In a regular meeting on April 28, Bethel City Council talked about adding port-a-potties in town for the homeless, and reviewed audit findings that show the city could be losing money.
Bethel City Council’s April 28 meeting will feature City Manager Vincenzo “Vinny” Corazza’s first budget modification, and zoning designations for the new Blue Sky Subdivision.
Starting in September, Bethel residents will pay sales tax on online purchases. On Tuesday, April 14, the Bethel City Council unanimously voted to adopt the Remote Seller Sales Tax Code, but delayed the effective date until Sept. 1.
On April 9, Bethel City Council voted for former Bethel Mayor Hugh Dyment to fill the open seat left when former council member Fred Watson resigned. Dyment, who works at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center, said that he felt the call to serve the city during its time of crisis.
On April 1, Bethel partially activated its Emergency Operations Center to “prevent and minimize illness and death caused by the coronavirus.” Currently located in City Hall, the EOC is documenting the crisis response, developing an inventory of hotel capacity for possible use as shelters, and educating city staff on their roles in the incident command system.
ByAnna Rose MacArthur & Andrew Kitchenman - Alaska Public Media•Mar 27, 2020
Courtesy of Tiffany Zulkosky
Eighteen Alaska state representatives have asked Gov. Mike Dunleavy to immediately issue a statewide shelter-in-place order. Among them was Democratic Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky of Bethel.
Bethel City Council awarded $37,199 in Community Action Grants to local organizations on March 24, but is holding off on signing the checks. Due to canceled and postponed events during the coronavirus pandemic, the city will be asking grant recipients to see if they still need the money.
The Alaska Democratic Party announced March 23 that it will hold its presidential primary exclusively by mail. In-person voting planned for April 4 was canceled due to concerns about the coronavirus.