By Lucy Silbaugh The Haines Borough Assembly voted Tuesday to rescind a four-year-old moratorium on new commercial tours in the Chilkoot Corridor. The decision followed a June 30 recommendation from the borough’s Tourism Advisory Board (TAB). “Retaining the moratorium does not allow for fair competition,” TAB chair Barbara Nettleton wrote in the board’s letter to the assembly, […]

The Haines Borough Assembly gave borough manager Annette Kreitzer “above average” marks in an evaluation nine months into her job. The evaluation leaves the assembly poised to extend Kreitzer’s contract through September 2024. Assembly member Caitie Kirby said at a Tuesday personnel committee meeting she has seen “steady, gradual improvement” in Kreitzer’s job performance since her three-month […]

The Haines Borough Assembly at its June 28 meeting unanimously voted to extend eligibility for community-purpose property tax exemptions to organizations classified as 501(c)4s in addition to those incorporated as 501(c)3s. Both 501(c)3s and 501(c)4s are nonprofits, but while 501(c)3s are called “charitable” organizations – and donations to them are tax deductible – 501(c)4s are called “social […]

he Haines Borough Assembly dissolved the Solid Waste Working Group at its meeting on June 28, saying the group had achieved its goals. “We don’t want to overburden volunteers who serve on (borough) committees,” borough manager Annete Kreitzer wrote to the CVN. She said that it’s better to shut the groups down “if there’s not a current […]

Due to a technicality, the Haines Borough Assembly on Tuesday reaffirmed its May 24 decision to prohibit commercial events in the Mud Bay rural residential zone following a long discussion and public testimony. The assembly voted 3-2 to reconsider their previous action, falling one vote short of the four votes required to pass a motion, as established […]

The Haines Borough Assembly on Tuesday adopted a $12.9 million operating budget with amendments to keep the pool open for 11 months and pay for a professional curator at the Haines Sheldon Museum, among other increases. At the final budget hearing, the assembly voted unanimously to spend an extra $35,434 on the pool and $60,000 on the […]

Haines Borough staff and Mayor Douglas Olerud asked assembly member Tyler Huling to make a motion to reconsider a 4-2 vote made last week that prohibits commercial events in the Mud Bay Rural Residential Zone. Huling told the CVN that the borough manager, clerk, planner and Mayor contacted her on Friday and told her that after consultation with borough […]

The Haines Borough Assembly delayed a vote on the budget Tuesday, postponing decisions about whether to allocate more funding to the pool, museum, economic development corporation, avalanche center and Porcupine Road maintenance. There is also a new budget amendment on the table to set aside about $82,000 for nonprofits, which would apply for funding through a competitive […]