The Haines Borough Assembly directed the manager and borough attorney June 13 to consider revision of code that bars the borough from contracting with Roger Schnabel’s businesses.

A May 30 memo from the borough attorney to the assembly stated the borough could not contract with Southeast Roadbuilders because it is owned by the brother of manager Debra Schnabel. Borough code identifying siblings as members of immediate family curbs conflicts of interest in awarding contracts.

Schnabel said borough staff were already working on the issue.

“My feeling is to open up our code so that we’re not hampered by these situations. But I don’t know what....There must be a way that it’s done that’s public and a process,” said assembly member Stephanie Scott.

Scott referred to a CVN article citing other Southeast communities’ codes relating to conflicts of interest with family members. Schnabel said the staff had not yet reviewed that information.

Assembly member Ron Jackson said that if the code was modified, it would apply to all public officials, including board and committee members.

The assembly voted unanimously for staff and an attorney to look further into changing the code.