I am curious as to why the proposal to establish an economic development task force for the purposes of examining the fit between Haines and an economic development corporation model has not come before the Assembly. In my simple world, all that is required is for the paper work regarding the request for action to be submitted to the clerk according to the published calendar.
But the agenda can always be amended. Maybe that can happen this coming Tuesday night. Under new business add: Economic Development Task Force. The motion could be:
Move to appoint a 5-person economic development task force for the purpose of examining the model of a local economic development corporation and making a recommendation to the assembly regarding the advisability of the creation of an economic development corporation in Haines. If the recommendation is in favor of an economic development corporation, the task force will recommend steps for implementation.
Any takers? These steps need sponsorship from the Assembly but we can all help each other find the words and ways to move forward. We have to work together. I love what Jason Shull said yesterday, "More handshakes, less head shakes!" If the motion is passed, letters of interest can be solicited and a task force appointed in November.
Bear with me for a moment. I am thinking about committees in general right now.
I received a list of all the boards and committees from Julie Cozzi yesterday. The list is long. It includes all the Road Service Area Boards (7, including the Townsite for which the Assembly serves as the board), 2 Fire service area boards, Planning Commission, and commissions, advisory boards, or boards of trustees for public safety, tourism, museum, library, Chilkat Center, and boat harbor. There are 71 appointees on the Clerk's list (and not all seats are filled).
The Clerk's list doesn't include the Downtown Revitalization Committee; the now forming 18-member strong, Haines Borough Port Development Steering Committee; the Alcohol Task Force; or the heliski work group. Nor does it include the 4 standing committees of the Borough Assembly, three of which are stipulated in code: personnel, finance, commerce. The fourth Assembly standing committee, Government Affairs/Services, is not listed in the code. None of the standing nor any of the advisory committees are specified in the Charter.
We are committee rich! We also have a school board - definitely "more" than a committee but another organized group of people with a focused interest that petitions the Assembly to take various actions.
The reason I have catalogued the committees we do have is to try to grasp the many many special and vital interests in the Borough. It also illustrates how active the citizenry is. There are a couple of people that hold seats on more than one committee, but that is rare.
One of the complaints I have heard repeatedly is that the Assembly does not interact effectively with its committees. I would like to change that. But I 'm not sure what is wrong. Sometimes, I suspect, the committees come to the Borough with an administrative issue and directs it to the manager and may or may not get a timely response. But sometimes they want the Assembly to take some action. If so, they need to prepare a request with supporting documentation, send it to the clerk, and it should pop up on an agenda. Is the problem that there is insufficient technical advice available to committees on how to interact with the Assembly? If that is the case, a little memo from or even a visit with the clerk or mayor might help.
I am open to suggestions. I believe work at the committee level is key - however, we have to remember that always always always the Assembly has to make decisions that will benefit everyone in the community. Perhaps this is the nexus where "committees," which are necessarily narrowly focused, become frustrated with the Assembly. If that is the case, the Assembly has the responsibility to constantly and kindly remind everyone that the Assembly's responsibility is to the public in general.
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