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Comment on draft recommendations for Marine Passenger Fee proceeds by March 4

The City Manager’s recommendations on how to allocate Marine Passenger Fee (MPF) proceeds are now available. The public has through March 4 to provide comment on the recommendations. Read the draft proposal here.

The Manager’s 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 1 million passengers will come to Juneau this year. Based on that projection, the amount of revenue in fiscal year 2023 is anticipated to be $13.8 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 City Manager is recommending 15 operating, grant and capital funding allocations. They include:

  • city and visitor services and infrastructure maintenance
  • additional security funding to comply with new U.S. Coast Guard regulations
  • funding for dock electrification, including design funding and a transformer that will allow multiple ships to connect to shore power once available
  • funding for a study on a circulator shuttle bus service
  • planning and design for Marine Park
  • refillable water bottle stations in Downtown Juneau
  • replacing real-time weather monitoring stations for navigation

CBJ is also carrying a negative fund balance of $3.2 million into fiscal year 2023, which was caused by the need to continue essential services during the reduced visitor season in 2021. The Manager’s proposal would eliminate this negative balance.

Submit comments on the recommendations by March 4, 2022 to CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce by email, [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 907-500-8677.