Juneau Independent

In a move that should have started immediate impeachment proceedings, President Trump, on Sept. 6, on his Truth Social, threatened the...

I am voting no on all the propositions on the Oct. 7 municipal ballot. Let me explain. I believe in Juneau. I believe in the citizens of...

That Proposition 3 will increase the tax burden on residents is assured by the simple fact that residents spend more per month on taxed goods and services from April through September than they do from October through March.

The real “myth” isn’t whether Juneau has a slush fund — it’s pretending it doesn’t.

Wade Bryson is looking to sit for a third term, and Nano Brooks is challenging him. The short story is that I am endorsing Wade Bryson to retain his seat.

One former politician recently asserted that “Juneau has collected unprecedented property tax and sales tax revenue in the last few years and keeps rolling those millions into a slush fund,” and implied that the money is being squirreled away to be used for wasteful projects.  Another pundit referred to “over-inflated reserve accounts.”

It is hard in this disruptive time to dig deeply into any issue, because there is so much out there. But before we get mad and then skip on to the next juicy item in our news feed, let’s take a deep breath.

As a property owner you have already made an investment in Juneau. Vote no on ballot measures 1 and 2 to continue making Juneau a livable community and not limit the value of your investment.

Federal grants totaling over $650,000 to two Southeast Alaska tribal groups and the state to gather more science on transboundary rivers may seem like a proverbial drop in the bucket compared to the water flows of the Stikine, Taku, Unuk and Salmon rivers.

In a recent opinion piece, John Pugh argued that Ballot Measure 1 — which would cap the property tax millage rate at nine mills — represents a “significant decrease” and would limit the Assembly’s ability to respond to emergencies like glacier flooding.

Putting a cap on property taxes sounds appealing at first blush, but I like the services I get from the approximately 37% of my tax payment left after the other 63% goes to fund education (about 52%) and debt service (about 11%).

Southeast Alaska communities are different from most of America. We're not connected by roads. If we want to move vehicles in or out of town, we rely on barges and ferries. That's why Alaska Marine Lines' (AML) recent decision to stop shipping electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles is so troubling: it cuts us off from affordable, reliable transportation that fits our communities perfectly.