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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Posted inLetters to the Editor
I know who I’m not voting for
It is shameful that Debra Schnabel would be terminated. She stands head and shoulders above the three Assembly members and the Mayor. She has worked tirelessly for the borough, and I don’t think the petty arguments are in order to terminate her. I am definitely not going to vote for the three members of the Assembly that fired […]
Posted inNews
Assembly will begin manager hiring process
The Haines Borough Assembly plans to discuss hire of a new borough manager at the end of this month. At Tuesday’s assembly meeting, members added the topic as an agenda item for the June 23 personnel committee meeting. Also Tuesday, assembly members approved a manager evaluation form and a timeline for conducting annual manager evaluations. Under the […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Schnabel, citizens deserve better
Debra deserved better. So did the people of Haines. I look forward to the day when petty people who misuse their political power are no longer elected. I apologize for voting for Paul Rogers. I had no idea that he was a lackey for Don Turner Jr. or that he was so weak in the […]
Posted inNews
Assembly begins work on ballot measure
On Tuesday, the Haines Borough Assembly’s finance committee gave chair Brenda Josephson the authority to work with staff to draft language for a ballot measure asking voters to approve a draw from the borough’s permanent fund. Assembly member Zephyr Sincerny, who proposed the measure, said the intent is to ask voters to approve a $450,000 draw, roughly […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted
Mike Case, a former Haines Borough assembly member and mayor, has moved with dog Fox to the Palmer Pioneer Home. Case said that although it is quite a change from his Haines life, he appreciates the outstanding staff. “I miss my friends,” he said. “I listen to KHNS every morning to keep track of what’s […]
Posted inNews
Haines averages new manager every 1.8 years
Does Haines have an inability to retain borough managers or is the community’s turnover rate par for the course? While all communities experience manager turnover, the recent turnover rate in Haines is higher than that of many neighboring communities. Since 2002, Haines has averaged a permanent borough manager hire every 1.8 years. During this same […]
Posted inNews
CARES Act and capital funds buoy budget
At a meeting Tuesday night, the Haines Borough Assembly voted to use a mixture of capital funds and CARES Act coronavirus relief to address the borough’s $448,149 budget shortfall. The shortfall was created last month when Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed all of the state’s support of municipal school bond debt payments, leaving communities across Alaska with unexpected […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Assembly should seek Schnabel’s return
I want to express my disappointment in the assembly and Mayor for their recent actions in the surprise firing of manager Debra Schnabel. This hasty action is definitely not in the best interest of the borough. A good manager is a valuable and scarce asset to the borough, one that Debra has been for three years. Because of […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Fix borough by electing managers
Well, this is really cute. In the middle of a world- class pandemic and a major budget crisis, the Mayor and assembly decide to fire our manager? Wasn’t it just last week that they were whining that we had no money and they wanted the budget cut even more than it already had been? And now we […]