Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

The borough’s commerce committee is discussing several changes to the sales tax code for the assembly to consider. Committee members Debra Schnabel, Ben Aultman-Moore, and Jerry Lapp discussed ideas to generate revenue for the upcoming budget.

One possibility is charging for ambulance services, an amenity that has always been free. Residents without insurance could waive the fee or use funds from a hypothetical community fund, borough clerk Alekka Fullerton said. The borough would generate revenue from insured residents who bill their ambulance ride to their insurance company.

The code change would require ambulance technicians to keep extensive records for each ride. While generating more revenue, it may also require the borough to hire more staff.

“When you bill an ambulance you have to create records that are at the level required by Medicare,” chief fiscal officer Jila Stuart said. “It requires a lot of time and expertise in filling out the run reports that we are not putting in now.”

Another possible code change would eliminate the separate “pots” of money that sales tax is assigned to. Often, one fund may collect more money than needed, while other funds fall short.

The borough has tried to get around the problem by getting “creative” with justifying projects that need to be completed, like redoing roads using tourism and economic development money because “shoppers drive on the roads,” Fullerton said.

“It’s been a problem for a long time,” Fullerton said.

One disadvantage, Stuart speculates, is that voters like to know what their tax revenue is being used for.

Committee members also discussed increasing the bed tax charged to visitors staying in hotels and vacation rentals.

The committee will continue to prepare specific recommendations for the assembly to review in March.