Budgets and grants were among the subjects discussed by the Dillingham City Council, which held its June meeting Thursday evening. KDLG’s Chase Cavanaugh has more.
Dillingham’s City Council held its June meeting Thursday at City Hall. They first adopted two resolutions pertaining to city budget funds. The first appropriated $370,000 for Fiscal Year 2014. The second resolution adopted the next year’s budget, which totaled $11.7 million in revenue and $12.2 million in appropriations, leaving a defecit of approximately $505,000.
The city also authorized applying to several grants, first being the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Grant. According to City Mangaer Rose Loetta, the city wants to use it to fund a full time police position with the Western Alaska Alcohol and Narcotics Team.
"About this grant, it's likely that they may not fund the full time position, so our backup Plan B would be to use whatever funds they give us and put it towards one of our officers to become one of the WAANT officers."
Another application dealt with buying safety equipment with money from the Department of Homeland Security. This is the same grant the city used to replace its security cameras. Loetta says while unlikely, the equipment could include a new boat.
"The boat at the harbor is needing to be replaced and we could use it in other departments as well. But the police gear encryption technology, right now our encryption technology at the fire hall and the police station is very old and it needs to be replaced. Emergency preparedness supplies just to help us get organized in emergency situations and then we threw in the oil response equipment that we were looking for funding to purchase."
The council also approved resolutions to create easements near a property by the Dillingham City High School and Elementary School. Loetta says the easements are necessary to provide road access.
"This particular ordinance and 2014-14, which is the one right after it, pertains to the Harvey Samuelson property right next to Curyung Tribal. This is a plot that's been in the works for many years from the State giving us this piece of property, it's plot 2005-52 I believe, 51, and what these easements are is to give access to the property behind there so that property isn't landlocked. Both ordinance 14 and 13 are different easements on the same parcel."
Minor items included allowing the City Manager to advertise for the development of two new landfill cells, as well as a renewal of the city’s 911 survey contract with the Alaska Department of Public Safety. More information about the meeting, including the agenda and a copy of the resolutions can be found at the city’s website.