Palmer council delays action on homelessness ordinances

Palmer will hold proposals to ban camping and sleeping in public places until its Oct. 28 regular meeting, its council decided. The action came after strong opinions were voiced against the plans in public hearings.

There were voices in support also. The decision to postpone action was unanimous.

In another development, city manager Kolby Zerkel submitted what is essentially a status-quo budget for the municipality’s upcoming Fiscal Year 2026. A special work session on the plan was planned for Oct. 21.

New mayor Jim Cooper presided over the council sessions, being on the job for about two weeks after his election. As a former mayor Cooper was in familiar territory.

City manager Zerkel proposed what she described as a fiscally-responsible budget with one new full-time employee in the police department; a part-time special services employee being moved to full-time, and a library technology specialist moved from part to full-time.

The additions align the city’s staffing to increased demand for services, Zerkel told the council. The budget also has a 2.5% cost-of-living pay increase for city workers to help offset inflation. Overall, the city’s general fund budget will be balanced with a small surplus.

In an organizational change, the city manager is proposing to establish Palmer’s public library as a separate city department reporting to her. Also on the library, Zerkel said the period for solicitation for proposals to build a new public library for Palmer has closed and the city is close to issuing an Intent to Award notice to a successful bidder.

The new library will replace a previous structure damaged by a roof collapse related to a heavy snow load. It will be a major capital project for the city.

In other capital projects, the Bogard Road booster station in the city water system will have increased capacity, a significant milestone for the system in serving new growth in the community, Zerkel said. The budget also includes long-planned improvements in city offices with things like new paint and carpet replacements.

On personnel matters, a public employee wage study will be underway to ensure competitive pay can be offered for city employees, which is important in for workforce retention and recruitment.

Meanwhile, the public testimony on the homelessness ordinances was strong, most of it against the plans to enact penalties for unauthorized camping and sleeping in public places. There was also support voiced, however. There was audience applause following statements on both sides of the issue.

“I urge the council to vote no on these. It’s on the wrong side of morality to criminalize people with no place to go,” was the opening comment at the public hearing.

“This will just make it harder for people to get back on their feet. The way out of Palmer’s homeless problem is affordable housing and mental health care.”

On the other side of the issue, a local realtor spoke to desire of Anchorage residents to move away from the larger city’s highly visible homeless problems and crime to a small, safe city like Palmer.

“Palmer is a pleasant place to walk down the street. More homelessness will change the community’s character, damaging the appeal of popular events like the summer “Friday Flings,” it was said.

Other supporters said having the ordinances on the books will allow police and other city staff to obtain training in providing assistance to homeless people. The proposals include requirements for advice being offered to the homeless in finding safe shelter and services.

Other residents, voicing opposition, said the experience in other communities adopting punitive measures is that they tend to aggravate rather than ease problems. Austin, Texas, found this to be true, the speaker said.

David Wilson, speaking for the Mat-Su Health Foundation, said the foundation is ready to partner with the city in providing technical assistance to find solutions. “Enforcement (of penalties) won’t solve these problems,” he said.

Jackie Goforth, a local activist who regularly comments at community public meetings, urged the council to adopt the proposals. “It you enable it, it will continue,” she said. She also warned the council that the new public library, when it is built, could become a magnet for the homeless because the facility will be open to the public.

Adequate shelter should be provided so that homeless people don’t congregate near the new library, she said.

In routine administrative matters, the council approved a contract with Granite Construction to the planned $4.5 million project to do improved lighting at the Palmer city airport. The lighting upgrades are required by the Federal Aviation Administration, which will largely pay the costs.

It was important for the council to approve this contract because of the lead-times needed to procure equipment and materials for the lighting improvement project.

On another approval, a contact to HDL Engineering to design planned improvements to the “headworks,” a key part of the municipal wastewater treatment and discharge facility, was also made. The expense will be reimbursed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The design work is needed for the city to secure a $1.5 million loan, also from the EPA, to construct the improvements.

City public works director Jude Bilafer said workers at the treatment plant were able to keep the system in balance and functioning during a week of high attendance at the state fair when the volume of wastewater greatly exceeded the normal volumes.