Assembly advances several FY2026 resource proposals for further budget review

At the Feb. 4 special assembly meeting, three distinct resource proposals were discussed for potential inclusion in the FY2026 draft budget: (1) a request to add a refrigeration/HVAC trades specialist or FTE to reduce contracted repairs and manage refrigerant recovery; (2) a visitor-industry research package to gather community and economic-impact data; and (3) a proposal to study consolidating port and marine assets and to fund consultant work and, eventually, a port director position.

Refrigeration/HVAC trades position: Assembly member Celine presented a proposal arguing for hiring an in-house tradesperson experienced in refrigeration, heat pump and related troubleshooting, citing new federal refrigerant-management rules under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act and local operational needs. "If I'm reading this correctly... this position would pay for itself," an assembly member summarized during the discussion; staff and other members noted the proposal could reduce recurring contract costs on city and school systems and improve preventive maintenance. Maintenance Superintendent Connor Dunlap said the city and schools have approximately nine buildings with heat-pump systems and "probably somewhere around 25 to 30 heat pump units." Staff noted the position would be budgeted in the building maintenance fund and that any shift from contract services to in-house work would need position description work and, for represented roles, collective-bargaining consideration.

Visitor-industry research: Assembly member Carlson asked the body to fund two studies (a community phone survey and an intercept economic-impact survey) to improve visitor-industry decision making. The proposed budget line is $140,000; assembly members discussed funding split and timing. Several members said the funds should come from visitor-related accounts; the assembly agreed to a 50/50 split between the Visitor Enhancement Fund and the Commercial Passenger Vessel Fund and to advance the studies through the process. Staff noted an RFP and procurement timeline could make collecting 2025-season data difficult and suggested running the program in 2026 if necessary.

Port consolidation/port director study: Assembly member Mosher presented a proposal to study whether city marine-related assets (harbors, GPIP, seaplane base, airport marine infrastructure) should be consolidated under a single port director or a port authority. The proposal included $50,000 for consulting and an illustrative FTE salary showing a potential all-in cost of roughly $220,000; members discussed splitting costs among enterprise funds (airport, harbors, GPIP) and the long lead time required to implement governance changes. City Administrator John noted a pending harbor-master retirement creates a timely opportunity to clarify the organizational end state before posting a replacement. Several assembly members supported funding a consultant to design options and timing rather than immediately hiring a new department head.

Other items: staff also proposed a study of water/fire protection infrastructure at GPIP because a nonpotable mill-era line supplies some park fire hydrants; staff recommended sharing study costs between the water fund and GPIP since the nonpotable line is not part of the potable water fund and usage and ownership are mixed.

Next steps: for all three proposals, the assembly signaled support to advance the items through the FY2026 budget process for detailed review and final decisions; staff will return with cost allocations, procurement timelines and job descriptions as appropriate. No formal votes were taken during the meeting; the proposals were recorded as items for continued budget consideration.