After about 45 minutes behind closed doors, the Haines Borough Assembly’s Personnel Committee voted 3-2 to recommend Mayor Jan Hill serve as acting manager through Dec. 31. Manager David Sosa’s last day on the job is Dec. 4. Committee members Diana Lapham and Mike Case, as well as Sosa, voted in favor of offering the position to Hill. Lapham nominated […]
Search results
Posted inNews
Questions raised on hiring lobbyist
Nearly six months after approving a budget that included $45,000 for a state lobbyist, the Haines Borough has posted an advertisement for a firm or individual to represent the municipality’s interests and influence the Alaska Legislature. But two borough assembly members are questioning the wisdom of the expenditure in an era of diminished state spending. Assembly member […]
Posted inNews
Assembly OKs Sosa exit plan
The Haines Borough Assembly on Tuesday unanimously approved outgoing manager David Sosa’s request to be let out of his three-year contract “without prejudice.” That means he won’t be penalized for not providing 60-day notice, as required by his contract. Sosa will cash out 29 days of leave he has accrued since he started on the job in […]
Posted inNews
Nonprofit funding cut again
Haines Borough Assembly funding for local nonprofits dropped again this year, from $94,300 last year to $76,100 approved at Tuesday’s meeting. Manager David Sosa, Mayor Jan Hill and assembly members Diana Lapham, Mike Case and Ron Jackson scored 10 applications as part of the borough’s annual nonprofit funding process. The matrices used for scoring measure how the nonprofit […]
Posted inNews
Sosa looks back on performance
Cites policy-making, staff support as legacy In an interview this week, outgoing Haines Borough manager David Sosa said his biggest accomplishments were working with staff to update policies and procedures, paying more attention to employee reviews and evaluations, and working with the assembly to identify local and legislative priorities. Sosa offered an analysis of his 19 months […]
Posted inNews, Alaska Marine Highway System
Assembly splits on ferry letter wording
By Karen Garcia Haines Borough Assembly members wrestled with words Tuesday, as some claimed a letter to the state about ferry service reductions was too timid. The letter, drafted by Marine Transportation Advisory Board chair Robert Venables and tourism director Leslie Ross, contains language about the borough’s “sincere understanding” of the state’s current fiscal situation and […]
Posted inNews, Police
Minor offenses group chosen
Haines Borough Mayor Jan Hill revealed her selections for the newly-created minor offenses committee Tuesday, choosing four members of the public from a pool of about 10 applicants. Don Turner Jr., Bill Thomas, Deborah Vogt and Mike Denker will sit on the ad-hoc committee charged with tackling the minor offenses ordinance that has vexed the assembly for the past […]
Posted inNews
Eagle preserve council tepid on Chilkat River protection
A Chilkat Indian Village proposal to pursue top-level protections for the Chilkat River received a lukewarm response from the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Advisory Council this week. Tribal council president Jones Hotch Jr. asked the council to support a resolution requesting the river be designated as an Outstanding National Resource Water, which protects waters of exceptional […]
Posted inNews, Police
Public outcry prompts minor offenses reboot
After receiving a petition signed by 650 residents, the Haines Borough Assembly voted Tuesday to nullify its Sept. 22 decision to adopt the controversial minor offenses ordinance. The group voted to let the ordinance continue its movement through the public process prior to adoption. The document will come back before the assembly on April 26, 2016. In […]
Posted inNews, Police
Citizens push petition, question minor offenses vote
Although the Haines Borough Assembly approved it two weeks ago, the controversial minor offenses ordinance is still creating a buzz around town, with opponents collecting more than 400 signatures as of Tuesday on a petition asking the assembly to reconsider its vote. Assembly members and residents also are concerned about the administration’s failure to provide important information […]