While Alaska police-canine handlers vouched for their dogs’ ability to act as a deterrent and assist with illegal drug seizures, their endorsement comes with a warning: if you own a police dog, don’t leave your dirty laundry lying around. The Haines Borough Assembly voted unanimously last week to direct borough manager Debra Schnabel to “research and report on the […]
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Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Assembly approves Alaska Excursions ATV permit
In a 4-1 vote, the Haines Borough Assembly approved the renewal of Alaska Excursions’ Glacier Point ATV permit that prompted questions about how far the assembly should reach as it regulates tour operators. The tour company’s permit was approved with conditions that it reduce its capacity, make its safety plan public, provide a human waste disposal plan […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Sniff out the truth of a police dog
The Haines Police and a group of residents are advocating for police dog(s). Some of the most compelling reasons not to have a police dog in Haines are contained in the Haines Borough Police Department Proposed K-9 Program in the Haines Borough Assembly Packet for the January 22nd Assembly meeting. I quote from the aforementioned proposal: Chapter one, page one: “A […]
Posted inNews, Public Safety
Police officials at ‘highest levels’ discuss request for Trooper post
The Haines Borough Assembly’s letter to Alaska State Troopers refusing to violate its own charter by providing borough-wide police protection “adds to the conversation the Department of Public Safety will have at the highest levels,” according to Alaska State Trooper’s former acting director Major Andrew Greenstreet. At a Jan. 8 assembly meeting, the borough assembly unanimously voted […]
Posted inNews
Sewer plant, harbor among assembly project priorities
The Haines Borough Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on Tuesday approving capital project and state funding priorities. Completing improvements to the sewage treatment plant, securing moorage floats for the boat harbor expansion and re-building Second Avenue between Main Street and Mud Bay Road topped the list. Debra Schnabel said that the list of six capital budget items was […]
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
Committee narrows attorney candidate list
A shortlist of applicants for the Haines Borough attorney position will be interviewed at the end of March, the assembly’s personnel committee decided. Brooks Chandler, the current attorney contracted by the borough since 2010, is one of three finalists. The others are Paul Grant, who has a firm in Juneau, and Joseph Levesque, whose practice is in […]
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 inLetters to the Editor
Do you want new assembly chambers?
The Haines Borough Assembly is being asked right now to commit to adding new assembly chambers to the public library building. The initial cost estimate of the project is $400,000, plus $30,000 for design. At its Nov. 6 and Dec. 4 meetings, the assembly will consider an ordinance to spend $30,000 for design. There has been very […]
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 […]