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Town Hall on the State Budget

March 19, 2019 – Current Issues, News

The City and Borough of Juneau held a Town Hall on the State Budget on March 11 at 7 p.m. in City Hall Chambers. City Manager Rorie Watt gave a presentation on how the governor’s proposed budget would impact CBJ, which was followed by an opportunity for the public to ask questions and provide input.

KTOO Public Media broadcasted and archived the Town Hall, which you can listen to here: https://www.ktoo.org/2019/03/12/cbj-town-hall-meeting-march-11-2019/ (Presentation ends around 38 minutes; public participation starts around 39 minutes 45 seconds.) And here’s the PowerPoint presentation.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s budget would mean a reduction of $14.7 million to CBJ in fiscal year 2020:

  • $7.1 million from the loss of the school bond debt reimbursement
  • $400,000 from the shifting of shared fisheries taxes from municipalities to state
  • Bartlett Regional Hospital would experience a loss of about $6.2 million in reduced Medicaid funding
  • Juneau School District could stand to lose $14 million from cuts in the education foundation program, statewide school funding, as well as in the allowable local contribution

Community-wide, the governor’s budget would impact numerous state and nonprofit services and programs. The economic contraction – job losses, loss of sales tax – resulting from these cuts is still being evaluated, though Juneau, at a minimum, would likely lose more than 100 jobs.

The Juneau Assembly passed a resolution urging the Alaska Legislature to pass a state budget that ensures long term fiscal and economic stability. The Assembly wants to see a budget that doesn’t shift the funding burden for core services – like education, transportation and healthcare – from the state to local municipalities. The Assembly also calls on the Legislature to engage in a discussion of all fiscal options, including broad-based state taxes and use of permanent fund earnings.

For more information, contact the City Manager’s Office at 586-5240.