Haines Borough Public Safety Building. (Emily Files)
Chilkat Valley residents will have the chance to weigh-in on a proposal to create on-call police service areas this week.
The Haines Borough is holding a question and answer session at the Mosquito Lake Community Center on Thursday.
Mosquito Lake is one community that could be included in a new service area. That is, if an ordinance establishing them is passed by the assembly and approved by voters.
In 2017, the Alaska State Troopers withdrew its only blue shirt officer from the Chilkat Valley. That officer used to patrol outside the Haines townsite.
Since then, then borough has been trying to figure out if and how to provide police service for those residents that don’t live within the bounds of the townsite.
Create a new police service area is one possible solution. The original proposal called for one new service area. But the assembly has since said it should be three separate areas. One for Lutak Rd., one for Mud Bay Rd., and another for the Haines Highway corridor.
Heather Lende suggested the amendment at a meeting last week.
“I recognize that this could be a challenge for staff and how we vote on it,” said Lende. “But I think it’s a better way to do it. Because I think there may be certain areas that want it, certain areas that don’t, and they’re fairly distinctive.”
Properties not accessible by road would be excluded from the service areas.
Right now, the ordinance calls for funding the new services areas through a property tax and potential grants.
It’s set for a second public hearing on August 21.
If the ordinance is passed by the assembly, the question of whether to create new service areas will go to voters on the October ballot.
The question and answer session is at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 16.
