Last night’s Nome City Council meeting brought passion from citizen comments and resolve to several matters of unfinished business. The pine-walled city council chambers saw an influx of Nome residents who vocalized concern for the school’s budget and the memorandum of agreement with Norton Sound Health Corporation and the ambulance department.
Before the comment session started, Wade Harrison took the oath to become a Nome police officer.
Once public comments had started, members of the school board, along with parents and staff, asked that the council consider increasing their funding to the school to help combat this year’s round of budget cuts. Former and current ambulance department members asked the board to make minor tweaks to the collaborated memorandum of agreement between the City and Norton Sound Health Corporation.
After the 80-minute public comment session ended, the Council could move ahead to unfinished business.
The first motion carried was an ordinance to regulate the Nome Municipal Cemetery. Mayor Richard Beneville aims to streamline the burial process with the regulation. The second piece of unfinished business, to amend the sales tax ordinance of Nome, failed after much discussion.
In new business, resolutions to support the Disability Abuse Response Team (DART), Senate Bill 100, and a resolution to name Nathan Barron Alley all passed.
The meeting ended with another round of public comments echoing similar sentiments displayed at the beginning of the meeting.
The next city council meeting is April 24th at 7 pm in the city council chambers.
