A cruise ship in Skagway in 2016. (Emily Files)

A cruise ship in Skagway in 2016. (Emily Files)

Skagway’s port consultants will present their short-term recommendations at a meeting Thursday afternoon.

Moffatt & Nichol will give a report on options to leverage several million dollars in state grant funding for port improvements.

The municipality contracted with Moffatt & Nichol on two phases of port planning. The first phase involves short-term ideas to prepare Skagway’s waterfront for larger cruise ships. The second phase includes an exploration of port governance options, a look at environmental issues and an economic analysis.

The consultants will present their phase one findings at a steering committee meeting Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in assembly chambers. They will also speak at the assembly meeting later that night.

Also Thursday night, the assembly will get an update from the Alaska Department of Transportation on the State Street rehabilitation project. The state plans to resurface a little more than a mile of State Street, between Point Street and the Skagway River Bridge. Construction is expected to begin in 2018. DOT is taking comments on the project, due July 30.

Also on the agenda: the FY18 budget. It’s the third reading of the spending plan, which needs to be adopted by June 30.

There is also a resolution to establish a shorter winter sales tax holiday than in past years. The retail sales tax break would last only two months, in November and December, instead of the entire six-month off-season. The purpose of shortening the holiday is for the municipality to collect more revenue.

There are two executive sessions scheduled — one to continue Borough Manager Scott Hahn’s annual evaluation, and one to discuss police chief duties with current chief Ray Leggett.

The assembly meeting is set for Thursday at 7 p.m. in assembly chambers. It will be the first for newly-appointed member Monica Carlson.