again. Anything else, Amy? Nope, that'll wrap it up until we do it again. We've talked about moving it to the fall timeframe outside of budget, so our next session will probably be sometime this fall. Okay, I've got 7 people up here that we can probably— oh, sorry, 8— that we can— that will sign up.

Yeah, there's always more, right? We could learn.

Thank you, Amy. Thanks to everyone who graduated from the Citizen Academy and even those who didn't. You had several who came and just could only come for just a few classes. So, all right. Next is a proclamation declaring the month of April 2026 Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

And I have a proclamation here to read.

Whereas sexual violence is primarily a crime of power and control regardless of age, ethnicity, race, gender, or economic status, and whereas sexual assault is one of the most horrific and widespread crimes in our society today, and sexual violence is an even bigger issue in Alaska where the rate of reported rape is 2.5 times greater than the national average, and whereas for young people who are victimized, these criminal acts can be cruelly traumatic and force them to forego the most special times in their lives, their childhood, one in four females and one in six males will be sexually assaulted before the age of 18; and whereas, often women may experience sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, and one in five women will be sexually assaulted in their— in her lifetime; and each year, it is estimated 25,000 American women will become pregnant following an act of sexual violence; and whereas, we must work together to educate our entire population about the causes and what can be done to prevent sexual assault. Perpetrators must be held accountable for their actions. As a society, we must fight sexual assault by striving to increase public awareness of the devastating pain and suffering caused by these crimes. Now therefore, I, Jared Griffin, Mayor of the Kodiak Island Borough, do hereby proclaim the month of April 2026 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and encourage all residents to support local activities and programs which assist victims and to learn more about the pervasiveness of sexual assault in Alaska so we may eliminate this heinous crime. And we have, um, Elamie Tiller, the Outreach Coordinator of the Kodiak Women's Resource and Crisis Center, to receive the proclamation and say a few words.

[Speaking in Kodiak dialect] On behalf of the Kodiak Women's Resource and Crisis Center, I would like to thank you all for taking time to recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month and for all the ways you have supported KW RCC through the years. While we all know that Kodiak is a wonderfully caring and supportive community, sexual assault is still a big problem here. Too many women, men, and even children experience this horrific kind of violence. Sexual assault is particularly harmful because it is not only a dangerous physical assault, but it is an intimate, personal kind of violence. And what's more, about 80% of rapes are perpetrated by someone the survivor knows.

So it's not scary strangers in dark alleys, it's someone they trust. In 2025, KWRRCC worked with 38 victims of sexual assault here in Kodiak, helping them to find safety so they could begin healing. We know that many more did not reach out to us for help for a lot of reasons. Maybe they turned to friends or family members. Maybe they didn't want to talk to anyone at all about it.

Some folks might be confused by what was done to them and not even know that they can seek help. I am so glad that survivors have KWRCC to turn to for support. Not only can we provide safe shelter for them and their children and support them through any legal processes, but we are able to help them find a path through the many complex systems they must navigate to access the resources they need to move forward. And we're so glad to have so many reliable partners who provide those resources. And we know that it takes all of us, the whole community, to bring an end to sexual assault.

Supporting agencies like KWRC helps a lot, but we really need everyone to take a stand. So please, talk to your families and friends about this issue and about what healthy relationships look like. Talk about consent, about the fact that in all of our relationships, sexual or not, it's important that we value both our own and others' safety and comfort. When you get that feeling in your gut that something is off, that someone might be unsafe, step in and say something and check on folks. And I know it can be really hard to start these conversations.

They are uncomfortable. And they are necessary. When we talk about sexual assault, we shine light on this very dark problem. We empower victims to seek help. We let harm-doers know that forcing, coercing, or manipulating someone into sexual behavior is not acceptable.

And hopefully, we can stop sexual assault before it begins.

Yesterday, almost 100 people showed up for the Choose Respect March, because we all want to live in a Kodiak where everyone is safe in their homes and their relationships, in a Kodiak where we all choose respect. So thank you again, Jared, for being part of that event. And thanks to all of you for making this proclamation and speaking out against sexual assault. Thank you so much, Angeline.

We're moving on to the next section of our agenda, which is committee reports. I'll just go down the line and see if there are any reports from from the past couple of weeks. Mr. Gardner. Yeah, I had a couple— not any big news. I did a SWAMC meeting yesterday morning.

Lots of discussion about the schedule, financial reports, and then general discussions about fisheries and whatnot, and our efforts to become a rural planning organization with DOT. But generally the majority was actually focused on scheduling. Also had Community Health Advisory Committee the other day. We were reviewing the community health improvement plan. I won't go over that in detail as I believe at some point in the near future we are expecting Mr. Loomis back in here to go over that in detail.

