The council introduced the harbor infrastructure grant as part of the consent agenda, moving it to a public hearing and final vote at the next council meeting. If ordinance 25-17 gets approved, the $1.1 million Denali Commission grant, and a local match of $855,000, will pay for design and permitting work to replace two aging float systems, 4 and 1, at Homer Harbor.
Resolution 25-016, requesting ten additional restaurant beer and wine licenses, was pulled from the consent agenda for discussion. Homer has reached its limit on these licenses, forcing new businesses to buy them on the secondary market at higher prices.
A change in state law allows cities to request more licenses if they qualify. The council could have passed the resolution immediately, but state regulators recommended holding a public hearing first. Councilmember Jason Davis said that in other cities, skipping a hearing forced opposition to go before the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board in Anchorage instead of being addressed locally. The council scheduled that hearing and a final vote for the next meeting.
Another item was removed from the consent agenda for further discussion. The ordinance (25-20), would allow dance, music and art studios in more areas of Homer. Currently, studios are limited to certain zoning districts. Council members considered sending the ordinance back to the planning commission for an amendment but instead introduced it as written. Any changes will be discussed at the public hearing.
Several other items were introduced through the consent agenda or put up for public comment during the meeting including ordinance 25-13 that removes the minimum liability insurance requirement for recreational vessels at Homer Harbor. After receiving no public comment, the council adopted the change to Homer city code. Other items passed through the consent agenda included resolution 25-018 amending task order 22-02 as part of the Homer Large Vessel Harbor Expansion Project. Another ordinance 25-21 was introduced to appropriate $300,000 for the replacement of a 60-year-old water main in Homer.
The next Homer City Council meeting will be held Mon, March 10th.
