Lt. Gov Mallot talks budget, land grants, in casual meeting with Haines Borough

Alaska Lt. Governor Byron Mallott visited Haines last week. Meeting with community members, he addressed concerns about public safety, infrastructure, and resource extraction.

Mallott met with a small group of Haines residents, including borough staff, assembly members, the mayor, and a few community members.

“I feel like we’ve come, like to Solomon. We’re going to bring you all of our problems and you’re going to fix them for us,” said Haines Borough Manager Debra Schnabel.

While Mallott didn’t promise to fix all of the problems of the Chilkat Valley, he did listen to some concerns.

Assembly member Heather Lende asked about the likelihood of the borough getting it’s blue shirt state trooper back. The position was relocated last year.

“As we look at the 2020 budget, which is the next budget cycle, we need to continue to strengthen our public safety capacity across the state,” said Mallott. “The budget guidance the Governor is finalizing as we speak. I can’t say this is final by any stretch. But he is going to ask departments for judicious requests for additional funding, where that is of a significant priority.”

Mallott said it’s important the state know what the borough wants.

“To municipalities, particularly in areas of statewide priority, like public safety, I think it’s important you make your views known,” said Mallott.

Another important issue in the Chilkat Valley right now: a major timber sale being developed by the University of Alaska.

The University is negotiating the sale of timber on about 13,000 acres of its land throughout the borough.

Mallott addressed the purpose of land grants in the state of Alaska.

“There is an expectation that the resources that are put in the stewardship of those institutions would be developed,” said Mallott. “That’s a fact of our existence. Certainly the state legislature’s citizens in areas that are affected have a voice in how that happens but  that’s the way our fiscal institutions are structured.”

Mallott also spoke about the state budget. Alaska continues to face a significant budget deficit.

“We have had to some degree an attitude of entitlement,” said Mallott. “Because of those several decades of billion dollar, multi-billion dollar revenue years.”

He said the state needs to find new ways to generate revenue.

“We have to find a way for there to be a broad-based revenue source tax,” said Mallott. “Whether that’s a sales tax or an income tax, state sales tax. Something that allows us responsibly to meet the state’s growth needs as we move down the road.”

Mallott and Governor Bill Walker were elected on an independent ticket in 2014. The two are seeking re-election this year. The two will bypass the primaries and run in the general election. They’ll need to gather signatures to appear on the ballot.  

Assembly member Lende asked Mallott what is hardest about running as an independent.

“In the campaign itself, not having an institutional structure that is just by default there, to help you create support and to be a megaphone for ideas, and, of course to bring financial support,” said Mallott. “But in a day-to-day basis and an ongoing basis of actual governance, to us it’s been — it’s given us a sense of freedom.”

Community concerns also included the state ferry system and grant funding for Haines’ Lutak Dock.