And then I had— I was able to catch the tail end of solid waste advisory board meeting the other day. Um, just caught the tail end. It was a conflict scheduling with my work, so they were gracious enough to move the meetings back a half hour so that I could fully attend throughout the summer months. Um, that's it. Great, thank you.

Uh, Mr. Johnson. Thank you. Um, had a Borough Lands Committee meeting last week, and, uh, did you guys brief it at the work session? Very little. All right.

Well, so it's been said. Kind of. All right. If there's more you want to—. I—.

Well, I will say then that one thing that really caught my attention at the Lands Committee meeting was that the Assembly, we are failing probably not just the Lands Committee but a lot of our committees by not having a strategic plan for them to review and point to when they are making their recommendations back to us. Absent some kind of overarching guidance, these boards just flounder or kind of skate in the direction that seems like a good idea at the time, but it's not necessarily what we might be looking for. So I'll use that opportunity to put another plug in for getting off our rears and putting a strategic plan together. Thank you.

All right. Thank you. Mr. Smiley. There was a Solid Waste Contract Committee and I missed it and there wasn't a.

For them, so it didn't occur. Thank you. Mr. Ames? No comment at this time. Okay.

Mr. Weisheit? Thank you. I won't repeat. I'm also on the Lands Committee, and so I won't repeat what has already been stated. A couple things that are notable for the community are we are looking at developing— we meaning the Mayor has introduced a draft screening criteria for the Lands Committee to consider as far as how we are going to evaluate and discuss land disposal to bring to the Assembly.

But to Mr. Johnson's point, without some sort of direction or guidance from the Assembly as to what the community needs are, it is going to be difficult for the Lands Committee getting past these initial, as we call them, low-hanging fruit parcels where we want to guide land disposal. Another notable item that we discussed was KEA requested 4 parcels of land from the community at no cost, or the cost of transfer, which is essentially no cost. Uh, I don't have the figures in front of me, but these 4 parcels total over 1,500 acres, and the fair market value is $1.22 million. I will have a lot more to say about that when this— that comes in front of us, but worth noting to the assembly and the community that that request may Cross the dais. Solid Waste Contract Committee, as noted, was scheduled for yesterday.

We didn't reach a quorum, so we've rescheduled to May 28th where we are going to discuss the potentially the final draft of the solid waste RFP, contract RFP. So I think we have a lot of good momentum there, and so hopefully we will have that ironed out in the coming weeks and in front of you all for— to consider for approval. Great, thank you. Ms. Roberts. Thank you.

The Kodiak College Advisory, um, Advisory Council met, uh, still working through the director transition, and we also were able to go through the bylaws and vote to pass those through. There were some minor amendments to allow members to serve a third term if there wasn't somebody able to fill their spot, and And we voted to approve that. All right, thank you. Mr. Woods? Nothing to report.

All right, um, that moves us into public hearing. We have a couple items here. Uh, the first one is Ordinance Number FY 2026-01A, amending Ordinance Number FY 2026-01, Fiscal Year 2026 Budget, by amending budgets and appropriations to account for various revenues that are over budget Providing for additional expenditures and moving funds between projects. Is there a motion? Mr. Whiteside.

Move to adopt ordinance number FY 2026-01A. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Um, staff report, Madam Manager. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

There are 12 requests and we're going to walk you through all 12 since this is the final public hearing. First request is for the transfer of $92,934 from the general fund balance to the general fund Nonprofit funding department for additional nonprofit funding as approved by resolution fiscal year 2026-05. The second is requesting the transfer of $120,000 from the borough— or sorry, from the buildings and grounds fund to the capital projects fund annex building UST removal project in order to comply with the State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for the removal of an underground storage tank next to that building. The third is the Manasheka Bay Road Service Board was requesting the transfer of $50,000 from fund balance for planned spring maintenance and construction projects. The fourth is requesting the return of $785,750.09 from the capital projects fund Kodiak Fisheries Research Center decontamination project to the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center fund due to a change in scope of the project, meaning it was canceled and we don't any longer have to do that project.

