The Haines Borough Administration building. (Emily Files)
The Haines Borough Emergency Operations Center recommended a “shelter in place” order to the borough assembly on Monday. If adopted, healthy people who display no symptoms of COVID-19 would be directed to stay at home except when procuring food, fuel, mail and attending medical appointments. Those who do display flu-like symptoms would be directed to remain at home except when seeking medical attention.
According to an update from the Haines Borough EOC, employees should request permission to work from home unless required for medical and EMS services, waste management, essential government services, grocery stores, shipping, banking, or communications.
The Haines Borough Assembly will consider adopting a shelter in place order at its meeting on Tuesday.
Last week, the Haines Borough closed several municipal facilities in order to limit possible exposure to the coronavirus. Haines Borough manager Debra Schnabel said that borough staff is still working on projects that don’t require interaction with the public.
“No one has been laid off. No one has been sent home,” Schnabel said. “We have been working on cleaning, inventorying, categorizing and cataloging. That is ongoing right now in our facilities that are closed to the public.”
Schnabel acknowledged that it may be necessary to send employees home in the future. On Tuesday, the Haines Borough Assembly will consider an emergency ordinance that would make personal leave available to more borough employees. The ordinance would allow regular borough employees to donate personal leave to other staff who do not have it because they work fewer than 20 hours a week.
Schnabel also recommended the assembly consider suspending several municipal fees to reduce the negative economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“People are not making the amount of money they were making even a month ago. We don’t want to encourage hardships for individuals,” Schnabel said.
In a memo she suggested waiving tour permit fees for the 2020 season in response to a dramatic reduction in cruise ship traffic this summer. The manager also proposed that the borough waive late fees on water bills and not shut off water to residences and businesses that have not paid their bills.
The borough will also consider adding funding to address the public health needs of the community. A second emergency ordinance would allow the transfer of up to $25,000 from the general fund to support the local response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The borough manager’s first draft of the municipal budget for the coming fiscal year is usually released in April. Schnabel says she will likely request an extension in order to get a better idea of the budget situation at the state level.
Schnabel says she will also have to consider the impacts of the pandemic when drafting the borough’s budget.
“It’ll be much less revenue. It also means much less ability for people who live in the community to pay if they are dependent on summertime work because most people make their living between the months of April and October.”
The Haines Borough Assembly meets Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in assembly chambers. No more than 10 people will be allowed in the room at once. Members of the public who wish to address the assembly may be brought in one person at a time.
