The Haines Borough Assembly narrowly advanced a ballot measure during its first public hearing Tuesday that would give voters the option to approve a 1 percent areawide sales tax increase to pay for a municipally managed solid waste program.

The ordinance would provide for “regulation, operation and management of a municipal solid waste program that pays for transfer and disposal of separated solid waste” that is estimated to cost between $350,000 to $450,000 annually.

The ordinance would require solid waste and recycling to be disposed only at borough-approved facilities including a public or private landfill, a transfer station or composting facility.

Borough manager Debra Schnabel drafted the ordinance after the Haines Borough Assembly in October asked staff to continue working on recommendations made by the Haines Solid Waste Working Group last fall.

The working group proposed an up-to-1-percent sales tax hike, along with a tipping fee, to pay for such a program. It also proposed closing Community Waste Solutions’ landfill, issuing an RFP for a transfer station and shipping all municipal solid waste out of the borough.

The advanced ordinance asks voters only if they want to pay the sales tax increase to create a system, but provides no concrete plan other than that the borough “shall adopt an operational plan” that “describes the management, operation and use” of facilities used to deposit solid waste, recyclables and compost.

The ordinance has divided the assembly since early June when Schnabel brought to them concerns including “leachate outside of landfill perimeter, trash outside of perimeter, evidence of bears, sludge leaking out of storage bins and junked vehicles on site.” Staff also took water samples from nearby streams testing for fecal coliforms—the results of which came back at acceptable levels, according to public facilities director Brad Ryan.

The ordinance should be further vetted, assembly member Brenda Josephson said. She moved to send postpone consideration of the ordinance, and to send it to a committee of the whole and finance committee for review.

On Tuesday, assembly member Tom Morphet said he was concerned about increasing sales tax to pay for a solid waste program and wished borough administration would have submitted a range of alternatives. “We’re about to send to the voters a proposal for eight pages of new laws, the beginning of borough management of waste and $400,000 at tax payers’ expense,” Morphet said. “I just think we have not done our due diligence at tearing this thing apart and seeing where there’s public support and where there’s not public support.”

The ordinance does not include an operational plan, Schnabel said. “It does require a degree of trust…It involves recognizing there are still things to be worked out, but nonetheless I think it’s a very good plan. It’s not A+ but it’s B+,” Schnabel said. “I’d like to see it move forward.”

Between the solid waste working group and administrative planning, the issue has had plenty of time for consideration, assembly member Sean Maidy said. “I don’t know how much more we can talk about it without putting it up on the ballot and letting people make an informed decision,” Maidy said. “If it doesn’t work, then we can go to a committee and we can figure out alternatives.”

“We are facing a crisis,” assembly member Stephanie Scott said. She said passing the ordinance was a responsibility to the community. “This is the closest we’ve come to real solution.”

The ordinance needs to be passed this month in order to make the October ballot. Assembly member Heather Lende voted against further vetting because she wanted the question to go to voters. The assembly voted 3-3 to postpone hearing the ordinance and send it to further committees. Mayor Jan Hill broke the tie.

The assembly later voted 3-3 to advance the ordinance to another public hearing with Josephson, Morphet and Tresham Gregg opposed. Hill again broke the tie.

Haines Friends of Recycling board members Molly Sturdevant and Melissa Aronson spoke in support of the ordinance. Paul Nelson said the ordinance constituted government taking over private industry.

In 2013, Community Waste Solutions made strides to improve its landfill after difficulties meeting state environmental regulations, according to CVN news stories.

The company hired Haines Friends of Recycling founder Burl Sheldon as a consultant and Mike Dorris as operations manager, and improved scores received during annual state inspections from 47 of 100 in 2011 to 93 of 100 in 2013.