The fifth is requesting a return of $14,705.81 from the Capital Projects Fund Kodiak Fisheries Research Center Fume Hoods Project to the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center Fund due to completion of the project. The sixth is a return of $39,316.21 from the Capital Projects Fund Chenaak Water System Project back to the Building and Ground Fund due to completion of the project. The seventh is requesting a return of $92,523.56 from the Capital Projects Fund Borough Building Abatement Mechanical Upgrades Project to the Building and Grounds Fund due to completion of the project. The 8th is requesting the transfer of $70,000 within Renewal and Replacement Fund to the Community Pool Evaluation and Repairs Project to continue with the design phase, including destructive testing of the community pool facility. The 9th is requesting the transfer of $463,334.94 from the R&R Fund to the Capital Projects Fund, Mental Health Buildings Abatement and Remediation Project, to provide final payment for the completed project.

The 10th is requesting the return of $332,354.74 from the Capital Projects Fund Landfill Scale Shack Platform Project to the Solid Waste Collection and Disposal Fund due to the Assembly's rejection of the contract for the project. The 11th is staff is requesting the transfer of $115,000 from the Solid Waste Collection and Disposal Fund to the Capital Projects Fund Leachate Aeration LTP Pretreatment Upgrades Project to complete the final stages of the project. And finally, the 12th is requesting the transfer of $26,000 from the hospital fund to the capital projects fund, long-term care land farm project, to continue the management and remediation of hospital-generated fuel-contaminated soil. All right. Thank you.

Any other— anything else before I open up public hearing? No. Unless there's questions on any of those, that's, that's all we have. Okay. Well, then, with that, I'll open up public hearing.

There we go. If anybody would like to call in on this item, the number is 907-486-3231, toll-free 1-855-492-9202. And if there is anybody in the audience here, I think you know the drill at this point. Come on down, sign in your name, turn on the mic. So we will give a few seconds if anybody here.

Or anybody on the phones?

Okay. Seeing no calls and no one in the audience here, then I will close public hearing and open it up for Assembly discussion. Any discussion?

Okay, roll call vote on the motion, please. Mr. Ames? Yes. Mr. Gardner? Yes.

Mr. Johnson? Yes. Miss Roberts? Yes. Mr. Smiley?

Yes. Mr. Whiteside? Yes. Mr. Woods? Yes.

Would anyone like to change their vote? Motion passes unanimously. All right, the next, um, public hearing item is ordinance number FY 2026-23, accepting and appropriating funds from the 2020 Prince William Sound Pink and Coho Salmon Fisheries Disaster Relief Distribution is their motion. Mr. Whiteside, move to adopt ordinance number FY 2026-23. Second.

Moved and seconded. Um, staff report, Madam Manager. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. When a federal fishery disaster is declared, direct federal financial assistance may be provided to fishing communities in the form of grants, direct payments, cooperative agreements, loans, or contracts to help offset the economic loss associated associated with the events that led to the declared disaster. On May 9, 2023, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce made a disaster determination for the Alaska Copper River-Prince William Sound fishery.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration allocated $15,730,357 to address losses to the affected management areas. The State of Alaska, in consultation with Stakeholders and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service drafted a spend plan and forwarded that to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, the administrator of the federal grant for disaster funds. Approximately $463,000 will be distributed per rata to municipalities. The Kodiak Island Borough has been notified that we are eligible for a payment of $11,595.50. Our plan is to add that amount to the Fisheries Economic Development Fund.

Great. Thank you. With that, I will open up the public hearing for this item. Numbers again: 907-486-3231 or toll-free 1-855-492-9202 if you would like to call in and comment on this item. And also those in the audience are welcome to come down to the microphone also and make some comments.

We do have one call. You are now answering a call from McHugh. Assembly meeting, you're on the air. Please state your name for the record. Hi there, um, Brenda Schwanes.

Yeah, I tried calling in, uh, at the last public hearing here a few minutes ago, and, um, by the time the mayor offers the public the opportunity to call in, and then we call in and we listen to the recording, and then we, you know, you were first in queue, and then we listened to the music, the mayor's already moved on. To the next topic. Anyway, nobody answered, so I just wanted to give you that data just so you can do with it whatever you want. Um, so I'm going back to the first hearing on the nonprofit funding. I'm not sure if this was just not appropriated in the beginning of the last budget cycle.

I'm, I'm so sorry, this is for the public hearing item on the accepting the fisheries disaster relief funds.

Yes, Mayor, I tried calling in. Nobody answered when it was the nonprofit moving funds between funds public hearing. So I'm calling in right now because nobody answered the first time. So if these nonprofit funds are additional funds that are being appropriated and weren't originally budgeted, I do not support that. And so, and I'm not sure whether these were just not budgeted in the beginning or if they're additional funds.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Anybody else?

Okay. All right. With that, I will close the public hearing and open it up for Assembly discussion. Any discussion? Mr. Johnson.

