CBJ Treasurer Angie Flick To Serve as Next Finance Director

The City and Borough of Juneau is pleased to announce that Dr. Angie Flick will serve as the next Director of Finance. Flick’s appointment will be effective April 17; she will work alongside outgoing director Jeff Rogers until his relocation at the end of June.

Flick joined CBJ’s Finance Department as Treasurer in February 2022. Prior to her return to Juneau, she worked for Maricopa County in Phoenix, Arizona in such roles as budget supervisor, strategic planning administrator, and finance systems administrator.  Most recently she was the Chief Administrator for the Maricopa County Flood Control District.

“Working in CBJ Finance has been exciting and rewarding,” said Flick. “We have an outstanding team of dedicated professionals and I’m honored to step into this leadership role. And Juneau is an amazing place—I immediately fell in love with it when my family first moved here in the mid-80s and I am excited to be back in the community in a role where I can work with the City to navigate the issues it faces.”

City Manager Rorie Watt highlighted Flick’s familiarity with the Finance Department as well as her depth of experience in finance and administration: “Angie brings to the table a long and impressive resume of finance, budget, and public administration experience. Her well-deserved promotion ensures a smooth transition and good continuity for finance staff and the public. I have absolute confidence that she will thrive with the new challenge.”

Flick holds Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Arizona. She earned her doctorate in Public Administration and Policy from Arizona State University in 2018, focusing on budgeting and financial management.

April 12th, 2023|

Notice of April 19 Public Hearing Regarding Port Revenue Bond (AMT)

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Notice is hereby given that the City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska (the “City and Borough”) will hold an open public hearing on April 19, 2023, at 9:00 a.m., or as soon thereafter as possible, in Conference Room 224 at City Hall of the City and Borough, located at 155 South Seward Street, Juneau, Alaska, 99801, for the purpose of considering the issuance by the City and Borough of its Port Revenue Bond (AMT) in the principal amount of not to exceed $5,100,000 (the “Bond”).  The proceeds of the Bond will be used by the City and Borough to finance infrastructure and related capital improvements for the provision of shore power to cruise ships (the “Project”), at the existing downtown cruise ship dock between 470 and 510 South Franklin Street in Juneau, Alaska.  The Bond will constitute an exempt facility bond for docks and wharves under Internal Revenue Code Section 142(a)(2).  The City and Borough is the owner of the Project.

Comments will be heard from all interested parties attending the hearing.  Written comments prior to the hearing may be directed to Jeff Rogers, Finance Director, City and Borough of Juneau, 155 South Seward Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801.

April 12th, 2023|

City Manager’s Budget Proposes Reduced Property Tax Mill Rate

The City Manager’s FY2024 Budget proposes to reduce the operating mill levy to 9.08, which is the lowest since at least 1992. The total mill levy, including voter-approved debt, will be 10.28 mills, a decrease of 0.28 mills from last year. Since 1992, the total mill rate was lower only in 2007 (10.17 mills).

The proposed mill levy for this year still yields increased property tax revenue resulting from a 13% increase to total borough-wide property valuation, which reflects Juneau’s exceptionally hot residential home sale market in recent years. High rates of inflation are driving up both the cost of municipal services and the revenues that fund those services. The Manager’s budget reflects this reality as it proposes to fund an inflationary driven budget, receive more in property taxes and reduce the rate of taxation.

The budget reflects increased sales tax revenues and cruise ship passenger fees in anticipation of cruise tourism returning to record levels in the summer of 2023, with passenger counts estimated to surpass 1.6 million. These new revenues are necessary fund inflationary cost growth in both the operating and capital budgets, as well as $2.3 million of additional CBJ funding for the Juneau School District. As proposed, the recurring FY24 budget is balanced after consideration of a $1 million lapse, and is forecast to have no impact on general fund balance. However, the proposed budget also includes $12 million of proposed one-time spending including $10 million for New City Hall and $2 million for police radio system replacements. The manager has also proposed to deposit $4 million to the Restricted Budget Reserve. These one-time investments yield a general fund deficit of $15.3 million in the FY24 proposed budget, which will be funded by CBJ’s significant unrestricted general fund balance.

The budget includes the following major components:

  • $96.3 million for the Juneau School District, an increase of $9.7 million (11.1 percent) over the FY23 Amended Budget. This increase primarily reflects an increase to the Public Employees’ and Teacher retirement systems on-behalf contributions.
  • $177.2 million for Enterprise Funds (hospital, airport, water utilities, docks, and harbors), a decrease of $6.1 million (3.4 percent). This change is primarily due to cost reductions at the hospital in light of lower than anticipated revenue projections.
  • $101.6 million for general government, an increase of $6 million (6.2 percent) from the FY23 Amended Budget. This increase primarily reflects negotiated wage increases, inflationary impacts on commodities and services, and an increased amount of sales tax spent on CIPs in light of higher tax revenues to aid against the rising cost of construction.
  • $57.9 million for capital improvement projects, an increase of $7.7 million (15.3 percent) from the FY23 Amended Budget. This increase reflects the proposed $10 million appropriation for New City Hall and $2 million investment in police radio upgrades.
  • $11.5 million for the debt service budget, an increase of $652,200 (6 percent) over the FY23 Amended Budget. This reflects a reduction in outstanding school construction debt, as multiple bonds were fully paid off during FY23, offset by new debt service for the $6.6 million general obligation bond approved by voters on the October 2022 ballot. This new debt obligation in FY24 keeps the debt service portion of the mill rate flat.

