The Haines Borough Administration building. (Emily Files)
Haines residents will not be asked whether they want to see a sales tax increase to pay for management of a solid waste program on the ballot this October. An ordinance that would have made way for the question was squashed by the assembly last week.
The borough has been trying to figure out if there is a better way to deal with solid waste for a long time.
Most recently, in 2016, a solid waste working group set out to come up with recommendations. They brought their ideas to the assembly last October.
Borough staff worked with those ideas, and came up with a framework for a potential plan. Though, it does vary from the recommendations. That’s what’s laid out in the ordinance, a legal framework that makes way for an operational plan. The operational plan has not yet been determined.
Melissa Aronson chairs the board of Haines Friends of Recycling, and was on the solid waste working group. She told the assembly she feels the proposed ordinance was rushed to get a question on the ballot this year.
“Like many in the room, I’d like to see Haines find a solution to the management of our solid waste,” Aronson said. “But let’s move forward in a way that’s effective, that has clear goals, that eliminates or at least decreases littering, that incentivizes recycling and waste reduction, and that supports what’s currently working well.”
She asked the assembly to delay the ordinance for one year. And, she suggested using that year for public education on recycling and composting. Aronson said that time should also be spent developing a clearly articulated five-year goal and plan of action.
Some assembly members were critical of the ordinance as well. Tom Morphet said they should slow down, and look at different possibilities for moving forward.
“I think baby steps are best here,” said Morphet. “And we can take some of those steps without increasing sales tax or advancing this ordinance at this time.”
Assemblyman Tresham Gregg moved to postpone the ordinance indefinitely.
“I think we’ve heard from a number of people on this and I concur,” said Gregg. “I don’t think it’s such a crisis at the moment that we absolutely have to have this on this Oct. ballot. I think it’s worth pursuing as a government. But I think the details need to be forthcoming so when we do bring it to a vote of the people it won’t be shot down.”
That motion failed. So did one to postpone the ordinance to the next assembly meeting.
A sales tax was proposed to pay for a new system. Sean Maidy reminded the assembly that if it were to go to voters, that’s what they would have been asked about.
“And whether I’m for the sales tax or against it, is a complete moot point,” said Maidy. “It’s up to the voters to tell us if that’s what they want.”
Assembly member Heather Lende made one last attempt to keep the ordinance alive, moving to adopt it. Lende said she was not in favor of postponing the issue.
“I applaud the staff for this,” Lende said. “I think it’s been a long time coming.”
Brenda Josephson said she would vote against it, especially given the testimony from those opposed to it.
“We’ve got the major players who are here speaking, and they don’t support this,” Josephson said. “There needs to be time for them to come together and work on this.”
Borough Manager Debra Schnabel said if the assembly wants to move forward with a plan in some other way, she needs more direction on what that would look like.
The assembly voted 3-3 to adopt the ordinance. The mayor was not at the meeting to break the tie vote, so the motion failed.
That means the question of whether to levy up to a 1 percent areawide sales tax to fund a solid waste management program will not appear on the Oct. ballot.
