Glass new Wasilla police chief

July 9, 2006

By MARY AMES

Frontiersman

WASILLA - When the Wasilla City Council meets Monday night, it will have both a new chief of police and a new deputy chief.

Friday, Mayor Dianne M. Keller announced the appointment of John Glass as chief, and the appointment of acting Sgt. Angella Long to the position of deputy chief. The deputy chief position was created earlier this year, and had been filled by Glass since Feb. 6.

Amending the budget and city code are on the agenda for Monday night's city council meeting.

First up for public hearing is an amendment to city code related to appealing decisions of the planning commission. The amendment, proposed by Mayor Dianne M. Keller, would define an applicant, clarify the role of the clerk's office, provide a process to waive filing fees for indigents and add a provision to notify a property owner when someone else files an appeal on their property.

The second item up for public hearing is a budget amendment that would add $50,000 from the Department of Transportation to the police department budget for patrol overtime for traffic enforcement in construction zones.

The council also is schedule to vote on three contracts for work with the city, including Lounsbury & Associates for work on the Mission Hills water extension project, USKH Inc., for expansion of the sewer treatment plant, and Matanuska Electrical Association for utility work on the airport apron project.

Three resolutions on the agenda address increasing compensation for a hearing officer, designating succession for a mayor who is absent temporarily, and selecting a preferred alternative for Main Street improvement.

In response to interest from other council members at the last meeting, council member Marty Metiva plans to ask the city's attorney to draft a change to Wasilla code that would restrict the filing of a land-use application similar to one that was denied within the past six months.

Contact Mary Ames at 352-2284 or mary.ames@frontiersman.com.