The Haines Borough Government Affairs and Services (GAS) Committee is again considering a reform to the borough’s nonprofit funding process following two years of requests from groups for public funding without a formal application process. “What I would love to see is getting away from this Oliver Twist thing that we saw last year, where nonprofit organizations […]
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Posted inNews, Housing
Developer tax exemption pushed to third hearing with amendment
A proposed tax exemption for subdivision developers will go to a third public hearing on March 8. The Haines Borough Assembly voted 4-3 on Tuesday to amend the proposed ordinance that would establish a five-year property tax exemption on unsold and undeveloped lots in new subdivisions. Originally the exemption would have applied only to long-plat subdivisions of […]
Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Assembly approves Lutak cell tower lease
The Haines Borough Assembly voted unanimously to approve a land lease agreement for a telecommunications tower near Lutak Dock. The agreement enables Vertical Bridge Development to build a tower that the company plans to sublease to Verizon Wireless, which would provide cell service to the Lutak area. Initial reports said the tower would have 5G capacity, but Vertical Bridge representatives said […]
Posted inNews
Assembly grants heliski tour permit to fourth operator
After months of debate, the Haines Borough Assembly granted a heliski tour permit to a fourth operator in the Chilkat Valley. The Jan. 11 decision came three weeks after the assembly, in a 4-2 vote, adopted changes to the borough’s heliski code, raising a cap on tour permits for three years and replacing regulations on skier days with a limit on […]
Posted inNews
Heliski focus shifts to limiting helicopters
As the Haines Borough Assembly weighs a draft ordinance that would eliminate a cap on heliski tour permits in the borough, a new idea has piqued the interest of assembly members. The borough could limit the number of helicopters per operator and abolish its current restriction on skier days. The idea, which emerged in a version of the ordinance […]
Posted inNews
Dozens of open seats on borough advisory boards
The Haines Borough Board and Committees Fair, an event scheduled to raise awareness of the various ways to be involved in local government, drew few interested residents Tuesday night, but borough clerk Alekka Fullerton says she’s not worried about filling empty seats. More than 45 seats are open on 15 borough committees and boards including the Parks […]
Posted inNews
Heliski code hearing reflects sharp divide
Committee-of-the-whole meeting scheduled for Nov. 29 Twenty seven people, including a Scottish expedition guide with National Geographic, commented at a Tuesday hearing on a draft ordinance that would remove Haines Borough’s limit on heliski tour permits for a year. Fourteen people spoke in favor of the ordinance. Thirteen spoke against it. While testimonies mostly advanced familiar arguments […]
Posted inNews
Firm outlines conceptual plan for new public safety building
An Anchorage architect presented a conceptual plan for a new $20.5 million public safety building to the Haines Borough planning commission on Nov. 4. The new two-story structure for the fire and police departments would be located on a parcel south of the current building, which is in the maximum tsunami flood zone. The building cost projected […]
Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Assembly Briefs
Two new tours approved This week, the Haines Borough Assembly approved two new tour permits—one for Chilkat River Adventures and one for Alaska Mountain Guides Adventures (AMGA). The Chilkat River Adventures new tour, “Explore Haines ‘On Your Own,’” will coordinate travel for visitors coming over from Skagway on the fast ferry and take them on short tours of Fort Seward and […]
Posted inNews
Assembly introduces law to axe heliski permit cap for a year
The Haines Borough Assembly introduced an ordinance on Tuesday that would remove the cap on heliski operators in the borough for only one year. The ordinance also would require the borough manager to allocate skier days earlier in the year; it would mandate that operators pay the $5-per-skier-day fee before the season, instead of after, as current code allows; […]