Elections for positions on the Haines Borough Assembly and school board will no longer pit candidate vs. candidate for specific seats. Mayor Stephanie Scott broke a 3-3 tie Tuesday to establish a roster-style ballot, eliminating the current system in which candidates vie for designated, individual seats. Assembly members Debra Schnabel, Joanne Waterman and Norm Smith supported the change; Dave Berry, Steve Vick and Jerry Lapp were opposed. “This system simply […]
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Culbeck cleared of conflict
Haines Borough attorney Brooks Chandler says assistant to the manager Darsie Culbeck should not be prohibited from working for an exploratory mining company while maintaining employment with the borough. Culbeck is working up to 10 hours per week for the borough while also working as camp manager for Constantine Metal Resources, a company performing exploratory […]
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Borough may offer early retirement
The Haines Borough may offer an early retirement incentive program to its employees in order to recoup some of the lost funding from state and federal sources. The assembly voted Tuesday to forward the draft program plan to the Government Services Committee and Finances Committee for review. The program would be available to employees who have worked […]
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Borough staffers fill in as acting manager
The Haines Borough is playing musical chairs with its top position until July 3, when manager Mark Earnest will return to work from a two-and-a-half week vacation. Earnest left June 17, putting second-in-command clerk Julie Cozzi in the acting manager position. Cozzi, then, left June 25. As the third and final borough officer, chief fiscal officer Jila Stuart would […]
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AP&T drops effort for Connelly hydro
Alaska Power and Telephone pulled the plug on the Connelly Lake hydroelectric project, surrendering its Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) preliminary permit for the project June 13. The primary factor in the company’s decision is that existing demand for power isn’t sufficient to build the project and maintain or lower local rates, said project manager Glen […]
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Election ballot likely to change
The push to change local election procedures continues with the Haines Borough Assembly still split down the middle on whether to switch from a seat system to a roster-style ballot. Mayor Stephanie Scott has repeatedly broken ties between the assembly members on whether to advance the ordinance which would make the change. Members Debra Schnabel, Joanne Waterman and Norm Smith have consistently voted for […]
Posted inElections, News
Redistricting on assembly agenda
Haines Borough Mayor Stephanie Scott said this week she will ask the assembly whether it wants to weigh in on where Haines should fall in new redistricting plans. The Alaska Redistricting Board is currently holding map work sessions to redraw district boundaries ruled unconstitutional by the Alaska Supreme Court. Initially lumped in with Juneau, Skagway and Gustavus, Haines […]
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Budget: $12.2 million, reduction in tax rates
On a 4-2 vote, the Haines Borough Assembly approved its $12.2 million spending plan for the coming year Tuesday, including a reduction in the property tax rate inside and outside the townsite. Townsite landowners will pay 10.17 mills under the new budget, down from 10.79 mills last year. The base property tax rate outside the townsite was […]
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Manager contract talk heats up
Discussion of Haines Borough Manager Mark Earnest’s contract became heated Monday, prompting an assembly member to request police presence at the personnel committee meeting due to an “unruly” audience. Seven residents spoke at the meeting, with their complaints ranging from Earnest’s “ridiculous” amount of leave time to his perceived mishandling of borough issues. Annie Boyce voiced concerns […]
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Assembly softens crab letter terms
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 […]