This year’s property tax assessments have been sent out, with final appeals due on April 4. Though the assessments the past few years have brought plenty of controversy and change to the process, this year’s – at least so far – have been relatively uncontested.
Martins Onskulis of Appraisal Company of Alaska is in his second year assessing properties in Haines after replacing previous assessor Michael Dahle, whose contract was ended by the assembly in 2023 after nearly 600 residents signed a petition calling for him to be removed.
Onskulis said this year’s main focus was commercial properties. Out of the 193 total commercial properties in the borough, Onskulis said close to all of them were assessed, with no significant trends or changes, even though most of those properties have not had in-depth assessments in at least seven years.
Onskulis did say that, in general, retail spaces remain in relatively high demand and, as such, tend to retain value better than other commercial properties. Haines resident Debra Schnabel, whose Gateway Building on Main Street was one of the commercial properties assessed, had a slightly different view of the trend in Haines: “The town doesn’t have any promise to it any more with the market,” said Schnabel. “Who’s going to buy the grocery stores, the hardware stores, if they sell?”
Schnabel said that because of this broader economic climate, she thought Onskulis’ valuation of the Gateway Building was far higher than any realistic sale price she might expect in the near future.
With any tax assessment process, individuals retain the right to appeal to a board of equalization. Following recent changes in Haines, that board is now made up of private citizens rather than assembly members.
Onskulis says that as of the end of March, 19 total appeals have been submitted, 14 of which have been resolved. Onskulis will travel to Haines for in-person site visits for any unresolved appeals once the appeal window closes.