The Haines Borough Assembly is scheduled to vote on the minor offenses ordinance at its Sept. 22 meeting. The borough manager is recommending passage of this ordinance. Assembly members Diana Lapham, Joanne Waterman, Ron Jackson and Mayor Jan Hill have voted to withhold further public hearings on this ordinance.
There is no mandate in Supreme Court Order No. 1797. Furthermore, there is no deadline for passage of this ordinance. The reclassification of borough ordinances to “minor offenses” is required only if the borough desires to use policing for profit by having citations for borough ordinances processed through the court system.
As stated in the borough attorney’s letter, “The court system will not process citations citing ordinances that are not consistent with the new rules.” Several commissions and committees still need to report their recommendations on the proposed ordinance.
Brenda Josephson