I don’t tell people how to vote but as some folks come to me asking advice on election issues, I made this handy list for them on the various initiatives and propositions that will appear on the Oct. 6 municipal ballot. Print out this sheet and save it for Election Day.
You’ll see that I’m endorsing all the tax measures. There’s a reason for that. Our borough doesn’t have money enough to fill potholes or remove junk cars, to provide a great school, or to address needs like affordable housing and child care.
Currently, our school is using five teachers who are not certified to teach, local roads are in disrepair and the borough budget runs about $300,000 into the red every year. State money that once provided for schools, local roads, even state parks has been reduced or eliminated.
Federal sources of money have likewise been pinched.
Keep that in mind when you vote in state and federal elections in November. In the meantime, squawk all you want about taxes but for the love of God, don’t strangle our town for the sake of emulating our dysfunctional state and federal governments.
If you have questions about the below positions, please phone me at 907-303-2688.
Initiative #1: Should the Haines Borough amend Charter Section 8.01(B) and related sections of Haines Borough Code section 18.30.040 to restore the Planning Commission as a seven-member body appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the Assembly, rather than elected at large by Haines Borough voters?
Why turn over our valley’s most consequential decisions – like the location of cell phone towers – to a group of strangers who are cronies of the mayor? Why shouldn’t those decisions be made by people we elect? Our elected planning commission has protected property values, kept neighborhoods safe and livable, listened to residents, taken a long-term view and served the voters who elected it. Elections hold leaders accountable. Vote “no” on Initiative # 1.
Initiative #2: Shall the maximum senior property tax exemption to the assessed value of real property codified in Haines Borough Code Section 3.70.040 (G) be reduced from $300,000 to $200,000?
If seniors are unable to afford their property tax bill, a law allowing an exemption for economic hardship is already is on the books. The increase in the senior tax exemption from $150,000 to $300,000 approved in 2014 was excessive, shifting too much of the tax burden onto younger residents already struggling to live in Haines. Further, if the tax policy of the borough rewards mostly senior citizens, the people who choose to live in Haines will be mostly senior citizens. Reasonable taxation spread fairly among age groups and sectors creates a balanced, vibrant community. This measure, if approved, would still increase the property tax exemption that Haines seniors enjoyed for decades. Vote “yes” on Initiative #2.
Initiative #3: Shall the Haines Borough repeal the “seasonal sales tax” of 7 % sales tax from April 1 – September 30, and 4.5 % sales tax from October 1 – March 30 that includes the exemption on groceries ratified by the voters in the 2025 election and return to a year-round sales tax rate of 4.0 % areawide, with an additional 1.5% in the townsite, for a total townsite rate of 5.5% and an Excursion Inlet sales tax rate of 3.5% year-round?
Our new seasonal sales tax rewards year-round residents as it eliminates sales tax on groceries between October and April and – during the same months – reduces the historic tax level on all other sales. If we want a year-round community, we need to address the cost of living here during winter. If you find the seasonal tax too high in the summer, do your shopping in winter! Vote “no” on Initiative #3.
Proposition #1: Shall the Haines Borough levy and collect an additional boroughwide sales tax equal to 2% of the selling price on retail sales of alcoholic beverages?
Alcohol use accounts for many, perhaps most of our police and ambulance calls. So in fairness, drinkers should pay a bit more than non-drinkers for the public costs of intoxication. Adding a dime to the cost of a $5 drink won’t put a dent on our many bars and drinking places. The borough should dedicate this money to police and put the savings from the police budget into filling potholes and improving downtown. Vote “yes” on Prop #1.
Proposition #2: Shall the Haines Borough collect a severance tax, as established by Ordinance 26-04-740, at the following rates: 15 cents per ton on gravel sand and rock exported for sale or commercial use outside the Borough; $5 per thousand board feet on timber exported for sale or commercial use outside the Borough; and a 4.5 of gross production value on mining conducted within the Borough – or, for minin, an alternate payment in the form of Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT), with each PILOT program agreement subject to separate voter ratification?
Unlike resources that are refined or used in Haines, the value of raw gravel and timber exported from here is gone forever or “severed.” Towns commonly adopt severance taxes to compensate for the permanent loss of their raw resource wealth. Income from this tax should rightly be deposited in the Haines Borough’s permanent fund. Vote “yes” on Prop #2.
In the meantime, I’ll drink to a vibrant debate and a large voter turnout.
Mayor Tom Morphet