The Haines Borough Assembly voted 4-2 not to create a public ad-hoc working group that would have been tasked with advising the assembly on the Lutak Dock renovation project. Assembly member Debra Schnabel said she thought the Lutak Dock Project Group Advisory Committee, as it would have been called, would be redundant because plans for the dock project already will go through the […]
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Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Assembly rejects property tax increase proposal
Postpones Mud Bay petition vote The assembly Tuesday rejected 2-4 a motion by member Debra Schnabel to raise property taxes by .21 mills to increase funding to the Haines Sheldon Museum. Member Tyler Huling also supported Schnabel’s proposal. Members Paul Rogers, Cheryl Stickler, Gabe Thomas and Catie Kirby opposed the motion. Schnabel said, estimating conservatively, the increase […]
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GASC proposes application system for nonprofit funding
The Haines Borough Assembly soon will vote on whether to return to an application process for allocating funds to nonprofits. The assembly used an application system before the pandemic but for the last two years has distributed funding to nonprofits as part of the spring budget cycle and through pandemic relief funds. The Government Affairs and Services […]
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Assembly votes to give ad hoc committees clearer direction
The Haines Borough Assembly decided unanimously Tuesday to give ad hoc advisory committees clearer direction by formalizing them through resolutions. The assembly will need to pass a resolution for each ad hoc group defining its purpose, timeline and goals. Unlike long-term advisory committees that deal with broad topics, like ports and harbors, ad hoc groups are formed […]
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Details from decades-old U.S. census give glimpse of local history
Full details from the 1950 U.S. Census were released earlier this month, intriguing historians from around the country and providing a snapshot of the people who called the Chilkat Valley home more than seven decades ago. While the federal government makes public population statistics and demographic data upon completion of each decennial census, the specifics […]
Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Assembly approves phase 3 concept for Lutak Dock
Officials attempt to assuage ore transfer concerns The Haines Borough Assembly voted 5-1 to approve conceptual plans for Phases 1, 2 and 3 of the Lutak Dock—a controversial vote for many residents who opposed phase 3 because they thought the designs were catered toward Canadian mining interests, though borough officials and an engineer deny the charge. Some residents worried […]
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GASC to discuss Porcupine road service area
Borough leaders refined a nonprofit application for borough funding and discussed broadening which nonprofits would be eligible to apply for money from the general fund. The committee also discussed sending to voters the option to amend borough charter to create a road maintenance service area for Porcupine and Chilkat Lake roads. Government affairs and services […]
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Assembly directs planners to act on Mud Bay zoning questions
The Haines Borough Assembly unanimously voted to send the question of commercial events in Mud Bay back to the planning commission, which discussed the issue at its last meeting but didn’t take action. The commission had been tasked with considering definitions of “events venue” and “commercial enterprise” proposed earlier this month by the code review commission, in […]
Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Temporary sales tax increases subject of commerce meeting
Instituting temporary sales tax increases to pay for capital projects, raising the bed tax and exempting food and heating fuel were subjects of the borough assembly’s Commerce Committee meeting Tuesday. Committee member chair Gabe Thomas organized the meeting to continue discussing ways to dedicate funds to capital projects. Borough manager Annette Kreitzer discussed Juneau’s sales […]
Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Assembly Briefs
The Haines Borough Assembly changed its heliski code and administrative policy Tuesday in part to align with language similar to the Bureau of Land Management and to make language consistent throughout code. Most changes eliminated inconsistencies. Others reduced the required borough spot checks from five to three per operator each season. A section titled “Complaints” was removed that allowed […]