The latest decision by the Haines planning commission to issue a permit for a helipad near residences at 25 miles on the Haines Highway has engendered strong reactions. Assembly member Tyler Huling gave voice to widespread concerns at Tuesday’s borough assembly meeting.
Huling “I, like many people, feel concerned about the meeting the other night, the planning commission has a great deal of power in this community. To me, it seems almost equal with the assembly and the admin. They really are making the plan and guiding the course in a lot of ways. But given that reality, for them not to be elected, and for us to watch what happened the other night happen, feels deeply problematic.”
There is now discussion about changing the borough charter to have planning commissioners be chosen by public elections.
Haines Mayor Doug Olerud told KHNS that he felt it important to clarify how the system works.
Olerud “They think that the planning commission elected two new members. And they thought that (was it)> But it does come to me, that’s a recommendation to me as the mayor, and then I forward my recommendation to the assembly for approval before people get on the planning commission. And as far as I know that’s always been the situation. And there are people that want to change that and want to have it as an elected position. There is pros and cons to that. I think the government affairs and services committee in January is going to have that on their agenda and have that conversation and see if that’s a route. Because in order to do that it would have to go to a vote of the people, because it’s in our charter not in code. And if there is a citizen’s initiative to put it on there, they have that right as well. But I think the more dialogue we can have about that beforehand the better. I think it’s the end of July we have to have it approved to get it on the ballot. So we have time, and let’s start those discussions now.”
Olerud says there are pros and cons to having planning commissioners on the ballot.
Olerud “One of the main pros is people would have a chance to say ‘yeah, we want Ted, John, whoever. One of the drawbacks that I see, is the planning commission is supposed to look (things) at a technical level. The assembly is supposed to look at things on a political level. And by having people voted to that position, inherently that makes them political. And so are people getting voted on because they are promising they are going to vote one way or another on the planning commission. May happen may not. But that is one con that I have heard to that.”
The next borough assembly meeting will be on January 10th.
