Staff with the state’s Local Boundary Commission issued their final report on the City of Hoonah’s most recent petition to form its own borough in Southeast Alaska, citing “substantive concerns” with the plan and recommending it be denied.
The Xunaa Borough petition — pronounced like Hoonah, with a slightly guttural “h” — would form Alaska’s 20th borough. It proposes including more than 10,000 square miles of land and water, including Glacier Bay, Chichagof Island and more. It encompasses lands traditionally used by the Huna Lingít clans.
This isn’t the first time the City of Hoonah — which has about 900 residents — has attempted to create a borough. It’s a plan that’s seen several versions over the last 30 years.
The commission’s staff wrote that the petition fails to meet constitutional, statutory and regulatory requirements laid out for borough incorporation in the state.
Advocates for the borough say it would allow residents to have a greater say in the future of the region and it would let the borough implement a 1% seasonal sales tax during the summer cruise season. It could also likely mean more state funding for Hoonah School District.
But, the petition has faced some opposition. Elfin Cove, a small community that would be incorporated into the borough, sent a letter in February asking for the commission to reject the petition.
And, the Juneau Assembly also voted to formally oppose a specific portion of the plan because some of it overlapped with a territory that the City and Borough of Juneau once considered annexing.
Though the commission’s staff recommended the petition’s denial, the five members of the Local Boundary Commission still have the final say. They are set to travel to Hoonah for a public hearing on Sept. 5. Then, they must issue a decision within 90 days.
