The Homer City Council passed Resolution 23-058, expressing support for and adopting the Homer Harbor Expansion Charter, during their last regular meeting on Monday, June 12.

The creation and adoption of the charter are steps in the cooperative process for making improvements to Homer’s harbor infrastructure, begun when the city of Homer entered into the three-year general investigation study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on March 29.

According to the resolution, council met with city staff and the Port and Harbor Advisory Commission in a joint work session on April 28, facilitated by design firm HDR Inc., to “collectively review and reach agreement on a Homer Harbor Expansion Charter to align leadership (and) direction and serve as a foundation for guiding decisions as the study advances.”

According to a June 5 memorandum prepared for city council, “harbor staff Bryan Hawkins and Amy Woodruff reviewed the (charter) document that HDR produced after the work session and provided additional comment.”

While the study is largely conducted by USACE, it is also a collaborative effort between the engineers and the city of Homer. Reflecting that, the charter “defines a shared vision, collective goals and objectives, and success factors for the City’s role in the Homer harbor expansion,” the resolution states.

Prior to adoption by the council, a final draft of the charter was reviewed by the Port and Harbor Advisory Commission during their regular meeting on May 24. According to the June 5 memo, “topics of discussion included the importance of centering the environment in the charter document, the importance of port as well as harbor functions … and where (the U.S. Coast Guard’s) interests should be included in the charter.”

The Commission unanimously recommended, after reviewing and revising the document during the May 24 meeting, that the city council support and approve the charter, according to the resolution.

Resolution 23-058 was included in the approval of the consent agenda during the June 12 council meeting, items from which are enacted by the council in one overarching motion. No discussion was held on Resolution 23-058 during the meeting.

The next city council meeting will be held on Monday, June 26 at 6 p.m. Resolution 23-058 and the June 5 memorandum can be found in full at https://www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/resolution/resolution-23-058-adopting-harbor-expansion-project-charter.