Haines generates more in sales tax revenue than expected, police officer resigns, and more highlights from Tuesday’s Assembly meeting

Haines generated a lot more in sales tax revenue last year than expected, and the Assembly began discussions on how to spend it at their Tuesday meeting. As KHNS’ Corinne Smith reports, the assembly also approved funding for a new police vehicle, discussed borough staff training and vacancies, and more.

 

Haines collected about 64 percent more in sales tax revenue last year than it had projected in the budget. In other words, $821,928 – for a total of about $2.1 million, compared to $1.3 million that was expected. That’s a good thing, but it still falls short of a normal year and reflects conservative budgeting due to the ongoing pandemic. In FY20, the borough generated about $2.3 million in sales tax.

The Haines Assembly will decide how to spend it in budget amendment discussions at their next meeting, September 28. Interim borough manager Alekka Fullerton also suggested some of that funding be directed back to borough staff travel and training, which was eliminated last year due to the pandemic. 

“Continuing training is key to many, many areas of our staff. And it’s why we have such excellent staff, we have done a very good job at training employees and keeping them apprised of changes that come about in their field of expertise.”

The assembly will also decide how to spend approximately $135,000 left over in CARES Act funding which has to be done by the end of the year. Assemblymember Jerry Lapp reported a few recommendations from an ad-hoc committee, including renewing a program to incentivize local businesses. 

 “The committee came up with a recommendation to approve spending $50,000 for Shop Local,” Lapp said. “$2,500 for a laptop for the ambulance, and the remaining monies for wages for fire and ambulance that will be put aside for community emergency funds.”

On Tuesday, the assembly voted unanimously to authorize buying a new Chevrolet Tahoe police pursuit vehicle for $62,599. Haines resident Sharon Resnick spoke in opposition to buying a new police car.

“We have just a few miles of roads, and we have hardly any people or none who need to be pursued in anything other than on foot, bicycle or a sedan,” Resnick said. “And I just hope that you will not spend this money on this. When you tell us we don’t have enough money for things like our library, our pool and all the nonprofits who do so much for us.”

Assemblymember Caitlin Kirby replied it was a necessary cost, and added it was already accounted for. 

 “Other things that they have to have that you can’t have in just, you know, my beater Subaru, you know, it’s an expensive thing. I also would like to point out that it was budgeted for in the FY 22 budget already.”

In other public safety news, Haines Police Officer Brayton Long has resigned, and the borough is hiring to fill the position. Long had been a sworn officer in Haines since 2015. He resigned six months later in 2016, and was hired back, then resigned again in 2019, and was hired back again later that year. 

That leaves Haines with three-sworn officers, and a chief in its police department.

The assembly also approved $59,352 to paint and repair an existing road grader. 

In his mayor’s report, Doug Olerud says he met with U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski this week while she was in Haines for Southeast Conference’s annual meeting.

“We’re able to discuss some of the issues that are facing the borough – Lutak Dock, the public safety building, took her out to Beach Road, had some really good conversations with her,” Olerud said. “As I think we all know, she loves Haines is one of her favorite places in the state, and occupies a special part place in her heart. And so her past work on behalf of Haines, and I know her continued work in the future bodes well for us. And she also gave us a lot of information about funding sources that are coming forward with the infrastructure project that he put through and also the effect that that could have on the ferry system in a very good way.”

Haines is still in the midst of COVID outbreak. Fullerton, the interim manager, says the community needs to continue to be vigilant. 

“The reality is we have community transmission of COVID in Haines,” Fullerton said. “What does that mean? That means that you can get it from other people in Haines outside of your community outside your bubble outside your household.  You can’t identify who you necessarily got it from because it is so widespread. What that means is you should be wearing a mask when you go out and about, and you should be remembering to wash your hands.”

The new borough manager Annette Kreitzer is scheduled to start October 1, almost 18 months to the day that the Assembly fired the last manager Debra Schnabel by a contentious 4-3 margin. Since then, Alekka Fullerton has served as interim borough manager.

Kreitzer was hired at a salary of $130,000 plus benefits, that’s 38 percent more than her predecessor, Schnabel who made $96,300 per year. She has worked in state government for most of her career, including legislative offices and as a Commissioner of Administration under Govs. Sara Palin and Sean Parnell. She retired in 2012. The contract stipulates an initial term of one year, and evaluations after three months of employment, and again at nine months. After that, it can be extended another two years to September 2024.