The three winners of the Oct. 4 Haines Borough Assembly election — Gabe Thomas, Ben Aultman-Moore and Jerry Lapp — were sworn in Tuesday.
Thomas and Aultman-Moore, who placed first and second, were elected to three-year terms. Lapp, who came in third by just five votes, will serve a one-year term.
In other news, the assembly unanimously approved amending a budget ordinance to spend $36,500 of federal covid funds and $10,667 from the areawide general fund to purchase and implement Cityworks asset management software for the borough’s public works department.
The software uses ArcGIS mapping technology to track work orders, equipment parts and use, employee hours and to store a variety of information across public works, from the locations of fire hydrants to the dimensions of wastewater pipes.
“I really think it’s something that would be good for Haines. It would really change the way that we operate in our public works department,” said public facilities director Ed Coffland. “It’s always kind of a battle to find information. Asset management software is a tool we use to gather all that information readily available in one place, where we can have it at our fingertips.”
Coffland said the software would help borough staff stay organized and accomplish planned inspections and maintenance.
The assembly also unanimously approved covering $12,000 in moving expenses for borough manager Annette Kreitzer, who moved from Juneau to become manager a little over a year ago. The assembly had already included $10,000 in this year’s budget to pay for her move.
Assembly member Debra Schnabel said she was “uncomfortable” not having a formal policy for covering new employees’ moving expenses and asked to have the personnel committee devise a policy.
The assembly also unanimously approved an ordinance amendment to forgive six months of pool rental fees, or $11,250, from the Haines Dolphins Swim Team, who had requested forgiveness at a prior meeting due to difficulties fundraising.
The assembly unanimously voted to adopt a new Haines Borough Emergency Operations Plan, which “describes a process that will be used to manage the mitigation of, preparation for, response to, and recovery from natural and man-made disasters and emergencies.”
Lastly, borough officials announced that the borough is taking submissions through its website for capital improvement project proposals from residents. The borough launched a new program last year to incorporate public submissions in updating its capital improvement project list.
*This article originally reported the assembly unanimously approved spending to purchase Cityworks asset management software and also to forgive to six months of pool rental fees, or $11,250, for the Haines Dolphins Swim Team. In fact, the assembly unanimously amended an ordinance to include those budget changes but did not yet vote on the ordinance itself.