HAINES–We owe a big “thank you” to candidates who chose to run for office — to those serving, as well as those running in the current election. Serving on the assembly requires a huge commitment of time and energy, and sometimes there is little thanks for the effort. Read more->
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by Brenda Jones
Present at the Haines Borough Assembly meeting on Tuesday, August 24, 2011 were Mayor Jan Hill and borough manager Mark Earnest and assembly members Daymond Hoffman, Steve Vick, Scott Rossman, Jerry Lapp, and Joanne Waterman. Borough Clerk Julie Cozzi was present, as well as Chief of Police Gary Lowe. Read more-> HAINES–Recent changes to the Haines Borough Code online by the publishing company have made it easier for computer users in Haines to access and use the borough code. In a presentation at the borough assembly meeting, Clerk Julie Cozzie demonstrated some of the added capabilities to the system.  Haines Harbor HAINES–The Haines Borough Assembly met Tuesday evening as a committee of the whole, to discuss proposed changes to Title 16 of the Haines Borough Code, “Harbors.” Much of the one-hour meeting was consumed by presentations by Haines Harbormaster Ed Barrett and Boat Harbor Advisory Committee members Bill Rostad and Jim Studley, who presented the assembly with a proposed rewrite of Haines Borough Code Title 16. Read more-> USDOT press release
The ordinance would have amended Haines Borough Code 3.80.220 to remove the designation of the 1 percent tax for tourism and economic development, allowing the funds to go into the general fund instead. It would not have removed the tax; only the designation. Read more-> HAINES–The Haines Borough Assembly unanimously approved the tour permit for SEABA’s backcountry tour permit for 2012 after a public hearing during which only one person spoke. Read more->
The motion to revisit the issue was made by assemblyman Waterman who said, “What happened in our haste–we could have postponed it instead of voting not to pass it–we didn’t want to kill it. We wanted the planning commission to address concerns that were brought up. We wanted the planning commission to give us their opinion and thought process behind it. The perception was that we killed it. What we did was send it back to the planning commission.” Rossman said he thought off-premises signs were self-regulating anyway, saying, “You can’t put a sign on someone’s property without their permission.” Correction: The hearing date is set for September 27, not August 27 as originally reported. The Borough Assembly set the September date so that the planning commission could review the issue at their next meeting and give recommendations to the assembly. The planning commission’s next regular meeting is September 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the assembly chambers.
In order to be certified, the petition must have 275 valid signatures. The committee’s target is 300 signatures as a safe margin in case some of the signatures are duplicates or otherwise disqualified. Though the signature gathering seemed to slow over the weekend, the committee has redoubled its efforts during the past few days. Read more->
According to committee chairman Jim Shook, the group is interested in having the issue on the October 4th municipal ballot, rather than making the borough and its voters go through another special election. To do this, the completed petitions would need to be submitted to the borough clerk no later than August 12–just 9 days away. Read more->
The filing period for Haines Borough municipal election closed today, with the following folks who have filed as candidates: Read more->  A Kawasaki Mule negotiates Takshanuk Mountain Trail HAINES–When Jim Shook introduced the idea of allowing all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on public roads at the June 14 meeting of the borough assembly, there was surprisingly little opposition. A few raised eyebrows maybe, but then, on reflection, acceptance that the idea just might be a good fit for Haines—a small town, off the beaten track, with folks who would like to conserve fuel by driving something more economical than a full-size car or pickup to haul a few groceries from the store, only a mile or two away. What could be wrong with that? Now, four weeks later, proponents of the ordinance are starting to see some opposition. The proposed ordinance (Ordinance 11-06-269) is on the borough assembly’s calendar for its second (and final) reading at the Tuesday, 7/26 meeting. Read more-> HAINES–The Haines Borough Clerk has issued recall petitions for Haines Borough Assembly members Daymond Hoffman and Joanne Waterman, but rejected the application for a recall petition for Steve Vick based on advice from the Haines Borough Attorney. Read more->
HAINES–A groundswell of dissatisfaction with the performance of the Haines Borough Assembly reached a crescendo Friday when three applications for recall against assembly members Daymond Hoffman, Steve Vick and Joanne Waterman were filed with borough clerk Julie Cozzi. Read more->
For obvious reasons, it would make sense to appoint Karen Hess to the vacant seat until the October election, however three assembly members are politically opposed to seating Hess, offering to seat nearly any other member of the public instead. Members Rossman and Lapp stood steadfastly behind Hess. When the Assembly decided they were deadlocked and there was no way forward, they “compromised” by agreeing not to fill that seat until the October election. In reality, this was no compromise at all — just an agreement to shirk their duty to Haines voters by not doing the job required by law. Read more->  Karen Hess Last Monday’s Haines Borough Assembly special meeting made a mockery of our election ordinances, the will of the voters, the rule of law, the authority of the superior court, and common decency. Most of the public present favored seating Karen Hess in the vacant assembly Seat “E”, including assembly members Scott Rossman and Jerry Lapp. But in a clearly partisan move, members Daymond Hoffman, Joanne Waterman and Steve Vick refused to seat Hess, offering instead to seat almost any other member of the public. Their actions mirrored those at last fall’s assembly meeting in which they voted to seat Greg Goodman in spite of his residency issues: the three obviously arrived prepared not to seat Hess under any circumstances, and then groped in vain for facts and logic that would justify their actions. Half of the audience walked out before the meeting was over, and comments by some caused a couple of assembly members to complain about being called “spineless,” and “prejudiced” by the public. Read more-> The deadline for letters of interest to be appointed to the vacant Assembly Seat “E” has passed. The Haines Borough Assembly will be making its appointment at a special meeting Monday, June 13, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. in the Haines Borough assembly chambers. Surveys can be skewed intentionally or unintentionally. Sometimes, despite the best of intentions the choice of questions, the wording of survey questions, even the order in which they are asked, will lead respondents to choose one answer over another. That’s why folks who use the results need to weigh the results and act accordingly.  Barbara Sheinberg, AICP, Sheinberg Associates A community survey designed to measure public opinions about the present quality of life and future development in Haines was presented last Friday, June 3, 2011 to a town hall-type meeting by Barbara Sheinberg, the consultant who is assisting the Haines Borough with a re-write of the borough’s comprehensive plan. The Town Meeting at Harriet Hall (Southeast Alaska Fair Grounds) from 5:00 to 7:00 is one of the first steps in updating the Haines Borough comprehensive plan — the “roadmap” that will direct future development in Haines. Read more-> |
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The Haines Borough Assembly Government Affairs & Services Committee will meet Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. in the Haines assembly chambers to discuss the dedicated sales tax. (Please note this date is a correction from the date posted in the previous article, “Tourism Tax Issue not to appear on Municial Ballot.”) 
The Haines Borough Assembly voted unanimously to revisit the issue of off-premises signs, setting the matter for another public hearing on September 27.
Haines Recall Committee chairman Jim Shook reports that as of Tuesday morning, the petition sponsors had gathered 268 signatures. With 3 days to go until the “drop dead” date, it looks like the issue could make it onto the October 4 municipal ballot.
