Business owner and former borough assembly member Doug Olerud is running for Mayor in this October’s municipal election. Olerud owns and manages the Alaska Sport Shop and served on the former city council and assembly for nine years. He said recent challenges facing the borough due to the pandemic, along with public support, motivated him to seek […]
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GAS Committee supports museum restructuring, begins car towing plan
A restructuring of the Haines Sheldon Museum is on the horizon if the board and the Haines Borough Assembly have their way. At present, the museum is a quasi-governmental organization with attributes of both a borough department and nonprofit. Existing in this liminal space has created confusion about the museum’s relationship to the borough, hampering the organization’s […]
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Assembly nixes CARES Act requests from food security groups
On July 23, the Haines Borough Assembly’s ad hoc CARES Act committee rejected proposals from two Chilkat Valley food security groups. Discussion at the meeting revealed the groups and assembly members differed in their definitions of food security. Over the course of the past few months, the assembly has been working to finalize a spending plan for […]
Posted inNews, Elections
Candidate filing period opens Aug. 1
The filing period for elected office in the Haines Borough opens Aug. 1, with an Aug. 20 deadline. This year, positions up for election include the Mayor, four school board seats and four on the assembly. Borough clerk and intern manager Alekka Fullerton said she’s noticed increased interest in running. “This year, six or seven people have asked me when […]
Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Taxpayer-funded garbage collection back on the table, again
Discussions about a taxpayer-funded garbage collection will be revived for the third time in as many years if the assembly approves the commerce committee’s recommendation this week to reconvene the solid waste working group. On Tuesday, the commerce committee discussed advancing a 2018 draft ordinance that would increase sales tax up to 1% to pay […]
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Assembly puts permanent fund question to voters
In October, Haines residents will vote on a proposed $450,000 draw from the borough’s permanent fund to offset unexpected costs associated with school bond debt. In past years, the state typically paid for 70% of municipal school bond debt with the municipality responsible for the other 30%. Last year, Gov. Mike Dunleavy reduced the state’s […]
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CARES Act distribution still a work in progress
In the next six months, Alaska municipalities will need to figure out how to distribute a total of $569 million in federal CARES Act coronavirus relief in a quick, effective and legal manner. There is little uniformity in the way local governments are tackling this challenge. “It feels like someone passed away and there’s a […]
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Volunteers rally for food security, Mosquito Lake Community Center
About 60 volunteers helped cultivate a new community garden Saturday at the Mosquito Lake Community Center. Organizer Erika Merklin has been trying to reinvigorate the building since earlier this year. She envisions the former Mosquito Lake School to be a multipurpose community center that offers child care services, gardening and fitness classes and, most importantly, […]
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Final hour budget cuts reduce funding for museum, police
On Tuesday, the Haines Borough Assembly passed a $19.7 million operating and capital budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, including $1,860,626 in CARES Act Funds and $7,209,000 in state and federal grants for capital projects. The budget’s final passage was marked by a number of last-minute amendments. This year, the borough faced unexpected shortfalls including […]
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Public facilities director proposes lottery to fund building
A land lottery could be the salvation of the Haines public safety building. The facility is nearing the end of its life, but at present, the borough lacks the funds to replace it. At a meeting on Wednesday, May 20, public facilities director Ed Coffland said he had come up with a creative way to […]