Wrangell’s Borough Assembly holds its first meeting of the new year this week (January 10), and will consider multiple new borough positions.
One job that could be added to borough payrolls is a marketing and tourism coordinator, who would work in the economic development department. The proposed position would be paid a salary of around $52,000 plus benefits. The assembly postponed considering the new post at its last meeting, despite wide support in the local visitor industry for the position.
The assembly will also consider adding a construction and facility management position in the capital facilities department, at a proposed starting salary of around $64,000 plus benefits. The individual would help coordinate with engineers and contractors to keep borough infrastructure projects on track, among other duties.
Both the tourism coordinator and construction management positions will also be discussed during a work session before the regular assembly meeting.
But the two positions aren’t the only possible changes to the borough’s payroll. The assembly is also set to discuss an update to a few different positions in the Parks & Recreation department.
The potential changes include updates to the job descriptions of Parks & Rec director as well as the recreation coordinator position. And the borough assembly will look at updating the Parks & Rec maintenance position to a higher pay grade and changing the title and responsibilities of the job.
Also on the agenda: assembly members are set to consider applying for two different state grants meant to improve transportation in communities throughout Alaska. The borough administration recommends applying for about $9 million for road resurfacing from the once-every-three-years program. That would include redoing sidewalks and storm drainage systems in the targeted areas. The grant would require just over a 9% match from the borough.
A similar state grant covers non-motorized transportation like walking or biking. The borough may also apply to that program, to create a sidewalk on the Second Avenue hill across from the elementary school and covered basketball court.
Wrangell received a $250,000 grant for a loading dock at the community’s solid waste transfer station from the Denali Commission, which the borough assembly will have to formally accept. The loading dock project is meant to help load baled trash into containers more safely and efficiently for shipping off-island. The grant will cover a portion of the project – there’s already almost $400,000 in this year’s borough budget to build the loading dock.
Other potential assembly actions include moving the Nolan Center’s museum rates and other fees out of borough code and into the borough’s fee and rate schedule – but it won’t raise museum entrance fees. The move of utility rates and fees out of borough code has been an ongoing process since last year, meant to make it an easier process for the borough assembly to consider rate changes to keep up with inflation and infrastructure needs.
View the full agenda packet for the meeting here.
The borough assembly will meet starting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 10 for a work session on potential new borough positions. KSTK will air the regular meeting beginning at 7 p.m. on 101.7 FM and online at KSTK.org.
Anyone wishing to speak at the meeting can sign up on the “Persons to be Heard” sheet located at City Hall just prior to the meeting.
Get in touch with KSTK at news@kstk.org or (907) 874-2345.
