The Haines Borough Assembly approved a short-term access plan for Beach Road aimed at balancing residents’ desire to return home with the desire to secure FEMA funding for completion of a geotechnical study. Up until last week, it had appeared that the borough would need to choose between expediting the process of restoring power and permanent road […]
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Posted inNews, Public Safety
Assembly considers police overtime hour increase
The Haines Borough Assembly took no action on several police budget-related amendments at a meeting Tuesday, despite discussion at a budget Committee of the Whole meeting the week prior. Amendments discussed at last week’s budget meeting included increasing police overtime and standby hours, and transferring money from the areawide general fund to the townsite fund to reimburse […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Assembly doesn’t understand manager’s role
My offer to serve as manager or interim was made to the Mayor following the 2020 election. The unfolding story of filling the manager vacancy has since created unacceptable conditions for my service: 1. Consideration of adjusting the manger’s authority over personnel runs counter to state statute. AS29, Article 6 defines the Manager Plan. Authority over all […]
Posted inNews, Mining, Haines Borough
Assembly to look at severance tax as source of revenue
The Haines Borough Assembly is considering a severance tax. Assembly member Carol Tuynman suggested the revenue-generating measure, a tax on natural resources extracted from the borough, at an April 29 committee of the whole meeting. In recent years, the borough has used savings, cuts and federal stimulus money to compensate for revenue losses due to the pandemic […]
Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Museum funding uncertain; CIA offers to take on building
Funding for the Haines Sheldon Museum in this year’s Haines Borough budget remains an open question after more than an hour of discussion at a Government Affairs and Services (GAS) Committee meeting Tuesday. “I hope that the timeline (for reaching a decision about museum funding) is rational and is not a slow-rolling disaster, but on July 1, […]
Posted inNews
Rasmuson Foundation weighs in on museum NEH grant
In a 3-3 tie broken by Mayor Douglas Olerud, the Haines Borough Assembly voted to postpone discussion about returning a $350,000 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections grant. The postponement gives Haines Sheldon Museum advocates, including Rasmuson Foundation president Diane Kaplan, time to find a match for the grant, or another creative solution for keeping […]
Posted inNews
Debra Schnabel, Bill Seward offer services as interim manager
The Personnel Committee Tuesday discussed ways to improve the borough manager hiring process including turning over to the borough clerk responsibility for managing personnel. The committee also discussed whether to hire a new interim manager as it looks for a permanent hire. Previous borough managers Debra Schnabel and Bill Seward, both fired, have expressed interest in serving […]
Posted inNews
Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution delayed after public opposition
The Haines Borough Assembly on Tuesday postponed a resolution to make the town a “Second Amendment Sanctuary.” The vote to delay came after 45 minutes of discussion and an outpouring of public opposition. The resolution expresses the borough’s intent to uphold the right to bear arms and oppose efforts to infringe on that right. “The borough will […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
It’s past time to improve our ferry service
Did you know that for 47 years, twice daily jet service has been available throughout Southeast except in Haines? For 50 years, Juneau folks could ferry to Haines arriving by noon as a walk-on, do four hours business and catch the south-bound ferry back to Juneau all in one day. By comparison, to do four […]
Posted inNews
Borough failed to effectively communicate end of Beach Road evacuation order
There is no mandatory evacuation zone in the Beach Road neighborhood, and there hasn’t been one for three and a half months, according to Haines Borough officials–a surprise to residents who thought they couldn’t legally return home. “I was told it was legally binding (in December). Otherwise, I’d have been driving my truck up and down there […]