The Homer City Council will conduct public hearings on multiple ordinances at their next regular meeting on Monday, Jan. 27.

Ordinance 25-01 revisits the question of Doyon, Limited’s application to rezone one of their lots in the future Lighthouse Village development, 1491 Bay Avenue, from rural residential to the General Commercial 1 district. Homer’s Planning Commission previously recommended approval of the rezone in a 4-3 vote; authority to approve the rezone lies with the council.

Ordinance 25-02, if adopted, will amend the capital budget for fiscal year 2025 by appropriating $135,000 for the purchase of 20 acres of land in Woodard Canyon, located “immediately north” of Karen Hornaday Park. Among the reasons listed for the purchase are the city’s intent to designate and hold the land as public park land and “for the purposes of open space and recreation, protection of stormwater drainage and steep slopes, and preservation of wildlife corridors.”

According to a Jan. 2 memorandum, several parcels north and west of Karen Hornaday were listed for sale and quickly purchased in November by private property owners wishing to “protect their view shed” and, in the long term, imagining an expanded public trail system. The parcel in question in Ordinance 25-02 was specifically purchased “in the interest of preserving community trail connection options” — however, the current owners reportedly do not wish to retain the land in the long term and have offered it for sale to the City.

Acquisition of this 20-acre parcel would also provide legal access to a “heretofore isolated” 10-acre parcel of city land on the steep bluff behind the park, the ordinance states.

Ordinance 25-03 will accept and appropriate a $4,296 grant from the Homer Early Childhood Coalition through Sprout for the purchase of an ADA-accessible picnic table and other improvements at Bayview Park.

Ordinance 25-04 seeks to address continued funding for the replacement of harbor floats by appropriating a further $8,200 from the Port Reserves Fund for additional work by HDR Engineering on the city’s application to the Port Infrastructure Development grant program. City council previously funded $30,000 for the application work; however, during the process, additional work by HDR was required — including extra time spent on letters of support and budget development, “more than expected work” on a public survey, time spent on the Budget Cost Analysis (BCA) to monetize safety values, rewriting more narrative sections than planned, and extensive map changes — thereby requiring additional funding.

Ordinance 25-05 will appropriate $24,000 from the Port Reserves Fund to replace the fish grinder motor and gearbox in Homer’s Fish Grinder Building. During the building’s reconstruction, the ordinance states, extensive corrosion and an “unrepairable” motor and gearbox were revealed in the fish grinder, necessitating replacement before spring. The proposed $24,000 in funding will cover the cost of the replacement equipment and shipping, as well as a “moderate contingency.”

Ordinance 25-06 also appropriates funding from the Port Reserves — this time for the city ice plant. An additional $2,193 is needed to cover transport costs for a new ammonia storage tank for the plant; city council previously funded $18,000 to purchase a “secure tank to store the coolant system ammonia safely and free of contamination.”

Find the ordinances scheduled for public hearings in full, along with backup informational memorandums, at www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/citycouncil/city-council-regular-meeting-317.

The next regular council meeting will be held on Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. in the Homer City Hall Cowles Council Chambers and over Zoom.