The Nome Common Council approved financing for Nome Joint Utility System’s annual fuel purchase, revisited the city’s rules for taxis and other passenger vehicles and discussed enforcing an existing youth curfew during its regular meeting Monday.
Council members also recognized Adult Education and Family Literacy Week and advanced a long-term lease agreement with Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation. Mark Johnson served as acting mayor for the Aug. 24 meeting, with Mayor Kenny Hughes out on city business for an Alaska Municipal League event in Fairbanks.
Watch a replay of KNOM's livestream of the Aug. 24, 2026 meeting
Police chief says department will look at enforcing Nome’s youth curfew
A discussion over late-night activity by young people revealed that Nome does, in fact, have a curfew already on the books.
Police Chief Mike Heintzleman initially said he was not aware of a current curfew when Acting Mayor Mark Johnson asked about one. Deputy City Clerk Wali Rana later located the provision in city code and displayed it to the room.
According to the ordinance, curfew hours begin at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and run until 6 a.m. the following day. On weekends, the curfew runs from 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Johnson said he has noticed more teenagers out on bicycles as late as 1 or 2 a.m. and asked police to look into enforcement. Heintzleman acknowledged that with seasonal shifts like students going back to school, the department needs to adapt.
“The nature of police work is the fact that it’s constantly evolving, and we have to tailor whatever time of year it is,” Heintzleman said. “We got to tailor our enforcement efforts toward what we need to go after at that particular moment in time. So I’ll make sure that that gets taken care of.”
The Nome Police Department put out a Facebook post Tuesday reminding the public of the minor curfew ordinance.
Heintzleman also said alcohol use in the community continues to put a strain on the department. According to a press release issued Monday, 27% of the 192 calls for service between Aug. 17 and Aug. 23 involved alcohol. All 12 arrests made by the department during that period involved alcohol.
Heintzleman said methamphetamine use also continues to be a challenge for officers in Nome. He said officers carry naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, for use when responding to unresponsive people.
“Methamphetamines is a big problem in the community, and of course fentanyl is always a scare that goes along with any types of drugs and stuff because that can be pretty fatal,” Heintzleman said. “So, if we got an unresponsive individual, we hit them with the Narcan.”
Former 'ride for donation' operator challenges city taxi ordinance; city manager says definitions may need work
Nome resident Steven Longley again raised concerns about the city’s passenger transportation rules.
Longley said his nine- and 11-passenger vans do not fit cleanly within Nome’s taxi or motor bus ordinances. He acknowledged that, per current city code, vehicles carrying more than seven passengers fall under the motor bus rules, but those rules require a fixed route.
“So, you know, I can’t run,” Longley told the council. “You guys need to fix the ordinance.”
Longley said he intends to operate his vehicles as shuttles rather than taxis and does not plan to apply for either permit under the existing ordinance.
"I'm gonna go since your ordinances do not apply to my vans," he told the council.
Later in the meeting, City Manager Lee Smith said city staff believes the ordinance generally covers the services operating in Nome, although some definitions may need to be clarified. Smith said he would review the issue with the city clerk and attorney.
“I do think when we have been in court a couple times with an individual, and I appreciate the police department’s help with that,” Smith said. “We may need to tighten some definitions up.”
According to city staff, Bootz & Co. Cab LLC remains the only legal taxicab company operating in Nome.
Council recognizes Adult Education and Family Literacy Week
The council unanimously approved a resolution recognizing Sept. 13-19 as Adult Education and Family Literacy Week. The resolution notes that more than 36,000 adults statewide lack a high school equivalency diploma and that Alaska adult education programs serve more than 2,500 people annually.
Pamela Cushman, director of Kawerak’s Workforce Development Department and coordinator of its Nome Regional Adult Education Program, urged the council to support the measure.
Cushman said approximately 661 adults across the Bering Strait region may lack a high school diploma or equivalent. In Nome, she said 22% of adults age 25 and older did not have a diploma, based on figures she presented from a regional needs assessment.
“It is never too late to learn, to grow, and to create new opportunities,” Cushman said. “We are behind you, and we want to see you succeed.”
NSEDC lease advances on first reading
The council advanced an ordinance on first reading that would add nearly 19,000 square feet of city-owned property at the Small Boat Harbor to Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation’s existing lease and extend the full lease through 2045. A second reading is scheduled for Sept. 14, meaning the lease has not yet received final approval.
Under the proposed amendment, NSEDC would pay the city $1 million upfront. The combined leased area would total approximately 75,572 square feet. Plans shared by NSEDC envision using the additional land for facilities including a warehouse, equipment shop, office space and watch guard station supporting its fishing operations.
The agreement would also preserve two optional five-year extensions beyond 2045.
Council approves up to $8.6 million fuel note as NJUS audits remain overdue
The council approved issuing a utility revenue anticipation note of up to $8.6 million through Northrim Bank to purchase diesel for NJUS.
The note carries a 5.69% interest rate and is scheduled to be repaid in 11 monthly installments beginning Oct. 6, with final payment due no later than Aug. 6, 2027. The debt is payable from utility revenues rather than the city’s taxing authority, and the fuel inventory will serve as collateral.
The financing agreement also requires the utility to keep proper financial records and have its books audited annually by a certified public accountant. Those audits must be provided to the lender upon request.
That requirement comes as NJUS remains years behind on its audits. KNOM reported in July that the utility was five years overdue on financial audits and had also gone five fiscal years without producing a budget. The missing financial records have already affected the utility’s eligibility for some state programs and temporarily interrupted Power Cost Equalization funding earlier this year.
NJUS General Manager John Handeland told KNOM in July that the 2021 audit was complete. A request for a copy of the 2021 audit by KNOM last week went unanswered.
Speaking over Zoom, Handeland thanked the council for passing a resolution authorizing the loan. He said it's still too soon to know what the utility's final fuel price will be, which will also dictate adjustments to the fuel surcharge on customers bills. He estimated the fuel surcharge could increase from $0.17 to about $0.30 per kilowatt.
"We don't know what the actual price will be until the first of September. Our pricing is based on the average of all the days in August to determine the cents per gallon," he said. "We do expect it to be up considerably."
