New Xunaa borough approved by boundary commission, but local voters will ultimately decide

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Hoonah. Photo credit: Department of Commerce

In a landmark vote, Alaska’s Local Boundary Commission approved the petition to create the Xunaa Borough in Hoonah, with a 3-2 margin.

This historic decision would dissolve the first-class City of Hoonah and reincorporate it as a borough with authority over much of northern Southeast Alaska, including sections of Glacier Bay National Park. Many of the areas it would incorporate are remote settlements that may perceive little benefit.

If approved by local voters, the change could give Hoonah residents a stronger voice in their governance, reflecting their values and traditions without interference from external bureaucratic pressures.

At the heart of this decision was a push for individual liberty over what Commissioner John Harrington, who cast the deciding vote, viewed as Alaska’s entrenched bureaucratic rigidity. He noted that the borough boundaries, crafted with community needs in mind, satisfy the legal standards and align with Alaskans’ interests for greater local control. 

Commissioners Ely Cyrus and Clayton Trotter, voting in favor, underscored the decision reflects Alaska’s spirit of resilience and autonomy — values that resonate deeply within the proposed Xunaa Borough’s territory.

Dissenters Larry Wood and Clay Walker argued for consolidation as the most efficient model, citing the absence of three nearby communities (Pelican, Tenakee Springs, and Gustavus). Their stance was overruled.

In an analogy, Trotter likened the excluded communities to “crabs in a bucket,” pulling down another that’s just about to escape. 

The new borough, if approved by residents, will rely primarily on tourism revenue, particularly from cruise ships that dock at Icy Strait Point. However, the LBC unanimously suggested that, after formation, Xunaa should consider discussions with the three excluded communities, opening a door for those communities to join in the future.

The state will schedule a special election for voters within the proposed borough to gauge if they want to become a borough. If they approve it, it will be the first new borough in Alaska since Petersburg incorporated as a borough in 2013.

9 COMMENTS

  1. Stupid decision. I get the idea of local government is better, but Hoonah does not have the economic base to support this. And the other three communities would be idiotic to join them

  2. So, will this new Borough enact a property tax on all real estate within its boundaries as envisioned by the Statehood Charter, so as to be self-sufficient and not dependent on State money for services and administration? I doubt it!

  3. This should NOT be approved. What, if any benefit, is there to Elfin Cove? What services will this new borough provide to a community they cannot drive to? Will Hoonah maintain their water system which is currently maintained by residents? There are only 38 year around residents there, and they have a system of self governance that works just fine for them. According to the state website, every year around resident there is age 65 or older.

    ‘https://dcced.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=65b2dda7af0e400a963733249a3a9eac#

    Picking on seniors isn’t a good look, Hoonah.

    That being said, the same website above has history, and demographics as well as a lot of other information about the communities. They may be on the same island, but over 30 miles away from each other, and worlds apart. There is NO BENEFIT to Elfin Cove.

  4. Borough formation is a well-intentioned, old idea with a flawed premise. I can see the need to make this decision just to avoid getting gobbled up by greedy local municipalities (*cough cough Juneau*) but can the people of Hoonah support it?
    Pelican and other areas don’t have the same economic commonality to justify inclusion so it is right that they were left to themselves.

    What happened in Petersburg and surrounding areas was flat-out immoral. LBC really mucked up a bunch of people’s lives with that one and complained like babies about having to go to the lengths required for participation in local governance that they seemed to expect others to do.
    Borough-formation-or-else not be the expectation in Alaska’s rural areas. It’s a stupid idea that needs to die.

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