The Haines Borough Assembly voted unanimously Tuesday to remove mention of an emergency closure to the local Dungeness crab fishery from a letter to the Department of Fish and Game. In the original letter, Mayor Stephanie Scott expressed concern that human and sea otter pressure on the fishery will ultimately decimate the crab biomass and prevent sustainable commercial, subsistence and […]
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Posted inNews
Bury utility lines?
Utility lines strung along Main Street, Third Avenue and the waterfront are a concern for some Haines Borough Assembly members, but the path to getting those lines buried is unclear. Assembly member Debra Schnabel said Tuesday she was disheartened the borough didn’t pursue buried power lines on the construction project at Beach Road and Old Haines Highway. “I don’t […]
Posted inNews, Elections
Cozzi: Election change can’t happen this year
Though Haines Borough Assembly member Debra Schnabel said she is pushing to get a change in election procedures in place for the October municipal election, but clerk Julie Cozzi said such a goal is impossible. Even if the election ordinance passes according to schedule – it is set for a first public hearing Tuesday and adoption June 25 – […]
Posted inNews
Budget amended for museum, pool
The Haines Borough Assembly Tuesday approved changes to the manager’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year, including keeping the pool open year-round and increasing funding to the Sheldon Museum. The assembly also voted for the manager to provide a revised budget reflecting a combined 8 percent cut to the library, administration, finance and assessment/land management departments. […]
Posted inNews
Assembly to mull parking regs
Parking regulations for commercial development in the Haines townsite could soon be relaxed to allow adjacent, on-street parking to count toward parking space requirements. Businesses currently are required to provide a certain amount of off-street parking based on number of employees and their building’s square footage. A proposed ordinance, introduced at the Haines Borough Assembly meeting Tuesday, […]
Posted inNews
Appeals board upholds most Canary valuations
Members of the Haines Borough Assembly acting as the Board of Equalization (BOE) May 21 slogged through the second round of appeals for nearly four hours, tackling 14 cases of Haines residents unsatisfied with their 2013 property assessments. The board struggled to come to consensus several times, as only four board members were present, the minimum number […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Assessments amount to manipulation
In Haines there is no elected tax assessor for the voters to hold accountable for unconstitutional or just plain stupid behavior. The tax assessor function is important. Taxation without representation means the government is taking ownership. The borough hired a contractor to perform this function. In Haines this year, reportedly, valuations for property tax purposes […]
Posted inNews
Assembly, AP&T to meet June 25
An Alaska Power and Telephone official is angling to pitch the proposed Connelly Lake project to the Haines Borough Assembly at an upcoming meeting. The presentation is tentatively scheduled for June 25, Mayor Stephanie Scott said. Project manager Glen Martin said he intends to ask the assembly to issue a resolution in support of the Connelly Lake hydro project, with the caveat that the […]
Posted inNews
Cuts still in borough budget; next meeting on Tuesday
The Haines Borough Assembly held its first public hearing May 14 on manager Mark Earnest’s proposed budget, but assembly members have yet to make any significant changes to the document. Thus far, the only amendment made to Earnest’s $12 million budget was the striking of $2,300 worth of new chairs for assembly members. The borough is attempting […]
Posted inNews
How much savings do towns need?
The Haines Borough budget proposed by manager Mark Earnest calls for cuts to facilities and some personnel, but also includes maintaining savings of $3.93 million in two main accounts. The borough currently holds about $2.3 million in its areawide general fund balance, and a fund balance of $2.1 million in the townsite service area. The latter can be spent […]