Author: Joe Viechnicki, KFSK

New fees for cruise ship passengers and senior citizens got the first of three approvals by the Petersburg borough assembly this week. Elected officials are seeking to recoup some money from visitors to the area along with seniors who use an exemption from the borough’s six percent sales tax.

A plan to reorganize Petersburg’s borough departments for the oversight of the local electric utility is moving forward again. The borough assembly Tuesday directed staff to proceed with a plan that will lead to the creation of a new utility director’s position in charge of Petersburg Municipal Power and Light. It’s not a done deal yet and the assembly was still split on the plan.

Declining king salmon stocks are playing a role in the Alaska’s Board of Fisheries decisions for other commercial fisheries. The board Sunday voted down a proposal for a new fishery in Southeast Alaska for market squid.

Petersburg’s borough assembly Tuesday didn’t have enough votes to pass a resolution seeking the repeal of the roadless rule on the Tongass National Forest. The assembly voted on the contentious issue because the regional economic development organization Southeast Conference will be addressing it next month.