Thank you. Just a, I guess, a process question for the manager. To accept this $11,595 grant, we've had this now on the agenda 4 times, correct? Isn't—. Is there a way we can amend the Dam Code so that the manager can accept a pro-rated grant within their spending authority?

Because it seems like by the time this has all been said and done, we've spent as much in staff time as we're receiving in the grant. Um, I— that's a good point, Assemblymember Johnson. Thank you for the question. The reason that it's done this way is because when we have money coming to the borough that doesn't have a specific destination, if it's not for a specific person, it's accepted by ordinance. So we could, we could change that, but this kind of ensures that the assembly knows where that money is going.

When we get a grant that comes in and it is just, hey, this money is for this purpose, Then we accept it by resolution, and you would just see it in packet review and then the next meeting. This is kind of set up as a safeguard to make sure that money come in— that comes in has a specific destination and that it makes it there. I would have to talk to the clerk and the finance director to see if there's an easier way to accept that.

That was my very fancy way of saying I don't know. But we can absolutely find out if there's an easier way. Anyone else?

Okay, roll call vote on the motion, please.

Mr. Gardner? Yes. Mr. Johnson? Yes. Ms. Roberts?

Yes. Mr. Smiley? Yes. Mr. Whiteside? Yes.

Mr. Woods? Yes. Mr. Ames? Yes. Would anyone like to change their vote?

Motion passes unanimously. Okay, up next, Borough Manager's Report. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'm going to take the opportunity to just touch on a couple of public comment things that happened tonight. One of our callers said that they listened to a Parks and Recs meeting and they didn't know how to explain the pool responsibility.

That was not a borough Parks and Recs meeting, that was a city Parks and Recs meeting. There is a three-way agreement between the city of Kodiak, the Kodiak Island Borough School District, and the Kodiak Island Borough on the responsibility of the pool, and it is broke down like this. Parks and Recs from the City of Kodiak does the everyday operations of the pool. The Kodiak Island Borough School District takes care of minor maintenance, chemicals, and making sure that the pool operates that it should. And the Kodiak Island Borough makes the payments for the pool and then does major maintenance for the pool.

That is an agreement that if the caller just sends me an email, I'm happy to share with her. And then I can make sure that the Parks and Recs— I'll, I'll ask the city clerk to make sure that that's shared with them so that they have a better understanding of how that works. There was another comment about the Kodiak Island Borough school budget review. During the course of the year, the Kodiak Island Borough does not offer comment on the Kodiak Island Borough School District budget. That's their business as their own elected body.

Uh, there was also a comment that they were upset there wasn't an agenda item. I assure you there are many agenda items coming up quickly about the discussion of the Kodiak Island Borough School District local contribution. I think that's what the caller was referring to. Um, at our very next meeting on the 30th, we will have the letter from the school district with their official ask, and I think every meeting after that, that subject will be coming up. And then the other comment was on consolidation, and I'm not touching that tonight.

Okay, uh, to my regularly scheduled manager's report, I wanted to say congratulations to Brandon Mastelier. Brandon leads up our maintenance department. He won, um, the employee of the quarter for January through March of 2026. Brandon is outstanding. Brandon works behind the scenes and his team isn't often seen, but the borough keeps running because of their work.

He doesn't just address issues as they arise, he's learned to be very proactive. He hasn't been with the borough very long but has really made a, a significant impact to our operations. He has technical skill along with a steady positive presence. Um, he's approachable and he has made our MaintainX, which is our software system for maintenance, really shine. And we're actually really using it to its capabilities.

So it's been really great. Um, thanks to him for his dedication and leadership, and we are really happy that he's on board. So he gets a lovely shiny certificate and 4 hours of admin time to be used whenever is appropriate for him. Okay, upcoming community events. ComFish is taking place, started last night with taco night, which is amazing.

Forums today, tomorrow, and Saturday happen at the Harbor Room in the convention center. This morning I went to a session called Demystifying Pollock. I know more, but I don't think it's fully demystified to me quite yet. Senator Sullen gave an update, and in his update update. He announced that the USDA is starting an Office of Seafood, which is going to be excellent for Kodiak and all coastal communities that are involved in seafood.

I also spent some time at the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council booth in the vendor area. Our Kodiak Community Cleanup Day is coming on May 2nd, and Crab Festival is May 21st through 25th. I wanted to update the assembly. At our last meeting, we talked about that land sales resolution, and I told you it was going to be going off to the lawyer. It did on Monday, April 13th.

We haven't heard anything back yet, but we'll probably check early next week so we can keep that process moving. Uh, we have a PC tech that starts on Monday. We're excited about that. I'm reviewing 2 applicants for the director of engineering and facilities, so that is a wonderful update. Uh, we have the upcoming budget dates.

