Two former members of the Haines Borough Assembly, Jerry Lapp and George Campbell, have submitted letters of interest for the vacant seat left by Caitie Kirby’s resignation. As of Wednesday afternoon, Lapp and incumbent Gabe Thomas are the only candidates to have filed for three open assembly seats up for election in October. Lapp currently sits on the […]
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Lapp indicates interest in filling assembly vacancy
The Haines Borough Assembly on Tuesday accepted Caitlin Kirby’s resignation and moved to solicit letters from community members interested in filling her seat until the October election. Aspiring candidates will have 10 days to notify borough staff of their interest. The appointment will be made at the beginning of the Aug. 23 meeting and the selected candidate […]
Posted inNews, Elections
Kirby resignation opens third assembly seat in local election
Haines Borough assembly member Caitie Kirby resigned on July 29, opening a third seat on the assembly for the October municipal election. In a letter to Mayor Douglas Olerud, Kirby said serving as an assembly member requires “more mental presence and attention than I am able to offer at this time” and cited personal reasons for her […]
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PC recommends commercial events in Mud Bay as conditional use
The Haines Borough Planning Commission recommended to the borough assembly that commercial events be allowed as a permitted activity in the Mud Bay zone—a decision made after more than 100 Mud Bay residents signed a petition submitted in October asking commercial events to be prohibited in their rural residential neighborhood. In March, the commission was united in […]
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Planning commission opposes Mud Bay event petition
Denies permit for Lutak vacation rental Planning commissioners last week united in opposition to a petition from more than 100 residents to prohibit commercial events in the Mud Bay Rural Residential Zone (MBRRZ). Longtime commissioner and Mud Bay resident Rob Goldberg said he thinks the petition reflects “intolerance.” Other commissioners said they think it unfairly […]
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Proposed yurt regulation advances to assembly
The Planning Commission voted 5-2 to forward to the Haines Borough Assembly a draft ordinance that would codify definitions of yurts and container homes and restrict them in the townsite. The proposal, which was recommended to the commission in November by the Government Affairs and Services (GAS) Committee, would allow yurts in the townsite’s rural residential and […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Working people need Clement, Josephson
I first came here over fifty years ago when everyone worked, and I know this. The working men and women of this valley need Richard Clement and Brenda Josephson on the assembly. They know to fix our roads and buildings, balance a budget, and not get in the way of good jobs. We are losing […]
Posted inNews
Assembly inches toward removing heliski limit
Haines Borough Mayor Douglas Olerud cast a tie-breaking vote Tuesday to draft an ordinance to change borough code and eliminate the current limit on heliski permits. The vote followed a lengthy debate among assembly members—as well as several weeks of committee meetings and years of input from the public—about how the borough should regulate the heliski industry. Citing the need to […]
Posted inNews, Elections
Candidates diverge on local economy, role of government at debate
The four Haines Borough Assembly candidates agreed on several broad points at a Sept. 16 debate: Haines needs a more diverse year-round economy; Haines needs infrastructure improvements; Haines needs federal funds. But the candidates—Richard Clement, Tyler Huling, Brenda Josephson and Debra Schnabel—differed on key issues including taxes, the borough’s role in solid waste management and whether Haines […]
Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Assembly to reconsider seasonal sales tax
The Haines Borough Assembly will likely make changes to the proposed seasonal sales tax ordinance that could go before voters this October, with most saying the current ballot question is too complicated. “I voted against this and the reason I did is because I could not understand it,” assembly member Jerry Lapp said at Tuesday’s finance committee meeting. “And […]