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Haines TAB to form Title 5 working group to revise special‑event and heliski permit timelines
Summary
After public concerns about wildlife and staff limits on a seven‑day turnaround, the Tourism Advisory Board voted to form a Title 5 working group to recommend changes to special‑event and heli‑ski permitting, including revising the current seven‑day consultation window.
The Haines Borough Tourism Advisory Board on March 5 agreed to form a Title 5 working group to draft recommended amendments to the borough's special‑event and commercial‑tour permit code after staff and public commenters warned the current seven‑day turnaround is unworkable.
Board members and staff said the seven‑day deadline in HBC 5.24.050B leaves little time for required outside consultation and for publishing recommended materials ahead of an assembly meeting. The clerk illustrated the problem: “Saturday and Sunday burn 2 days...so it could be just as simple as something like that: 7 business days or 10 days, something like that,” and asked TAB to consider a longer, administrable timeline.
Public commenters framed the code change as a wildlife and public‑safety issue. Tom Ealy urged the board to require heli‑ski operators to provide specific landing and takeoff data before map changes, arguing that "It just takes 1 helicopter landing to drive mountain goats out of their... terrain." Eric Holley cited Fish and Game biologists' comments and local maulings to warn that helicopters can displace mountain goats and disturb denning brown bears.
Staff asked TAB to limit today's scope to an administrable timeline rather than a broader policy rewrite, but identified related items that a working group should examine: how to define and apply an "expanded tour" standard, whether multi‑day operators should be exempt from or subject to commercial tour permits, annual review clauses for tour permits, and fee designations tied to operating costs. Clerk briefings pointed to HBC sections under consideration, including HBC 5.24.050B and several clauses of Chapter 5.18.
TAB set an initial Title 5 working‑group meeting for Wednesday, March 11 at noon to prepare a recommendation for the Code Review Commission meeting materials, with the objective of getting draft language and supporting staff analysis to the CRC's packet publication later in March. The working group will be asked to consult with ADF&G and local stakeholders where necessary; staff emphasized any timeline change should preserve the borough's ability to place conditions on permits.
The board declined to make a final code change at today's meeting, instead directing the working group to return with specific draft language and an implementation recommendation.
