Legislators representing Haines said in recent interviews they would work to block proposed cuts to the Chilkat Valley. The 30th Alaska Legislature started Tuesday.

“We are going to fight like crazy to get that trooper position back,” said state Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau.

“We had the same situation in Girdwood (in 2015), and the administration said they had to contract with Whittier to get more coverage. Can you imagine Juneau providing trooper coverage to Haines? It’s not going to happen.”

Alaska Department of Public Safety Col. James Cockrell said this week there are no plans to fill the Haines state trooper position vacated in December by the departure of trooper Drew Neason. “It’s a possibility that that position will be moved to Western Alaska,” Cockrell said. “Looking at the caseloads, there is no comparison. There is a high probability the position will be moved.”

(A wildlife trooper position remains in Haines, and that position will be responsible for responding to trooper emergencies, Cockrell has said.)

State House Rep. Sam Kito, D-Juneau, agreed with Egan that trooper positions across the state are a priority. “(Keeping the position in Haines) is going to be a challenge,” Kito said, adding that state trooper cuts were occurring only in areas where there was other law enforcement coverage.

Kito said a Haines priority for him is identifying and securing funds for a state forester position, saying that he is working with the state Division of Forestry to keeping the position filled. He said he is looking into possible federal funding for the position.

Kito’s other concern are cuts to capital funds. “Capital funding is going to be hard to come by except for roads and airports, because those are partially federally funded,” he said.

Kito said: “We need to maintain revenue sharing for smaller communities. The last time they removed revenue sharing, some communities ceased to be municipalities.”

Egan said he was concerned that Gov. Bill Walker was regaining control over spending decisions. Walker issued his budget in December.

“I’m worried about cuts in the Department of Law,” Egan said. The department has lost more than 76 positions in the past four years, and has had its budget cut by more than 26 percent, he said.

Egan said he was concerned that an omnibus crime bill passed last year (SB 91) was being blamed for a drop in criminal prosecutions when the percentage of dropped cases was already on the rise due to budget cuts.

Local law enforcement has long complained about putting together a case for the prosecutor’s office in Juneau, only to have it tossed out. The new law promises to reinvest $99 million over six years into “crime-reduction programs” like substance-abuse treatment, pretrial supervision and services aimed at helping inmates re-enter society.

It’s also projected to reduce the current prison population by 13 percent over the next decade, for an estimated cost savings of $380 million.

“The thing that bothers me is a lot of folks blame SB 91 and a lot of things haven’t been implemented yet,” Egan said. Egan voted for and co-sponsored the legislation.

This year, cuts to transportation, courts and public safety, medical services and tourism are necessary to stop hemorrhaging funds from the state coffers, according to Gov. Walker’s website.

Walker’s office said there have been $1.7 billion in unrestricted general fund cuts since July. There are fewer state employees now than there were 14 years ago, even though there are 15 percent more Alaska residents using state services, the report said.

The Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development has been cut by 60 percent since fiscal year 2015. The department manages legislative grants such as roofs for municipal buildings, textbooks for schools and domestic violence shelter construction.

The state’s food safety program has closed field offices. Department of Environmental Conservation inspectors will only visit restaurants and other food establishments in rural communities as time permits. And a DEC state grant program for municipal water and sewer projects in communities with more than 1,000 residents has been scaled back from $33 million four years ago to $4.7 million today — an 85 percent reduction.

The state ferry system will see a slight increase in service time despite budget cuts, said Jeremy Woodrow, communications officer for the state Department of Transportation.

“Just like your car, ferries need to take time-out to be overhauled,” he said. There are nine vessels in the AMHS. Currently, the ferry Columbia is in Portland, Ore., being overhauled and the ferry LeConte is in Ketchikan for overhaul.

The ferry system’s operating budget dropped from $107.8 million in fiscal year 2015 to $88.7 million this year. The budget for the coming year will shave more than $3 million, to $85.4 million.

“Even though there is a reduction in budget, there will still be a similar level of service to Haines,” Woodrow said. “Lynn Canal ferry service will be very similar in the level of service compared to the last few years.”

Woodrow added that the Matanuska is scheduled for an engine replacement in the fall and will be out of service for about a year.

“We will keep working with the DOT to maximize ridership, minimize costs and being reasonable in how they assess the fares,” Rep. Kito said. He also said he would like to see a dynamic pricing system added to the AMHS web site. Dynamic pricing is how airlines operate their pricing, lowering last-minute passenger fares to fill spots available.

Gov. Walker this year is asking communities to communicate to legislators support for a state income tax to help cover the budget deficit. Walker said state spending has been cut 44 percent since 2013. “To fund services Alaskans rely on, it’s critical to discuss new revenue.”

Starting July 1, Walker will take a one-third salary reduction, about $48,000 less than the $145,000 set in statute. For the past 15 months, the governor has declined per-diem payments while in Anchorage.