Public can submit proposals for Marine Passenger Fee proceeds starting Dec. 4

Every year, the City and Borough of Juneau asks city departments and the public, including businesses and the visitor industry, for project proposals to be funded with Marine Passenger Fee proceeds. This year, proposals can be submitted December 4, 2023 through January 3, 2024.

Juneau voters in 1999 passed a proposition that assigned a tax of $5 per cruise ship passenger. The fee assists in funding projects or operational services that provide services to cruise ships and passengers, and mitigate community impacts created by the cruise ship industry.

Proposals must be submitted by January 3, 2024 to [email protected] or the City Manager’s Office, attention Alexandra Pierce, 155 Heritage Way, Juneau, Alaska 99801.

The Tourism Manager will develop a draft recommendation list of projects to be funded by Marine Passenger Fee proceeds, followed by a 30-day public comment period. All Marine Passenger Fee project proposals and comments will be forwarded along with the City Manager’s recommendation list to the Assembly Finance Committee for review, and then to the Assembly for consideration during the upcoming budget cycle.

For more information, contact Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce at 586-5240 or [email protected], or go to the Marine Passenger Fee Program webpage.

 

 

December 1st, 2023|Tags: |

Katie Koester to serve as next City and Borough of Juneau Manager

The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly is extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Katie Koester as Juneau’s next City Manager. Koester, who currently serves as the CBJ Director of Engineering and Public Works, will assume the role in September alongside outgoing City Manager Rorie Watt.

“It is a tremendous honor to be chosen to serve as Juneau’s next City Manager,” said Koester. “CBJ has dedicated and professional staff, committed leadership on the Assembly and an engaged citizenry all working together for the good of our community.”

“We feel so fortunate to be able to hire someone who has already served as an Alaskan municipal manager, leads a major department in our city, and regularly demonstrates her passion for Juneau,” said Assembly member and City Manager Recruitment Committee Chair Christine Woll. “I feel confident that our municipal government will be in excellent hands.”

Koester joined CBJ in 2020, leading one of the city’s largest departments in the management of Juneau’s streets, public transit system, water and wastewater utility, maintenance, and construction. Prior to joining CBJ, Koester served as the City Manager of Homer, Alaska for five years, where she developed and executed the city budget, oversaw capital improvement planning, and directed operation of all city departments.

Koester holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Alaska Southeast along with a Master of Political Science from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Smith College. She currently serves on the board of the Southeast Conference Regional Economic Development Association and the Glacier Valley Rotary Club. She is a past president of the Alaska Municipal Management Association.

Watt announced his intent to retire at an Assembly meeting on April 17. The CBJ Assembly immediately convened a special committee to begin the search and recruitment process. The committee met six times over the next three months to establish hiring criteria, determine recruitment strategies, review applications, and interview candidates.

Following a 30-day application period which drew prospective candidates from across Alaska and the US, the committee began reviewing applications on June 27. The committee conducted video interviews with each candidate that met the hiring criteria, after which the full Assembly selected who to invite to interviews with the full body and senior leadership on site. The Assembly held a final selection vote on August 2.

August 2nd, 2023|

CBJ Assembly Recruiting Experienced Leader To Serve as Next City Manager

The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly is actively recruiting for an experienced leader and dedicated public servant to serve as the next City Manager.

Following three decades of CBJ service, City Manager Rorie Watt will retire on September 30, 2023. A new City Manager will be appointed by the Assembly to begin duties in September.

The City Manager is the City’s Chief Operations Officer. Under the Assembly’s direction and authority, the City Manager actively implements policy directives and oversees the City’s administrative and day-to-day activities. This includes preparing and monitoring the annual budget and supervising all department directors.

The City Manager manages a municipal government of 641 employees (FTEs) and an overall budget of $360 million. In addition to the core departments, the municipality also operates several major facilities including Juneau International Airport, Docks & Harbors, Bartlett Regional Hospital, and Eaglecrest Ski Area.

For this complex and demanding position, the City and Borough of Juneau seeks a passionate, visionary, and decisive servant leader. The ideal candidate will have executive management experience, financial management expertise, strong communications and interpersonal skills, strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, a commitment to transparency and community engagement, and the highest standards of professional ethics.