I just talked about the April 30th, uh, date. That's when the school district will give our official— their official local contribution ask to me. We'll have it to the assembly that same day, and then after that we have our first reading of our budget on May 21st. On May 28th, we have a work session, but we will likely do a special meeting that night to pass our resolution for our local contribution that is due by the 30th. On June 4th will be our public hearing for our budget ordinance.

That'll be the night we're scheduled to pass our fiscal '27 year budget, which is due, um, statutorily by, uh, June 10th. So we'll be 6 days early. All right. Nothing has changed in finance. That's the same information on the 2025 tax foreclosures.

We are still working on that property assessment and tax implementation project. You'll see that in assessing section as well. In information technology, um, They receive their networking gear as part of their cybersecurity network overhaul. If you were to look over the counter in the IT office, there is a mountain of gear that came in for that project. So they'll get started on that.

Uh, they also completed an inventory of all the cabling that is currently run at this building, the KFRC, the landfill, and everything that they have in storage. That's part of the documentation that's required for CONIAC Cyber. GIS has been busy over the past week. He asked all departments for any tasking that they might need for the next 3 weeks while he's taking some time off. So he's been creating maps for assessing upcoming fieldwork, working on getting road owner maintenance information over to the Alaska Department of Depart— Alaska Department of Transportation for their recent data update effort.

And he set up online information updater so that other IT staff can update parcel owner information while he is out. In Community Development, the Planning and Zoning Commission had a public hearing at the April 15th regular meeting for the review of the subdivision request by the Kodiak Island Housing Authority. That subdivision will be turning lots into a 25-lot subdivision. The commission voted 5-0 with one member absent and one vacant seat to approve the plat. They have two years to complete improvements and submit the final plat for review.

Tomorrow is the last day that you can take the Intergovernmental Cooperation and Capital Improvement Project survey. Uh, the link is there, um, in, in paper you obviously can't click on it. If you go to the meeting packet, the clerks post the manager report, you'd be able to click on it out of the manager's report. For Engineering Facilities, we wanted to say thank you to Carl Royal,.

Paul Royal is our Leachate Treatment Plant Lead Operator. He's retiring on Monday. The borough staff are extremely thankful for his years of service and wish him well on his next adventures. Uh, he and his wife bought a house in Colorado. He has shown pictures.

It sounds like they're going to have a good next chapter. Uh, we've already talked about the Solid Waste Contract Committee. The next meeting is going to be on April 28th at 3 PM in the borough conference room. We talked about Community Cleanup Day. The hospital elevator project began work on April 14th.

The new controller and pump have already been installed and work on the first elevator is going well. Uh, we anticipate the state inspection to happen on April 29th and we will start the second elevator after that. Uh, we've been talking about some design ownership shifts with Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center. Project staff have coordinated with the hospital staff and the archi— architectural engineering teams to review proposals for the 4 projects that have kind of been held up in this process. The solution that we have come up with will better align with the lease agreement between the borough and Providence and provide better stakeholder involvement for the review of the designs.

Staff meetings have been held with 2 engineering firms to discuss the changes in ownership. You'll be seeing those for presentation to the assembly on May 7th.

[Speaker:KATIE] The pool project, we are working with our architectural firm, the City of Kodiak, and the school district staff to gather necessary information to proceed. Um, nothing has really changed on our fuel spill assistance, uh, except we had a tree fall over the land farm up by the long-term care center that someone has graciously volunteered to come get rid of for us, which will save us money and give them firewood. So thank you. And then we have a bunch of small projects going, uh, the picnic table replacement at Mill Bay, Harlequin Court Park updates, um, that is more in the planning phase for our Parks and Recs Committee, Port Lion School painting projects. We didn't see any comments from the ARB, so we'll be posting the invitation to bid for painting this summer.

And then no other changes on those other projects. We do have The facilities road maintenance and snow contract that is over in the beginning of June, anticipated award is the beginning of July. We are also updating the recycling contract, the janitorial contract, the analytical lab contract, in-service contract extensions for RTS Auto, Premier Mechanical, Taylor Fire, and Nodak Electric. HFAB has a meeting on April 21st, and we do not have a Solid Waste Advisory Board meeting scheduled at this time. And with that, I am ready for questions.

All right. Thank you, Manager Williams. Any questions pertaining to the Manager's Report today?

Okay. Next are messages from the Mayor. Yes, as Alimi mentioned, I was at the Choose Respect March. Yesterday and just gave a few comments at the beginning, did a little word history lesson about the word respect. So you had to be there to get that lesson.

