Assembly OKs $20.6M to purchase and remodel part of Michael J. Burns Building as new City Hall

Newcomer Nano Brooks lone dissenter in 7-1 vote, arguing price is too high; other members say status of existing facilities, necessities at new site justify higher-than-expected cost

The Michael J. Burns Building on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

Allocating $20.6 million to move City Hall to the Michael J. Burns Building got the Juneau Assembly’s approval by a 7-1 vote Monday, with some funding taken from other projects to cover the higher-than-expected cost of the relocation.

The vote in favor included two Assembly members who previously opposed the idea of moving to the Burns building, but said since that has already been approved they want the project to be properly funded. The lone was in opposition was cast by Nano Brooks, newly elected to the Assembly last October, who said the outcome of that election showed voters want the city to rein in spending.

"The amount of $20 million, I can't support that in good conscience," he said. "It's not what the taxpayers voted for, and even the funds that were initially set aside has left a lot of the community feeling very disparaged and unheard."

An amendment by Brooks to reduce the transfer to about $14.6 million — representing money already designated by the Assembly for a new or renovated City Hall — failed by a 1-7 vote.

City Manager Katie Koester, in response to questions about the relocation cost, said purchasing the bottom two floors of the three-story building will cost about $12 million, including $2.7 million allocated for future maintenance as part of the agreement. She said if only $2.5 million were available for relocation it might cover technical equipment installation necessary for the municipal government to function and movers for existing furniture — but not to set up cubicle spaces for employees or any further work.

"Obviously there's a point where it's probably not worth moving in there," she said.

Most Assembly members agreed the move was necessary and, practically speaking, unavoidable at this point. Some employees have already moved out of previous spaces leased by the city, and other spaces will have to be vacated soon due to nonworking facilities such as restrooms and ownership changes.

"I made no secret about the fact that I was not supportive of us purchasing the Burns Building for our new City Hall," Assembly Member Ella Adkison said. "But we as an Assembly have agreed to move forward with the purchase of that building and it is the course of action we've taken, and that's something that now as an Assembly member I'm really committed to making sure works, and is a good, positive space for our city employees."

The purchase and a limited remodeling of the bottom two floors of the Burns building is expected to cost about $18 million, which is $4 million more than a preliminary estimate in September, according to Koester. She asked the Assembly on Monday to approve the $14.6 million in City Hall funds already set aside plus an additional $6 million mostly designated for other projects "that we thought were not as ready for development in the near future."

Among those projects are $2 million from the Capital Civic Center, $1 million from the North State Office Building Parking Garage, $525,000 from Lemon Creek Multimodal path and $300,000 from $300,000 from the downtown Waterfront Museum. An amendment by Assembly Member Alicia Hughes-Skandis to retain the funding for the Lemon Creek path, which she said is an overdue project for a neighborhood that’s been neglected, failed by 4-4 vote.

The renovations to the building and relocation are expected to take at least a year to complete, according to previous estimates by Koester.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.