On Tuesday, the Haines Borough Assembly unanimously approved a $16,000 loan to Community Waste Solutions (CWS) for 10 additional bear-proof dumpsters as a first step in addressing the community’s bear problem. At the same meeting, the assembly also introduced an ordinance that would require residents to secure garbage in a certified, bear-proof container, an enclosed structure or behind an electric fence.
A few assembly members said they had concerns about lending money to a private company, but they felt the loan was appropriate because it ultimately served the public.
“I was not initially in favor of this idea because CWS is a private utility, and I was worried about setting precedent about the borough loaning money,” assembly member Cheryl Stickler said. “But even though CWS is a private entity, it serves the entire community because they’re our only solid waste management business, and by doing this, we will be addressing public safety needs.”
Borough staff said they would prepare a budget amendment with loan details for assembly approval at the next regular meeting on Feb. 9. Money for the loan will come out of the borough’s areawide general fund.
In addition to recommending the CWS loan, assembly members also voted unanimously to introduce an ordinance that would revise borough code to include more stringent requirements for securing bear attractants. Some of the bigger changes proposed include requiring owners to secure livestock and that garbage be stored in a certified, bear-proof container.
Assembly members said the ordinance may need to be refined at future meetings, adding that it’s important to take steps to address the borough’s bear issue before the bears wake up in the spring.
“I think this is a very good ordinance. I guess the only part that I really don’t agree with is the requirement of electric fences on a lot of things,” Lapp said. He said he worries about the economic burden it will place on residents.
The past few years, the borough has experienced a rise in bear-caused property damage and bears shot in defense of life and property. In 2020, at least 26 bears were shot in the Haines Borough.