And also march. And also march. But it was great. It was really good vibes for that.

And with Comfish, I've had a lot of requests from some of the gubernatorial and House representative candidates have come down and so I've spoken with them about Kodiak's needs and what we kind of expect out of our federal delegation leadership and even at the leadership in the governor's seat too. So I think those were good conversations. We talked about Lands Committee.

As Amy mentioned, the school budget, we will be looking at that at the next meeting, their request And I just want you to be thinking about— and I think I've mentioned this before— I would really like the assembly to be as clear as possible about what trade-offs, you know, we are willing to accept. If we're going to spend money on one thing, we need to be really clear about what we are choosing to not spend money on, and the other way around. And I think that helps the public understand some of these big conversations. Sometimes we, the assembly, we kind of skate over the school district's ask sometimes until maybe the very, very end. So please come with questions and ideas and so we can, so we can work those, work those out.

And then a lot of, a lot of sadness about the movie theater. I'm very sad about the movie theater. But, you know, to quote Supersonic, you know, every new beginning is some other beginning's end, you know. So hopefully it will be some closing time. Come on.

Okay.

So all right. Let's move on to new business. We don't have any old business. New business. Some contracts here.

Contract number FY2025-49, change order number 2. KFRC Seawater Pump Replacement and Installation with Industrial Pumps of Alaska. Mr. Whiteside. Move to authorize the Borough Manager to execute Contract No. FY2025-49, Change Order No.

2 For the extension material for the KFRC Seawater Pump replacements. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Staff report. Manager Williams.

Thank you. The KFRC Seawater Pumps have been in disrepair for many years and have caused disruptions to operations for the tenants of the building. In May of '25, the original contract was executed. Executed for the purchase of 5 seawater pump assemblies, 4 for immediate replacement and 1 critical spare and installation cost. I know you remember it because it was like 24 weeks till delivery, 22 weeks delivery.

We've caught— it seems like we've been counting down for a long time. During the initial replacement of the pumps in February, it was discovered that the new pump assemblies were approximately 10 feet shorter than the pumps being removed. Review of the original drawings indicated the total pump length of 36 5 feet. However, during the review of the previous replacement designs, the total pump length was inaccurately documented. The proposed change order accounts for the missing 10 feet in pump and column length material.

The contractor will install the required extensions at no additional cost to the borough, and this change order covers the contract's direct costs only without markup. The change order number 2 cost is $41,750. $4.05, Which if you look at the second page of your packet, you'll see is 18.25% of, uh, contract change, which is above the ability that I am able to change without assembly approval. That's why that amount is in front of you, and I'm happy to answer questions. I hope that new updated statement, Assemblymember Gardner, explains what happened a little bit better.

I went back after the last meeting for clarification and found that The drawings that we had that we used for the design were just wrong.

Questions? All right, Mr. Gardner. So we already purchased these other pumps and we have them in hand, correct? Yes. I just kind of want to put it out there like they're not cheap.

Maybe we can make sure we at least try to find some sort of use for them and they don't get buried in a back room. Oh, the pumps are good. Um, it's the shaft length. Okay, it was wrong. So the pumps are all good and we get to use all of them and we'll have one on the shelf.

We just need an extension to the shaft length. And so IPA is going to come in and install those. We are just paying for materials, no markup, nothing. It's just the cost of the change. I'd just be curious to see what it is that, uh, we're replacing, like in person, or get a picture of it to see if there's a way we can re-use it somewhere.

If somebody got a great idea, we can repurpose it. That's all I'm saying. We're going to use everything they sent. We're just adding to it. Oh, great.

Even better. Any other questions? Mr. Ames. This isn't really a question, it's a comment. And the pumps being 10-foot different and it not being marked on the prints or noted It's not a surprise to me.

I was involved with that building electrically, and there were a bunch of changes. And now when I've had to go back and do maintenance, in my head I can remember changes that somehow never got documented. So unfortunately, the borough got a very bad set of as-builts for that building and facility.

Any other comments or questions? All right, roll call vote on the motion. Mr. Johnson? Yes. Ms. Roberts?

Yes. Mr. Smiley? Yes. Mr. Whiteside? Yes.

Mr. Woods? Yes. Mr. Ames? Yes. Mr. Gardner?

Yes. Would anyone like to change their vote? Motion passes unanimously. All right, next contract is contract number FY 2026-54, Memorandum of Agreement between the Kodiak Island Borough and the Kodiak Kodiak Island Borough School District regarding the East Elementary roof replacement project. Mr. Whiteside.

