City renews agreement with tax appraisal company

Council allows Harborside Pizza’s liquor license application to move forward, reviews city manager candidates at August meeting

Cordova City Council members unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the city to enter into an agreement with the Appraisal Company of Alaska for the 2017 tax year for assessment services in the amount of $18,000. This is a $2,000 savings over the previous tax year.

The vote on Resolution 08-16-29 was taken Aug. 3, during the regularly scheduled monthly City Council meeting.

Previous assessment services for the 2016 tax year cost taxpayers $20,000. The Appraisal Company of Alaska has been the city’s property tax assessors since 1988.

The appraisal company asked the city to renew a one-year contract for city assessing services, according to a memo to the mayor and City Council from Cordova City Clerk Susan Bourgeois, dated July 27.

The memo, included in the Aug. 3 council packet, is available online at the city’s website and at city offices.

A letter from Mike Renfro, of the Appraisal Company of Alaska, LLC, formally requested the $18,000 for the 2017 tax year services.

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“Renfro and his crew of assessors are easy to work with and have extensive knowledge of Cordova’s property files,” Bourgeois said in her memo. “They employ a Cordova resident, which makes work here much less expensive and gives the clerk’s office a local contact who is attentive to our needs and often answers questions within a day or less.”

Lila Koplin is the local resident employed with the Appraisal Company of Alaska. Koplin’s husband, Clay Koplin, is Cordova’s mayor, but the mayor cited a conflict of interest and recused himself from the topic.

Other items addressed:
• Council members waived the city’s right to protest Harborside Pizza’s new application to the Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board for a liquor license at their new eating establishment. Harborside Pizza is owned by Brian Wildrick and Lindsay Butters.

• Council members approved mayoral appointments to fill vacant seats on the Cordova Historical Preservation Committee. The following seven individuals were appointed: Jim Casement, Tom McGann, Sylvia Lange, John Wachtel, Cathy Sherman, Heather Hall, and one seat to be filled by a Native Village of Eyak member.

• The Cordova Center Committee was disbanded.

• Pest bird control specialist Carlos Martin spoke about bird aversion techniques and methods that can be used to alleviate next year’s potential seagull problem. Martin suggested city officials and Council do further research on the issue to understand the science behind bird control, so that city government may choose the most cost-effective, viable option for taxpayers prior to May next year.

• Kristin Carpenter, of the Copper River Watershed Management Project gave a presentation on storm water pollutants. Carpenter presented storm water sampling results and spoke about filtering projects already in place in Cordova.

• City of Cordova Public Works Director Rich Rogers spoke before Council regarding work on the water system, projects under way and upcoming projects. The city is working with contractor GV Jones and Associates, and Dawson Construction on the water system improvements.

Mayor Clay Koplin presented his monthly mayor’s report to the council.
A presentation on the Crater Lake Water and Power Project, “What Will Crater Lake Project Do for the City’s Water System?” was shown. The Crater Lake Feasibility Project study is available on the city website at cityofcordova.net.

• Interim Cordova City Manager Michael Hicks presented quarterly city department reports from: public works; the Cordova Volunteer Fire Dept.; Cordova Port and Harbor/Harbormaster; public safety; finance; parks and recreation; information services; and the city clerk’s report.

• The top five city manager candidates were presented to Council for review and discussion. The City Manager Assessment Committee met July 26. At that time, 18 completed applications were distributed to committee members, who were directed to return top five choices to Cindy Appleton, human resources director.

• Cordova City Council Members are: James Burton, seat A; Timothy Joyce, seat B; Tom Bailer, seat C; Robert Beedle, seat D; Josh Hallquist, seat E; David Allison, seat F; and James Wiese, seat G.

• The City Council chambers are located downstairs in the Cordova Center in community rooms A and B. Regularly scheduled city council meetings are the first and third Wednesdays of each month, but please check the city’s meeting schedule as the second meetings have been canceled throughout the summer.

To check the schedule, find out more about upcoming agendas or learn how to become more involved in your city government, check out the City of Cordova’s council meeting link at http://www.cityofcordova.net/government/mayor-council/council-meetings.

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Cinthia Gibbens-Stimson
Cinthia Gibbens-Stimson is a staff writer and photographer for The Cordova Times. She has been writing in one form or another for 30-plus years and has had a longstanding relationship with The Cordova Times starting in 1989. She's been an Alaskan since 1976 and first moved to Cordova in 1978. She's lived in various West Texas towns; in Denver, Colorado; in McGrath, Cordova, Galena, Kodiak, Wasilla, Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska and in Bangalore, India. She has two children and three grandchildren. She can be reached at cgibbens-stimson@thecordovatimes.com or follow her on Instagram @alaskatoindia.