CBJ Tourism Manager proposes how to spend cruise ship passenger fees. Submit comments on recommendations by March 17.

The public has until March 17 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 1.6 million passengers will come to Juneau this year. Based on that projection, the amount of revenue in fiscal year 2024 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 Tourism Manager is recommending 27 operating, grant and capital funding allocations. They include:

• Funding for Seawalk expansion
• Improvements to Marine and Homestead Parks
• Improvements to wastewater infrastructure
• Funding to be put toward the Capital Civic Center

CBJ is also planning to use Marine Passenger Fee backed bonds to fund electrification at the municipally owned cruise ship docks.

Submit comments on the recommendations by March 17, 2023 to CBJ Tourism Manager 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 Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce at [email protected] or visit the Marine Passenger Fee Program website.