There are only a few items listed on the agenda for the Bethel City Council meeting on March 8.
One is toproclaim March 2022 as Brain Injury Awareness Month in Bethel. According to theAlaska Brain Injury Network, the state has one of the nation’s highest rates of traumatic brain injury.Data from the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium shows that the most common causes of these injuries are falls and motor vehicle accidents. For Alaska Natives, assault, all-terrain vehicle accidents, and snowmachine accidents are also leading causes. Vice Mayor Conrad “CJ” McCormick is sponsoring the proclamation to raise awareness of the brain injury issue.
Also on the agenda, under budget items, the council will consider nearly doubling the amount of funds allotted to maintain city vehicles. The Public Works Department is requesting $40,000 to fund this maintenance.
The city council will also hold the annual performance evaluation for city attorney Elizabeth “Libby” Bakalar. Employees can choose whether to do this in closed session; Bakalar has opted for a public evaluation. Living in Juneau, she wrote in an email to KYUK that because she lives out of town she feels “it is extra important for the public to hear feedback on my work for the city.”
