Author: Joe Viechnicki, KFSK

Petersburg’s borough assembly Monday heard from mostly supporters of proposals to charge two new fees in the borough. One would be an administrative fee for senior citizens who apply for an exemption from local sales tax. Another would be a fee on cruise ship passengers visiting the area. Both could be back in front of the assembly later this year.

Petersburg’s representative in the Alaska Senate last year had a pretty successful session. In a year when only 32 bills passed both the House and Senate, Sitka Republican Bert Stedman was prime sponsor on four bills and saw three of them become law.

Petersburg is starting up a public review of new proposed language on land use, zoning and developing property. The new development code could help streamline some approvals for building construction and increase housing options in the borough along with other changes.

One of two salmon canneries in Petersburg won’t be operating in 2018 for the second year in a row. Ocean Beauty Seafoods says it won’t have its can lines running in Petersburg again this year.

The Petersburg borough will apply for grant money to spray an invasive plant with herbicide. Petersburg’s assembly Tuesday agreed to seek the grant money for a small spraying program to control Japanese knotweed despite opposition to spraying proposals in the past.