The Columbia ferry on the way into Haines. (Abbey Collins)

There may be a shuttle offering rides to and from the Haines ferry terminal this summer.

Jonathan Richardson has applied for a commercial tour permit that includes rides to popular trailheads and the ferry terminal. Most of Richardson’s business would come from dropping off and picking up tourists at Battery Point, Mount Ripinsky, and the Chilkat River Beaches. But he says he also plans to make room in his shuttle schedule for ferry trips.

Richardson also plans to use a second van for guided tour hikes in Chilkat State Park.

The tour permit is up for assembly approval this week.

Tourism Director Leslie Ross writes in a letter to the assembly that there is a need for this type of shuttle. But she says more information is needed, including a safety plan for the guided hikes and how Richardson will navigate private property around the Chilkat River Beaches.

The assembly is also set to approve a $55,000 settlement with former manager Bill Seward at Tuesday’s meeting. The borough settled with Seward after he demanded severance pay and claimed the assembly defamed and discriminated against him.

The budgeting process for fiscal year 2018 has begun. The assembly may introduce the manager’s proposed budget at Tuesday’s meeting. It includes the addition of a new police officer, a large contribution to a newly-formed economic development corporation, and a slight townsite mill rate increase.  The budget will go through at least two public hearings before adoption.

The assembly will also decide whether to confirm the planning commission and port and harbor committee’s Lutak Dock recommendation. Those two groups chose a $37 million encapsulation as their preferred option to shore up the aging dock. If the assembly affirms the recommendation, the borough can use the design as it seeks grant funding. Borough officials have said that if they can’t raise enough money for the preferred design, they may have to fall back on a cheaper option that replaces the dock with berthing dolphins.

Also on the agenda is a discussion about the assembly’s role in performance evaluations for the borough clerk and chief fiscal officer.

The meeting is set for Tuesday at 6:30 in assembly chambers.