Take a tour of the proposed CBJ budget and try your hand at balancing the budget in a way that funds your priorities!

For a complete summary of the general fund budget, check out the City Manager’s Budget Message on pages 19-22 of the FY24 Budget Book. The City Manager will introduce the proposed budget during the Special Assembly meeting immediately before the Assembly Finance Committee meeting on April 5. Join the committee meeting on Wednesday, April 5 at 5:30 p.m. in person at City Hall, online at https://juneau.zoom.us/j/93917915176 or call 1-253-215-8782 with webinar ID: 939 1791 5176.

April 4th, 2023|

Return to Full Public Hours for CBJ Treasury (Cash and Sales Tax Offices)

Starting Monday, March 20, CBJ’s Cash Office and Sales Tax Office in City Hall will return to regular public in-person services hours. The Treasury offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. On the second Wednesday of each month, Treasury offices will open to the public at 10 a.m.

The CBJ Finance Department is pleased to once again be able to offer full in-person service hours thanks to stabilized staffing levels. In addition to paying in person at City Hall, CBJ residents can still pay tax and utility bills by mail, drop box, or online.

Payments by mail (check only, no cash):

CBJ – Cash Office
155 S. Seward Street
Juneau, AK 99801

Payments by drop box, located at:

Super Bear in the Valley
Foodland IGA in the Willoughby District
City Hall – outside the Seward Street entrance

Utility payments on the web:

www.invoicecloud.com/cityandboroughofjuneauak
Or call 1-855-798-1542

Other non-utility payments on the web:

www.acipayonline.com/index.jsp
Or call 1-800-272-9829
CBJ’s Jurisdiction Code is 1202

You can find more details about online payments at juneau.org/finance/make-a-payment.

If you have any questions about how to make a payment, you may call the Finance Department at (907) 586-5215. You can also visit us on the web at juneau.org/finance.

March 17th, 2023|

2023 CBJ Property Assessments Continue to Reflect Aggressive Juneau Real Estate Market

The City and Borough of Juneau sent 2023 property assessment notices to Juneau property owners on Friday, March 3.

A CBJ property assessment is the Assessor’s determination of the fair market value of your property as of January 1, 2023. 2023 assessments reflect a continued steep increase in residential property values, alongside a more moderate increase in commercial property values.

For residential properties, values for single-family homes in Juneau went up by 16% on average over the last year. This market activity is reflected in CBJ’s 2023 property assessments. The increase in value was driven by a high demand for homes, low supply of new homes, and rapidly rising building costs. Average assessment increases for single-family homes by neighborhood range from as little as 10% in the Casey Shattuck (Flats) neighborhood to as much as 21% in the Juneau Townsite (Downtown) and Northeast Valley neighborhoods.

Residential properties become worth more when people are willing to pay more. 2022 saw about 600 residential sales in Juneau; CBJ has sale prices for roughly half of them. Here are details on what drove residential property values up:

  • With so many buyers in the market and so few homes to buy, sale prices tended to exceed asking prices. In the 2022 housing market, it was not uncommon for sellers to receive multiple offers including escalating contingencies from buyers trying to make sure they were not out-bid. Some homes were purchased with additional cash above and beyond what could be financed based on a market appraisal.
  • Inflationary pressures and low liquidity in the marketplace continue to drive sale prices within the Juneau market to higher levels.
  • Recent data indicates that the national residential housing market has begun to soften following a peak in June 2022 but clear evidence illustrates that this trend is not occurring at a local level.

Generally, commercial property assessments did not go up at the same rate as residential. Overall, commercial assessed property values increased 6% from 2022 to 2023. Sales information continues to be a challenge for commercial assessments. In 2022, there were 52 recorded market transactions CBJ is aware of. CBJ has confirmed sales information on only 29 of these transactions.

Why do CBJ assessments matter? Your property taxes are calculated by multiplying your assessed value with the millage rate, so it is important that your assessed value is accurate. Until the Juneau Assembly finishes next year’s city budget and sets the property tax rate in June, no one knows exactly what their individual property tax bill will look like. The Assembly has the authority to reduce or increase the mill rate, or keep it flat.

CBJ sent out property assessment notices on March 3, 2023. If you think your property was inaccurately assessed, you must file a petition for review by Monday, April 3, 2023 at 4:30 p.m.

Please note that the online Assessor’s Database is currently in the process of being updated and parcels may not reflect 2023 values. Updates are anticipated to be complete by end of day Monday, March 6.

If you have questions or concerns about your valuation, please contact the Assessor Office at (907) 586-5215 or [email protected] for assistance.

As a reminder, petitions for review can be filed electronically. Staff are here to assist you in any way to ensure your petition is filed and received. Download the petition for review form online or visit juneau.org/finance/assessor-forms.

March 6th, 2023|
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