Posted inNews

Tow truck bill rankles visitors

A visitor from Whitehorse, Y.T. who paid $780 to reclaim his trailer after a dispute with tow truck operator Paul Nelson is seeking redress through the Haines Borough. Alexander Gubergrits said he was deceived by Nelson and that he never would have agreed to a $450 bill Nelson presented him after pulling Gubergrits’ trailer from a […]

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Borough eyes Elks property

Facilities issues dominated Tuesday’s Haines Borough Assembly meeting, where members voted to explore purchase of the Elks property, seek proposals for a temporary metal roof on the Chilkat Center and pay $39,000 for the first phase of the community facility master plan. The goal of the plan is “to develop a specific capital improvement plan for how […]

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Main Street group seeks official status

The Downtown Revitalization Committee will seek to become a recognized advisory group to the Haines Borough. The loose organization of citizens and downtown business and property owners voted for the change in status at a meeting attended by about 10 people Monday night. Main Street coffeehouse owner Lenise Henderson Fontenot, who serves as volunteer chair of […]

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Study: Pellet heat not economic for borough

Wood-pellet heat wouldn’t be cheaper than oil for Haines Borough buildings and it’s not clear it pencils out at public buildings elsewhere in Southeast where such systems are in place, Jim Rehfeldt of Alaska Energy Engineering told borough leaders Friday. Heating the school and pool with pellets comes closest to breaking even, with life-cycle cost comparison of […]

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Earnest back on job; hiring process halted

The Haines Borough Assembly voted 4-1 Tuesday to retain manager Mark Earnest, reactivating a contract that gives him the borough’s top job for another 13 months. Member Norm Smith voted in opposition. Assemblywoman Debra Schnabel, a candidate for the vacant manager’s position, had asked to be excused from the matter that was scheduled on the assembly meeting agenda as “interim borough […]

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Assembly OKs $11.3 million budget

Haines Borough Assembly members Tuesday unanimously approved the government’s $11.3 million spending plan for the coming year. They raised the areawide property tax rate about one quarter mill, to 7.63 mills, and lowered by about a half mill the tax rate in the townsite, to 10.79 mills. To balance the budget, they also withdrew $180,000 […]

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Murkowski: Funding will be tight

The outlook for federal funding of programs like public radio and Big Brothers Big Sisters isn’t good, U.S. Sen Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said in an interview during her recent visit here. “It’s tough. The reality is with earmarks being disallowed, the funding (former Sen. Ted) Stevens got, it’s not possible to get that,” Murkowski said. […]

Posted inNews, Haines Borough

Assembly to decide budget, interim manager

The Haines Borough Assembly is expected to approve its $11.3 million budget, including setting local tax rates, and will discuss the interim borough manager position at its regular meeting Tuesday. The borough was to shift manager duties to current staff, and hire some additional, temporary assistants to fill gaps following the June 15 departure of manager Mark Earnest. […]

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Assembly begins scoring manager hopefuls

Haines Borough Assembly members and municipal officers are in the process of scoring 18 borough manager applicants on a “decision matrix” aimed at winnowing down the field to an initial shortlist that may be decided as early as Tuesday. However, Mayor Stephanie Scott this week said she’s recommending the group take as long as necessary with its decision […]

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