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 […]
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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 […]
Posted inNews
Haines poised to receive $2 million in COVID-19 relief
At an ad hoc meeting on Monday, Haines Borough Assembly members identified five potential spending categories for the $4 million in CARES Act funding the borough is scheduled to receive—emergency and medical response, direct support for individuals, grants for small businesses, coronavirus testing and food security. On March 27, the U.S. Congress passed the CARES Act, including […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Where is the recall petition now?
Has Don Turner Jr., dusted off his recall hat? The last time he so beautifully showed us the sheer wrongness of assembly members talking in a group outside of assembly chambers about matters of importance to the community. Well this assembly has done that big time, evidence is all over the article in last week’s […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Assembly used crisis to push agenda
I’ve owned land and paid taxes here for 35 years. Haines can be fractious, but it’s shocking that in the midst of a global pandemic and an economic crisis that we didn’t create, we’re firing the manager for reasons which should be addressed in an annual evaluation. This demonstrates failed leadership on the part of […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Borough should make cuts across the board
Honorable Mayor, Assembly Members and Staff, I thank you all for your time spent to represent the people that live here. I applaud your effort to establish and maintain a balanced budget. If the Haines Borough Government needs to spend less money, I ask that all government spending be cut evenly. Please do not cut spending in a […]