News Item – Page 28 – City and Borough of Juneau

April 14 Assembly Committee of the Whole and Lands, Housing, & Economic Development Committee meetings cancelled

The Assembly Committee of the Whole (COW) and Lands, Housing & Economic Development Committee (LHEDC) meetings scheduled for Monday, April 14 have been cancelled.

The next meetings for both those bodies will be held on Monday, May 5 in the Assembly Chambers and via Zoom webinar as follows:

5 p.m. – Assembly Lands Housing & Economic Development Committee
6:30 p.m. – Assembly Committee of the Whole

(Note: this meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. to allow enough time between meetings for the annual Assembly photo shoot.)

Please check the CBJ calendar at juneau.org/calendar for meeting and participation updates. For more information, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at 586-5278 or [email protected].

April 10th, 2025|

Regular Planning Commission meets April 22, 2025. Here’s how to weigh in.

The Regular Planning Commission meets Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the Assembly Chambers. This meeting will be a hybrid meeting held both in person and via Zoom Webinar link, and will be to discuss a preliminary plat review for phase one of a 46 unit single-family/multi-family development at North Douglas Highway.

This hybrid meeting will be held in person and by remote participation. Join the virtual meeting online at https://juneau.zoom.us/j/85421744892 or call: 1-346-248-7799 or 1-669-900-6833 or 1-253-215-8782 or 1-312-626-6799 or 1-929-436-2866 or 1-301-715-8592 and enter Webinar ID: 854 2174 4892. If you’re giving public comment while participating virtually, you shall state your name and place of residence before beginning your testimony and will be asked to stay on the line after your testimony to answer any questions from the Commission. For more information about the procedure, contact the Community Development Department at 907-586-0715.

The public is encouraged to submit written comments to [email protected] by 12 noon, April 18, 2025, or testify at the meeting. Read the Planning Commission Meeting agenda at https://juneau-ak.municodemeetings.com.

Major Subdivision Preliminary (SMP2024 0001)

Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority (THRHA) requests a preliminary plat review for the first 25 lots (phase one), of a 46 unit single-family/multi-family development at North Douglas Highway in a D18 zone.

April 8th, 2025|

Marine Passenger Fee recommendations open for public comment through May 7

The public has until May 7 to comment on the City Manager’s recommendations for how to allocate cruise ship Marine Passenger Fee (MPF) proceeds in the upcoming year. Read the draft proposal on the MPF website.

The draft proposal makes recommendations on expenditure of funds that come from the $5 City and Borough of Juneau Marine Passenger Fee, $3 CBJ Port Development Fee, and the $5 State of Alaska Commercial Passenger Vessel Fee. For budgeting purposes, CBJ has estimated that about 1.65 million passengers will come to Juneau this year. Based on that projection, the amount of revenue in fiscal year 2026 is anticipated to be roughly $21.5 million.

In December, CBJ solicited project proposals from city departments and the public, including businesses and the visitor industry, to be funded with MPF proceeds. The Visitor Industry Director is recommending 29 operating, grant and capital funding allocations. They include:

Covered bus stop on Mendenhall Loop Road
Dock safety cameras on the downtown seawalk
Pulse Point emergency responder app
Improvements to Marine Park
Funding for shore power
Water and wastewater system upgrades

Submit comments on the recommendations by Wednesday, May 7, 2025 to CBJ Visitor Industry Director Alexandra Pierce by email to [email protected] or by mail to the City Manager’s Office, attn: Alexandra Pierce, 155 S. Seward Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801.

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 CBJ Visitor Industry Director Alexandra Pierce at [email protected] or visit the Marine Passenger Fee Program website.

April 7th, 2025|

Docks & Harbors pre-season meetings scheduled for April 9

CBJ Docks & Harbors will hold pre-season meetings on Wednesday, April 9, in the City Hall Assembly Chambers. The schedule is as follows:

9:30 a.m. Vendor Booth Permit Holders

10:00 a.m. Downtown Loading Zone Permit Holders

11:00 a.m. Statter Harbor Users

11:45 a.m. P&R Operations

For the complete CBJ public meetings calendar, see juneau.org/calendar.

April 7th, 2025|

Assembly begins budget review process at April 5 Finance Committee meeting

The Juneau Assembly will begin its multi-week review of the City and Borough of Juneau’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget during the Assembly Finance Committee meeting on Saturday, April 5 at 8:30 am. Join the committee meeting in person at City Hall, online at juneau.zoom.us/j/93917915176, or call 1-253-215-8782 with webinar ID: 939 1791 5176.

The City Manager will introduce the proposed budget during the Special Assembly meeting preceding the Assembly Finance Committee on April 5. The manager’s citywide budget proposal, which includes the school district, hospital, and all city enterprises, totals $480 million—down $8.9 million from the FY25 Amended Budget. The budget aims to maintain status quo operations while advancing Assembly priorities and ensuring continued services to the community. It proposes a property tax increase of 0.15 mills, resulting in a total mill levy rate of 10.19 mills.

The budget reflects revised projections for sales and tobacco tax revenues based on updated forecasts and actual collection trends. Property tax revenue has seen a slight increase of just $200K after factoring in exemptions, including those for seniors, veterans, hardship cases, and economic development. This amount includes the proposed 0.15 mill increase. Borough-wide property valuations have remained stable, with a modest 0.3% increase in FY26 compared to FY25.

Expenditures in FY26 are largely in line with current services, with non-personnel costs in General Government increasing by less than one percent. The primary uncertainty lies in personnel costs, particularly in relation to the ongoing collective bargaining agreements. Additionally, costs for education funding continue to shift from the State to the City, adding $570K to the City’s FY26 expenditures. This cost shift does not result in additional funding to the School District.

As proposed, the recurring FY26 budget is balanced after consideration of a $1.75 million lapse and has no impact on general fund balance. The proposed budget also includes $4.4 million in one-time expenditures. These one-time expenses are proposed to be funded from the City’s unrestricted general fund balance.

The budget includes the following major components, including transfers between funds:

$95 million for the Juneau School District: A $9.6 million (11.2%) increase over FY25, primarily for employee wage and benefit adjustments and reduced vacancy rates due to the stabilization of the School District after facility closures and consolidations last year.
$211.1 million for Enterprise Funds (hospital, airport, water and wastewater utilities, docks, and harbors): A $1.2 million (0.6%) increase, reflecting small inflationary pressures.
$148.3 million for General Government: A $13.7 million (8.5%) decrease, largely due to one-time capital investments and community grants issued in FY25.
$61.1 million for Capital Improvement Projects: A $19.6 million (24.2%) decrease, due to large one-time appropriations in FY25 for public safety communication infrastructure, a re-write of CBJ’s Title 49 code, and glacier outburst flood mitigation.
$9.6 million for Debt Service: Flat compared to FY25, including the first payments for the public safety communication and wastewater utility infrastructure bonds that were approved by voters on the October 2024 ballot.

Read CBJ’s proposed Biennial Budget for fiscal year 2026. The City Manager’s Budget Message is on pages 19-22.

For more information, contact Finance Director Angie Flick at (907) 586-5215 or [email protected].

April 4th, 2025|