The Haines Borough Assembly voted Tuesday to fund hazardous waste collection for local businesses on a limited, trial basis and to increase grants to local organizations to $100,000.

That’s down from $118,500 requested but up from $82,000 that will be spent in the current year.

The decision on local grants won’t be final until the borough budget is approved following a third public hearing next month.

Member Daymond Hoffman sought to increase the grants to $108,000, saying additional funding for events like the fair and organizations like Lynn Canal Counseling would likely make or save more money for the borough than the amounts of the increases.

“One hundred and eight thousand is a fair amount of money, but on the front end of things, I think it’s worth it,” Hoffman said.

Member Steve Vick sounded a similar note, saying if non-profits went away, the borough would spend more money providing the same services or “cleaning up messes” created by the absence of such services.

Member Norm Smith, who was critical of increased requests at the last assembly meeting, called Hoffman’s proposal “something to consider,” citing advice from former manager Bob Ward that the borough should not be holding onto budget surpluses.

“He said, ‘You guys are sitting on a lot of cash you collected from taxpayers and you should be spending it on the community.’ That’s one way to look at it,” Smith said.

Member Jerry Lapp said he was generally opposed to increasing the amounts and assemblyman Scott Rossman expressed frustration that grant amounts increase each year. “What if we get four more requests next year? Where do we say ‘no’? Where are the parameters?”

Lapp, Hoffman, and Vick supported a motion by member Joanne Waterman to up funding to $100,000, without designating specific amounts to groups. Smith and Rossman opposed the motion.

Lapp said afterward he supported the motion because it was less than the amount requested. “If we could control it at that level, it would would be acceptable. I hate to see huge jump-ups, but I can live with ($100,000) as long as we spread it out and not just give it to certain groups.”

Rossman sought an ordinance to cap grant spending at $100,000 but manager Mark Earnest said the assembly couldn’t legally restrict future spending in that manner.

Representatives of groups seeking grants attended the meeting, some expressing support for the Chilkat Valley Community Foundation taking over awarding the borough grants.

Assembly members, however, said that they, as elected officials, should decide borough spending. Rossman said he’d support the foundation making recommendations on the grants.

The assembly agreed to pay to accept three drums of anti-freeze and one drum of sludge at its annual household hazardous waste collection event. Garage owner Bob Lowden asked the program be expanded to businesses, saying he was asked to pay $400 last year to drop off about 15 gallons of water sludge and paint chips.

Smith backed the idea, saying four drums would cost the borough only an additional $1,500 and would represent a “goodwill gesture” to businesses. “I’d rather have the peace of mind that this stuff isn’t going down a drain somewhere.”

Borough manager Mark Earnest said the borough would need ground rules, as he anticipated the offer would attract a high volume of waste from local businesses. “There are some businesses that generate a lot of waste.”

Waterman said such costs are factored into the cost of doing business, such as when grocery stores have to pay to dispose of Freon from refrigeration units.

The waste collection day is July 17. The borough last year shipped out eight drums and three large cartons of waste. The event costs the borough about $18,500.

Also at the meeting, Earnest reported he is working with property owners and the Sheldon Museum to get displays in windows of the Coliseum Theater building. The building on Main Street between Second and Third avenues currently is boarded up.

Smith suggested plywood over the windows could be painted to look like windows.