June 11, 2026, by Michael Armstrong

Special to The Seward Folly

In yet another short summer meeting, the Seward City Council passed without debate an ordinance tidying up city code regarding proclamations, laydowns and decorum. It also discussed a potential ordinance suggested by Council Member Lori Draper regarding excessive vehicle idling.

Ordinance 2026-005: Defining laydowns or proclamations, and meeting decorum.

City Clerk Kris Peck brought forward Ordinance 2026-005 after noticing city code did not define laydowns or proclamations. He’d also observed that signage at the council chambers did not match code. The ordinance added a section defining laydowns as “legislative documents, reports or presentation materials that are provided in addition to the council packet to complement or clarify agenda items.”

The ordinance also defined proclamations as “official document issued by the Mayor to designate a specific period of time for the purpose of raising awareness, celebrating historic milestones, or other forms of congratulations” and said that they “may be requested through the city clerk and the submissions are subject to final approval from the Mayor.”

As an example of a proclamation, at Monday’s meeting Mayor Sue McClure read a proclamation honoring Will Gentry and Nick Spurr, two charter boat captains, for their rapid response in rescuing passengers of the Orion — including two youth on a Make-a-Wish trip — when the boat capsized and everyone went into the water. 

The ordinance also made city code and signage regarding conduct at meetings consistent. It added a section stating that council members cannot answer questions during public comment, council members should refrain from making derogatory comments about any members of the public, staff or fellow council members,  and that “everyone in council chambers shall be treated with courtesy and there is no taunting, threats, or personal insults allowed. The general public must not delay or interrupt the proceedings or the peace of the council meeting.”

It also removed a line that said someone “shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor” who “persistently interrupts the proceedings of the council or refuses to keep quiet or take a seat when ordered to do so by the presiding officer.” 

In discussion of the ordinance, Council Member Robert Barnwell asked rhetorically, “Why is it probably deemed people guilty of misdemeanor for interruptions?” to which Peck replied, “Well, there’s the innocent ’til proven guilty thing.”

Draft Ordinance: Setting restrictions on when vehicles could idle.

Under new business, Draper proposed a draft ordinance that would set restrictions on when vehicles could idle. Her draft acknowledged the need for idling, such as warming up cars in cold weather, but also set restrictions on idling in residential areas. She also raised the issue of a slippery slope if the council got into the issue of vehicle idling and the impact on air quality. 

“What’s next? You know, we’re going to outlaw burning wood?” she asked.

Draper said she brought the draft ordinance forward in response to a citizen complaint of a truck idling 11 hours a day, six days a week, outside the Seward Post Office near his home. The man had attempted to contact the truck’s business and the post office in getting the matter resolved without success and contacted Draper. Draper contacted city administrators and found city code did not address vehicle idling.

Acknowledging that the issue came from a single complaint, Draper said, “… [W]hen a citizen has exhausted their reasonable efforts to solve an issue themselves, and discovers there’s no existing remedy in city code, and asks the elected officials for help, I believe it’s our responsibility to consider whether a reasonable solution exists.”

McClure asked if the city needed to change code because of one complaint based on a truck that delivers the mail. “And is there any conceivable reason it would have to run the whole time it’s parked there?” she asked. “I kind of, to me, seems like a little extreme. It’s just one, so I don’t know whether we outlaw idling more than 15 minutes because of that one.”

Council Member Mike Calhoon asked if anyone had sat down and talked to the post office about the issue. 

“I think before we dive into anything that is specifically came up and targeting one vehicle —  and I’m not disputing that that vehicle runs a lot, that’s not my point, and I know it could be annoying to people that live right across the drive there from it — but I really think maybe there needs to be a little more of a concerted effort, maybe on our part, even to because I know the postmaster will, she’ll sit down and talk to somebody about it,” he said.

However, at the May 26 meeting, the citizen who raised the complaint, Peter Frank, said, “I contacted the postmaster and the driver to address the issue with no success.”

McClure suggested putting the draft ordinance on hold and designating someone to talk to the parties involved.

“I would volunteer as tribute,” Seward City Manager Kat Sorensen said. “Ever see ‘Hunger Games’? Yeah, if directed by council, administration would be happy to reach out to the postmaster and discuss.”

“That’s what I thought I had originally asked for, is how can we intervene, so maybe as a body, if we ask council as a body direct administration, that’s good,” Draper said.

Barnwell noted that the issue of air pollution caused by vehicle idling “might come up in the future, because I probably would support some sort of enforcement on that level if there are concerns about it.”

Seeing consent from the council on holding off on Draper’s draft ordinance, McClure tabled it for the moment.

Michael Armstrong is a retired journalist currently volunteering as the editor of the Homer Independent Press. Reach him at wordfolk@gmail.com.

The Seward Folly co-publisher Robert Barnwell is a current member of the Seward City Council, but he did not participate in the editing of this story.