The Homer City Council will pay for an outside audit of the Homer Volunteer Fire Department. Council members approved $60,000 for it at a public hearing Monday night. No one from the public testified, and no council member objected.
A memo from City Manager Melissa Jacobsen says the idea grew out of public input in late 2024 and early 2025 about how the department runs and supports its volunteers. The city sought proposals in July of last year. It canceled that search because the fire chief job was vacant and staff had little room to manage the project. Jacobsen's memo says the city will work toward having results before the next two-year budget.
In a second public hearing, the council accepted a federal grant of about $33,000 for a slip-on water tank for wildland fires. Fire Chief Dan Jager's memo said it will turn a department pickup into a brush truck. The department sold Engine 4 after more than 40 years in service. The memo says that left it without a dedicated rig for a fast first attack on a wildfire.
In another public hearing, the council formed the Mallard Way Sewer Special Assessment District. Developer Mike Arno will pay to build the sewer main at an estimated cost of $212,000. Arno owns two of the nine lots along the line. The owners of the other seven will each owe more than $23,000 before they can hook up, and that money goes back to Arno.
On the consent agenda, the council directed the city manager to ask the U.S. Department of Transportation to review Homer's air service under the Essential Air Service program. That federal program can subsidize an airline that agrees to keep a minimum level of flights. The resolution says Homer's scheduled service has become less reliable in recent years.
The council also introduced two spending measures on the consent agenda. One would put $20,000 toward finishing the design to repave Heath Street. The other would take $50,000 from port reserves to design repairs to damaged mooring dolphins at the deep water dock. Both go to public hearing November 9.
Council member Shelly Erickson pulled the city's comments on the state's four-year transportation plan off the consent agenda. The council then adopted four amendments from Council Member Brad Parsons. One asks for a signal or turn lane where Kachemak Drive meets the Spit Road. Another calls for a new East End Road safety project, and an amendment from Erickson says it should come with flashing pedestrian crossings. Parsons' other two amendments point out that a 2025 borough safety plan lists the city's Sterling Highway and Ocean Drive requests as high priorities. The amended comments passed with no objections and are due to the state Thursday.
The council's next regular meeting is Monday, November 9, at six p.m. at City Hall.