Move to authorize the Borough Manager to execute contract number FY2026-54, Memorandum of Agreement between the Kodiak Island Borough and the Kodiak Island Borough School District to redirect funds encumbered for the North Star School roof and skylight replacement project to the East Elementary School roof replacement project. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Um, Manager Williams. Thank you.

In 2022, the Kodiak Island.

Borough School District set aside funds to reimburse the Kodiak Island Borough for the Main Elementary School roof replacement project. There were funds remaining from the project that the school district and the borough then redirected in 2024 to the North Star roof and skylight replacement project and the Walking Patch project for other school building roofs. The borough and the school district would like to now redirect those funds to be reserved for East Elementary School roof replacement project. After the end of the main elementary roof replacement, there was $813,262.61 remaining. Then there were $66,418.60 that were spent on design services from our architect for the North Star roof, and then $125,000 that were spent by the Kodiak Island Borough School District for um, with a company called Tremco where they walked around roofs and tried some patching.

There is $621,844.01 remaining to be redirected for the use, um, at elementary— East Elementary for both design and the roof replacement project, which is currently at 65%, and we're going, um, planning to redo in the summer of 2027. All right, any questions for the manager? Mr. Ames. Uh, again, it's not as much a question as a comment, and that is I wish we had a better feel for what the school district is going to be doing in the next couple of years. I really hate the idea of us dumping a bunch of money into a school that might possibly close as soon as we get the job done.

Amy, I believe that in all the models that the school district looked at this year in their budget discussions, the consolidations of elementary schools would end up at East. So replacing East roof, I think, is the best place that that money can go, because no matter what happens with other school closures, East will be— it's the largest school, and it makes the most sense for the consolidated version of elementary school.

Any other discussion? All right, roll call vote on the motion, please. Miss Roberts? Yes. Mr. Smiley?

Yes. Mr. Whiteside? Yes. Mr. Woods? Yes.

Mr. Aime? Yes. Mr. Gardner? Yes. Mr. Johnson?

Yes. Would anyone like to change their vote? Motion passes unanimously. All right. We have one ordinance for introduction, Ordinance No.

FY 2026-24, rezoning USS 3099 Lot 21, Sublot 6 from R-1 Single-Family Residential District to PL Public Use Lands District. Mr. Whiteside. Move to advance Ordinance No. FY 2026-24 to the public hearing at the next regular meeting of the Assembly. Second.

Moved and seconded. Manager Williams. Thank you. Our Community Development Director Chris French is here if you have any specific questions. In packet review last week, we explain that this is kind of a cleanup.

This has already been done. This was a residential lot. The house has been taken down. The city bought that lot, and it will be a new lift station location. So we're changing the zoning from residential to public so that it is an authorized use, and so that lift station is legal.

Any discussion or questions for Director French? Manager Williams. All right, seeing none, roll call vote on the motion, please. Um, Mr. Mayor, I would like to note for the record that what we're forwarding to the public hearing is a corrected version of what was originally in the packet. We found a typo, and I highlighted that in the packet just so everyone is on the same page that we're moving forward the corrected version.

Thank you. Thank you for that, Nova. Thank you. Yes. Mr. Smiley?

Yes. Mr. Whiteside? Yes. Mr. Woods? Yes.

Mr. Ames? Yes. Mr. Gardner? Yes. Mr. Johnson?

Yes. Ms. Roberts? Yes. Would anyone like to change their vote? Motion passes unanimously.

Um, and then we have, uh, uh, declaring a seat vacant on the Mission Lake Tye Gate Service Area Board held by Mr. Alan Wolff. Is there a motion? Mr. Whiteside? Move to declare the seat held by Mr. Alan Wolf on the Mission Lake Tidgate Service Area Board vacant and direct the Bureau Clerk to advertise the vacancy per Bureau Code. Second.

All right. It's been moved and seconded. I just want to congratulate Mr. Wolf on his retirement and hope he enjoys it. And we have one, maybe two people already interested in taking over that seat. Any questions or discussion on that?

Okay, roll call vote on the motion, please. Mr. Whiteside. Yes. Mr. Woods. Yes.

Mr. Ames. Yes. Mr. Gardner. Yep. Mr. Johnson.

Yes. Ms. Roberts. Yes. Mr. Smiley. Yes.

Would anyone like to change their vote? Motion passes unanimously.

All right, we come to our last opportunity for tonight's regular meeting, at least, um, for citizens' comments. For those who wish to call in, the local number again, 907-486-3231. Toll-free is 1-855-492-9202. Please turn off your radio or any listening device to prevent feedback. And for anybody in the room who wishes to speak under Citizens' Comments, please come to the podium, sign in, turn on the microphone, speak directly into the mic, state your name, and address all remarks to the Assembly as a body and not to any member thereof.

