Author: Joe Viechnicki, KFSK

Petersburg’s borough assembly Monday started making changes to a budget for the fiscal year that starts up in July. Assembly members made some cuts and some additions to the spending plan proposed by staff. They’ll have two more votes on the budget before it’s finalized.

Instead of allowing the use of fireworks on certain days in Petersburg, the borough assembly Monday voted for the first reading of a new local law that would prohibit their use and create new fines for people breaking the law.

Petersburg’s borough assembly Monday took no action on a discussion over alternatives to public funding for the local public library. But they did vote down a move to give the Parks and Recreation director more control over setting fees in those facilities.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s division of wildlife conservation has filled a number of its vacant positions in Southeast Alaska. The division had lost a number of long-time biologists to retirement and job changes last year, leaving it short staffed.