The Skagway Borough Assembly will meet on Thursday. Many of the items on the agenda involve fleshing out the municipal roster with new hires and new positions.
The Assembly will open public hearing before they vote to adopt resolutions that create paid positions at the Skagway Volunteer Fire Department. The resolutions change the fire chief from a volunteer to a paid position and add paid seasonal emergency responder positions. Borough Clerk Emily Deach says the changes are intended to help the department respond to increased emergency call volume in summer months.
“The Public Safety Committee has recommended that we hire six seasonal responders for this season. So our next step would be to budget for that,” she said.
National Park Service Maintenance Worker Daniel Papke will be appointed Historical Liaison to the Historic District Commission. Papke’s appointment follows the resignation of Susannah Dowds on March 1st of this year. His term will end in 2022.
The assembly will consider the professional services agreement for Tom Healy who will be the interim Municipal Manager. He will take on the duties temporarily while the municipality works to make a permanent hire. Deach says he’s a natural fit.
“He’s served in this position before. He knows all our issues; all that stuff. So he can really step seamlessly into the role. And you know we feel very short staffed here right now things are starting to build up, so it will be nice to have that time when we can address backlogs and get things wrapped up we’re all very excited he’s coming,” shesaid.
The municipality is renewing its search for a permanent manager after Sam Kito III declined the position in favor of a job at The University of Alaska Southeast. Healy will serve as interim manager through the end of May this year.
The assembly will introduce an update to license requirements for chauffeur permits in town. The update would expand the types of license that qualify for the permit. REAL IDs are recognized federally and by the state, but municipal code doesn’t accept them for chauffeur permits yet. Deach says this should make the process easier for tour companies.
“We want to be able to accept that but right now we don’t. We need to get that into code so we can begin accepting that as a valid form of license for this permit,” she said.
The assembly will also approve the draft of a letter to the state outlining the potential impacts of the proposed state budget. Chief among the concerns are reductions to the school budget, funding for general government services, and threats to the ferry system.
The assembly will meet Thursday evening at 7 p.m. in Assembly Chambers.
