The borough assembly voted unanimously to send an at times biting letter penned by its attorney to the acting director of the Alaska State Troopers saying that the assembly “respectfully declines the request to continually violate its own charter by regularly providing law enforcement services outside the Haines townsite service area.” A nearly two-year dispute […]
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Posted inNews, Public Safety
Residents petition borough for drug-sniffing police dog
The Haines Borough Assembly will be asked to revisit its spring decision not to seek funding or research the efficacy of a drug-sniffing dog for the Haines Police Department. A petition seeking the reconsideration is now being circulated, and about 50 residents from various segments of the community have signed, said organizer JoAnn Ross Cunningham. “We believe that for […]
Posted inNews
2018 required residents to face difficult truths
The surfacing of what many residents described as a decades-long open secret shook the town this year: allegations from multiple men of sexual abuse by former school official Karl Ward. Craig Loomis, the first man to speak publicly, was contacted by several others who had similar experiences after he implored those affected to reach out […]
Posted inNews
Townsite service area is one third sea water
One third of the town site’s 20 square-mile service area is water, according to a realization by the Haines Borough administration. In October, borough planner Holly Smith plugged boundary points into a parcel map before local elections, illustrating that the waterway from Battery Point to Taiya Point and across Lutak Inlet to the ferry terminal is within the town […]
Posted inNews
Borough seeks legal counsel on trooper issue
Borough manager Debra Schnabel met with borough attorney Brooks Chandler on Tuesday in Anchorage to draft a response to Alaska State Troopers on policing responsibilities outside of the Haines townsite. The borough assembly voted 5-1 on Nov. 6 to request that Chandler respond to a letter from Alaska State Troopers sent to the Haines Police last week. In the […]
Posted inNews, Public Safety
Assembly changes course on police response
The assembly voted unanimously Tuesday to allow the Haines Borough Police Department to respond to calls outside the townsite deemed “urgent.” A second motion defined “urgent calls” as “an imminent threat to life or property” or a crime in progress, based on a suggestion from police chief Heath Scott. On Oct. 23, the assembly voted 4-2 to […]
Posted inNews, Timber
University alleges illegal timber harvest
The University of Alaska has alerted the Haines Borough of an “alarming amount of timber theft, along with significant trespassing issues” on UA lands in the Haines Borough. The allegations include “trespass trails,” timber theft, establishment of roads and trap lines, placement of signs, hunting, and “in the most egregious case, a cabin and fenced equipment storage area,” […]
Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Assembly nixes pot tax
In a 5-1 vote, the Haines Borough Assembly repealed the $5-per-ounce excise tax on marijuana in an unconventional way, by reducing the tax to $0 per ounce, and will soon consider an ordinance that would ask voters if they want a special sales tax on retail marijuana. The borough hasn’t collected any marijuana taxes on cultivators because […]
Posted inNews, Timber
Timber sale negotiations further delayed
The University of Alaska’s negotiated timber sale contract negotiations have been delayed until spring 2019. “Due to ongoing field work remaining to be completed, the Haines timber project will continue well into 2019,” university liaison Morgan Howard wrote in an announcement Tuesday. “Depending on weather and safety conditions, it’s projected that the next phase of […]
Posted inNews, Public Safety
Police restricted to town; manager wants ‘borough’ decal off police vehicles
The assembly voted 4-2 Tuesday to direct the Haines Police to serve only the townsite, unless the Alaska State Troopers request them to respond to calls for service. The decision came after Mud Bay, Lutak, and Haines Highway residents voted against raising property taxes for an on-call police service. Borough manager Debra Schnabel asked the assembly on Tuesday night how […]