The Assembly City Manager Recruitment Committee will conduct an initial review of applications and recommend 2-4 finalists, who will be interviewed by the full Assembly on site. The committee will begin reviewing applications Thursday, June 22.

The City Manager’s salary begins at $175,000. See the full job description and apply online via the CBJ Careers site.

June 9th, 2023|

City Manager Rorie Watt To Retire Following Thirty Year Career With CBJ

City Manager Rorie Watt has announced his intent to retire at the end of September 2023, following a distinguished thirty year career with the City and Borough of Juneau.

“We have been extremely lucky to have a City Manager with Rorie’s depth and breadth of expertise,” said Mayor Beth Weldon.  “Time and time again, his deep understanding of the history and complexities of our community, as well as of the needs and wants of our residents, has allowed him to navigate difficult decisions while never losing sight of the prime directive of what is right for Juneau’s long-term future.”

Watt began his career with CBJ as a seasonal technician in the Engineering Department, quickly working his way up the ranks to full-time technician, project manager, chief engineer, and ultimately to appointment in 2008 as Engineering Director. Watt proved an adept director, bringing to the position not only technical aptitude but consummate skill in relating to others—recognizing that logic is the beginning of the wisdom, not the end. His leadership of the department culminated, in 2015, in overseeing the milestone transition to today’s combined Engineering & Public Works Department.

Watt was named City Manager in April 2016. His tenure is significant for a long and successful track record of negotiations with the tourism and cruise industry. Faced with the seemingly impossible challenge of managing major corporate negotiations, strengthening the local economy and protecting quality of life, Watt consistently repudiated the idea of a no-win scenario. His bold and enterprising approach led to achievements such as successful settlement negotiations regarding the use of Marine Passenger Fees—an outcome that will benefit cruise ship port communities in Alaska for decades.

The Assembly will begin the recruitment process for the next City Manager in the coming weeks. Watt will remain in office through September 30, 2023.

April 18th, 2023|

City and Borough of Juneau and Cruise Lines Agree on Port Capacity Guidelines

The City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) and major cruise lines calling on the port have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to help manage visitor volume in the Capital City by establishing a threshold of no more than five large ships in port per day. The agreement, negotiated by CBJ and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) on behalf of its cruise line members, is based on recommendations established by the Visitor Industry Task Force (VITF) in 2020 and furthers the partnership among the parties.

The threshold of five large ships per day is intended to provide a positive experience for the benefit of both residents and visitors, while providing a reliable market for the many local businesses that rely on the visitor industry, especially cruise. It also demonstrates the collaborative partnership that exists between the community and the cruise industry as we work together to maintain a vibrant and sustainable visitor industry in Juneau and Southeast Alaska.

“This agreement provides our community with the assurance we need to plan for the future. The visitor industry is vital to our local economy and it’s essential we preserve the things that make Juneau an incredible place to live and to visit. We hope to have a thriving tourism economy for many years to come,” said Alexandra Pierce, Tourism Manager at the City and Borough of Juneau.

“Our work on this MOA recognizes the importance of cooperation, collaboration, and communication made possible by Juneau’s leadership. They continually keep the wishes of the community at the forefront of the conversation, while ensuring the cruise industry is still able to deliver a world-class visitor experience in Alaska’s capital city,” said Renée Limoge Reeve, Vice President of Government and Community Relations at CLIA. “Destination stewardship remains one of our highest priorities. We support the VITF’s recommendations and can assure the community that our work together is ongoing.”

Cruise schedules are set well over a year in advance. The development of a 2024 schedule that met this five big ship per day threshold was made possible by all parties, including Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska, working together even before this MOA was finalized. CBJ and cruise lines are continuing to further improve the functionality of the port and enhance the Juneau experience for all.

“We appreciate the industry’s willingness to listen and learn as we worked through the VITF process and the commitment to meeting our community goals,” said Pierce. “We value our open and collaborative relationship with both the cruise lines and CLIA and look forward to continuing our work together to achieve a positive outcome for our community and its visitors.”

This is the second MOA based on VITF Goals. In July of 2022, the parties agreed to a series of industry management objectives. This agreement is an important next step as CBJ and cruise lines continue to work together to meet community goals while considering the complex logistics of cruise line operations.

Find information on the Visitor Industry Task Force and the agreement at juneau.org/tourism.

April 17th, 2023|
© 2001-2026 City and Borough of JuneauReturn to Homepage