Wrangell hasn’t revised its Water Shortage Management Plan for seven years. The Borough Assembly will consider updating it at its regular meeting today.
The current water treatment facility often experiences poor treatment performance and difficulty with cleaning treatment filters. This leads to low filtration capacity and water storage volume year-round. Then, if there is a high demand for water, there could be a water shortage.
The Borough Assembly is considering changing the plan to include further explanations of when a water shortage could occur.
One scenario could be when lower reservoir water levels can’t maintain high pressure in the gravity fed reservoirs.
Another change in the plan includes providing flexibility for each water restriction stage, like prohibiting landscape watering and pool usage at the Recreation Center. Once contractors complete the new Water Treatment Plant, the borough will further revise the Water Shortage Management Plan.
Harbor stall rent and early voting
Additionally, the public can speak on the proposed three percent reduction for the harbor’s annual stall rentals.
There will also be a public hearing about expanding the voting process in Wrangell. The borough is proposing early voting and the ability to vote electronically. This will allow voters to vote in a tabulator in person 15 days before the election at the City Clerk’s office in City Hall. A tabulator is a machine that scans and records each vote.
Another proposed modification is for people to be able to vote by email, which would reflect other Alaskan municipalities like Fairbanks and Petersburg.
Compensating assembly members
Wrangell’s assembly will also discuss amending Wrangell’s Home Rule Charter, which is a governing power that allows the municipality (in this case the borough) to have more authority and autonomy as opposed to the state governing the borough. The reason they would change the provision is so the assembly could receive compensation at borough assembly meetings.
Currently, assembly members don’t get paid for attending the meetings and the staff believes that compensation would be an incentive to be more responsible with decision-making. They also think it would convince other community members to run for local office.
The first step is for voters to remove the provision in local law that prevents assembly members from receiving compensation.
Today’s meeting will be on KSTK beginning at 6 p.m., It will broadcast on 101.7 FM and be streamed at kstk.org. Anyone wishing to speak at the meeting can sign up on the ‘Persons to be Heard’ sheet located at City Hall.
View the full agenda packet for this assembly meeting here.
