Bears and e-bikes were high on the minds of Tribal Council members, during a recent government-to-government meeting of the Sheet’ka Kwaán and the Sitka Assembly.
The two bodies gather twice a year to share a meal, and to brainstorm ways to collaborate on everything from health and public safety, to childcare, to electrical infrastructure.
Note: The Sitka Tribe of Alaska has begun the process of transitioning to the name Sheet’ka Kwaán.
The October 23rd meeting of the Tribal Council and Sitka Assembly was focused primarily on tribal issues. The Sheet’ka Kwaán has an active committee structure that gives the council an exceptional ability to multitask.
Council member Martha Moses outlined her committee’s extensive research into Sitka’s bear problem, which is concentrated in the Indian River neighborhood. Moses said her committee had obtained public records showing that the majority of the 99 tickets written by Sitka Police for garbage infractions in 2022 were in the Indian River neighborhood – 90 of them written by a single officer. Of the 13 bears put down that year, however, none of them were put down in the Indian River area.
Council member Lesa Way believed that too much emphasis from the Alaska Department of Fish & Game was now on protecting bears, rather than protecting people and children.
“I think that we need to start working together to change this,” said Way. “And if we have to put pressure on the state, I think that’s appropriate for both the city and the Tribe to do. Our citizens up on Indian River are clearly living in the forest — it’s beautiful up there — but we really need to start changing the way we handle this.”
E-bikes fell under the Tourism agenda, but the Tribe’s concerns were primarily safety-related. A lot of summer visitors are riding e-bikes around Sitka, who might not otherwise ride bikes, creating a potential hazard.
Council member Louise Brady advocated for stricter enforcement of Sitka’s existing regulations for bicycles.
“I walk a lot both on the Cross Trail, and when there are a lot of bears, I go out to Whale Park,” Brady said. “E-bikes, the wrong side of the road, the right side of the road, and on sidewalks. And I understand we’re a bike-friendly community. But at some point, I think the police need to be writing tickets.”
The e-bike issue generated many questions, and few answers, but it pointed to a larger question: Has Sitka exceeded a healthy capacity for tourism?
Council member Alana Peterson said it was too early to tell.
“We do think that the community businesses should be given a bit more time to adjust to the increased load before we institute a cap (on cruise tourism),” said Peterson. “With COVID, and then one or two seasons, you know, I think businesses are still trying to figure stuff out.”
Childcare and schools also generated ideas. The Tribe distributes hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in childcare grants, but has been feeling frustrated recently about how to support schools. Last year, the Department of Education announced it was cracking down on communities that were contributing money over and above the funding provided by the state – called the Base Student Allocation. Local governments contribute a large share of school funding – but it’s only permitted for classroom instruction, and it’s capped by state rules.
Sitka administrator John Leach said the city and Tribe could look for ways to absorb non-instructional activities into their own budgets. The city has both the marijuana tax, and now the additional 1-percent seasonal sales tax, to devote to schools, and it was time to get creative.
“I’m looking at taking the maintenance folks from the schools and combining with the city in some way, and sharing those resources. Parks and Rec is a great example. There’s no more Community Schools now. So you never have the argument of: do we pay teachers? Or do we do Community Schools? Now it’s the city’s parks and rec program. The Blatchley pool is an issue, and we’re looking at bringing that into our operation. So we’re really doing everything we can to absorb some of the noneducational things.”
Lastly, the Tribe was concerned about Sitka’s electrical grid, as it looked to convert the Baranof Island Housing Authority four-plexes on Indian River Road from fuel-fired boilers to heat pumps. In some cases, the Tribe has been told the grid won’t support additional conversions. Administrator Leach said that Sitka’s transmission and distribution system was in need of serious work.
Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz said maintaining existing service had become the Electric Department’s top priority.
“It’s a crossroads that we’re at, it’s a community discussion of where we need to go,” said Eisenbeisz. “But I’m also reassured that we’re one of 10 communities in the United States that runs entirely off of hydro. So while there is always more room for sustainability, we are leaps and bounds ahead of most other cities within the country. So at this point, I’m a strong proponent of going back to the basics, focusing on the basics, and making sure that your power turns on when you flip the switch.”
There was more on the agenda, but after two hours council chair Woody Widmark decided to bring the meeting to a close. He said “The health and safety of our citizens, tourism, schools and children, and infrastructure were probably our major points that we wanted to share with you.” He suggested that any other issues could be taken up staff-to-staff, or over a cup of coffee.
The two governments will meet again in the spring.
