The Nome Police Department will be updating the City Council tonight about departmental issues but that information will not immediately be made public. In an executive session between the City Council and NPD, they plan to discuss police matters, “the immediate knowledge of which could have an adverse effect on city finances.”
For that reason, the discussion is allowed to be kept confidential as per the laws of the Alaska Open Meetings Act. This special meeting will take place at 5:30pm tonight. Residents will be able to speak during citizens comments before the Council goes into executive session.
Tuesday night the Council will meet again to discuss and approve abated properties in a public forum. Beginning at 5:30 tomorrow, the Council will have a work session to discuss a list of properties up for abatement. Then at 6:30, the Council will discuss a resolution to have four properties abated that have been labeled possible fire or health hazards.
The City also has another deadline coming up, the ACLU gave Nome until October 11th to decide on whether it would accept an offer of settlement with former NPD dispatcher Clarice Hardy over an allegedly mishandled sexual assault report. The Council scheduled an executive session to discuss that last week but took no formal action.
As of this time, interim City Manager John Handeland has not discussed the City’s plan of action with KNOM. City Attorney Brooks Chandler says he could not comment on whether Nome plans to settle with the ACLU. Chandler notified the city’s insurance, the Alaska Municipal Joint Insurance Association, of the ACLU’s demands and at this point, Chandler says he acts as a liaison between the insurance company and City Council.
The Council will meet tonight and tomorrow for special sessions at 5:30pm at council chambers in City Hall. Their next regularly scheduled meeting is next week on October 14th.
Image at top: Nome City Council Chambers. Photo: Matthew F. Smith, KNOM file.
