Homer City Council

The Homer City Council got its first look at preliminary design plans for a new police station Monday. The council contracted Stantec to design a rough $6 million layout in August, but the design firm came back with both an $8 million and $6 million option.

A task force recommended building a $6 million or $9 million dollar building at the corner of Heath Street and Grubstake Avenue earlier this summer, but the council has focused on the cheaper option due to concerns over the cost of maintaining a larger building.

The Homer City Council introduced an ordinance Monday that would settle a four-year land dispute between Homer and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Office. The Trust Land Office  claims Mental Health owns land at the mouth of Homer’s harbor. If the ordinance is approved, the city would pay about $550,000 for the disputed land.

The disagreement dates back to 2013 when the city requested an easement through a lot on the Homer Spit that the Alaska Department of Natural Resources and Mental Health both own.

A recommendation to open the Homer Spit to the commercial marijuana industry passed through the Port & Harbor Advisory Commission Wednesday.

The Cannabis Advisory Committee pushed the recommendation to the harbor commission and the Advisory Planning Commission back in August, but the Homer City Council will have the final say on the matter.

An ethics complaint filed in early July against Homer City Council Members Donna Aderhold, Catriona Reynolds and David Lewis was thrown out last week.

The complaint followed a failed recall attempt this summer. Recall petitioners argued that Aderhold, Reynolds and Lewis committed misconduct in office after crafting and sponsoring two resolutions regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline and inclusivity for minority populations and immigrants.

A new ethics complaint has been filed in relation to Homer’s recent recall election. Three Homer City Council members were up for recall in June, but all three retained their seats. The complaint argues that the council members should have recused themselves from certifying the election results.

Stephen Mueller, a local pharmacist, is running for one of two seats on the Homer City Council. Mueller is running for his first time, and wants to focus his message on capital projects, new sources of income and a cautious marijuana policy.

Caroline Venuti is a retired teacher and principal who has served on the Library Advisory Board and the Transportation Advisory Committee for the city of Homer.

When asked if being an elementary school teacher prepares her for city council, Venuti smiles and says she has learned excellent management skills.

“Try heading a third-grade class on the first day of school,” she says.

One of Venuti’s primary points of focus is on disaster preparedness.

There are still remnants of Homer’s contentious recall election on display at Homer City Council meetings. The council approved two resolutions asking Alaska’s Legislature to revisit the state statute for recalling municipal officials without controversy in late August, but each were brought up for reconsideration on Monday.

Both are companion measures, one coming directly from the council and the other is to be sent to the Alaska Municipal League for approval. Council member Tom Stroozas pulled both resolutions the morning after they were approved.

The filing period for two Homer City Council seats closed Tuesday. Eight candidates are in the running for current council members’ David Lewis and Catriona Reynolds positions on the council.

Three candidates entered the race Monday. Stephen Mueller is among the new group of candidates. Mueller currently works as a pharmacist in Homer. In his candidate statement, he says he brings over 25 years of corporate management experience to the table. He has also served as an officer at the Homer Elks Lodge.

Two seats on the Homer City Council are up for grabs in October. So far, five candidates have officially filed to run.

Rachel Lord was among two candidates to file on Friday. Lord is a small business owner and is the current commissioner on the City’s Economic Development Commission. She also sits on the Harbor Safety Committee and is an executive secretary for Alaska’s Harbormasters Association.

The Alaska Public Offices Commission – or APOC – has issued three violations against Heartbeat of Homer, the political action committee that pushed for the recent recall effort of three Homer City Council members.

Heartbeat Chairman Michael Fell was among those who collected petition signatures to initiate a recall election, targeting council members Donna Aderhold, Catriona Reynolds and David Lewis. Petitioners took issue with two resolutions the council members crafted and sponsored, namely a resolution regarding inclusivity.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska and the City of Homer have struck a deal following a recent court battle over a recall effort. The ACLU represented Homer City Council members Donna Aderhold, Catriona Reynolds and David Lewis, all subjects of the recall, in a lawsuit to halt the election.

As part of the deal, the city will not seek repayment of legal fees spent defending itself, and the ACLU did not appeal the case to a higher court in exchange.