And we'll wait a few seconds for some calls.

Okay. Seeing none, anyone in the audience?

All right. Now it's time for Assemblymember comments. We'll start here to my left with Mr. Gardner.

The one thing I think I wanted to say was to Mr. Johnson and Mr. Whiteside, I sent you guys a while back, I sent everybody the Menasha Bay Comprehensive Plan. And, you know, I think over and over as a governing body, it seems that we're always doing a study to create a plan, and there are plans that exist. That one pretty much outlines what our forebears intended for the logical expansion of town. So it's a lengthy document, but it's worth a look, and you guys are the ones on the committee, and I trust your judgment, but it's a good one. And yeah, Madam Manager, thank you so much for all your hard work.

You're awesome. You too, ladies. Appreciate it. Thank you. Mr. Johnson.

You know, the consolidation question was brought up again tonight, and while personally I think it's worth taking another look at, I think it's also worth noting that the borough can't just hold a hearing on an idea. I mean, we can, but at that point it would be completely performative. It requires both governmental bodies to engage, and without a clear will of both bodies to put in the work, then in a process that is defined so that we could then follow it, there's not going to be any progress. So I just want, you know, to address those concerns because I do think, like I said, it's worth looking at. Talking about it isn't going to get anything done.

And so if it's something that is going to be considered, a process should be defined and then followed to actually put something in front of our voters to consider rather than hold another unattended Consolidation Committee meeting extravaganza. Thank you. Extra— Mr. Smiley. Uh, the last time we went through the consolidation arguments, we invited somebody— I believe they were from the Boundary Commission, State Boundary Commission— in who was enormously helpful in trying to elucidate what the real choices were. I think there's a lot of fiction associated with this subject.

People think that it's really easy to do. It is not. It's very complicated, and the city has established different powers than the borough has, and there are all kinds of complications and opportunities to spend ridiculous amounts of money. So I think caution is to be advised here.

Thank you. Mr. Ames. I can't remember how long ago now, but I was involved in discussions. On the consolidation, and it's definitely one of those things that the surface looks one way, and when you dig into it, see possible consequences with state police, see all kinds of consequences financially, consequences getting grants and not getting grants, it's a totally different ball game. And Personally, I don't think we should bother with— we've spent a bunch of money on this several times.

And it's always proven not to be a smart move. I don't see what's really changed. If for some reason it does get to a point where we're going to, we need to have an outsider look at it that does not have any emotional ties and can explain it thoroughly, because if we just put it to the voters, I'm afraid and this is not insulting intelligence, it's just very hard to get the information— they will be properly informed to know what's going to happen and the possible unforeseen consequences. Thank you. Thank you.

Mr. Weisheit. I think I just wanted to congratulate the volunteers at Bayside Fire Department again with their promotions, and thank you for their selfless service to our community. We have such a robust volunteer fire department. It is impressive how many firefighters we have, their level of expertise, that they're learning more every day. Big kudos to Chief Ellis.

I think he's been the spearhead for all of this progress for our community volunteer fire department. So congratulations to all of them. It's very impressive and appreciate your service. Thank you. Ms. Roberts.

Thank you. I also want to say congratulations to the firefighters that were recognized tonight, and thank you to all the firefighters in the community and their families. We really appreciate everything you do. And also thank you to everyone who participated in the Citizens Academy. I think it's awesome to see people taking the time to learn more about how things work.

Thank you. And Mr. Woods. I'd like to congratulate the firefighters. I mean, truly, Bayside is a pretty incredible volunteer fire department, what Chief Ellis has accomplished over there. And it was of note too that we had other fire chiefs and the police chief here.

It's not every community where they get along, and that level of cooperation is only beneficial to us as a whole. There really can't be enough said about the level of professionalism for what they've been doing with what they have been able to do with what they have resource-wise, including the training they brought to the island. So it's truly remarkable. Good job, guys. All right.

Thank you all. The next assembly work session is actually in a few minutes. We'll have a special work session After, we will take a little break. But then after that, there will be a work session on Thursday, April 30th at 6:30 PM. And then the next Assembly regular meeting is scheduled on Thursday, May 7th at 6:30 PM right here in the Borough Assembly Chambers.

Is there a motion to adjourn? Mr. Whiteside. Move to adjourn the meeting. Second. It is moved and seconded.

All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed, same sign. And we are adjourned. We'll take a 5-minute break.