Assembly to map out post-election plans for Juneau at annual retreat Saturday
- Mark Sabbatini
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
City leaders will set budget and policy goals for the coming year in the wake of tax cuts passed by voters
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
"I think that we're going to have a fun-filled day of talking about (the) budget," City Manager Katie Koester told Juneau Assembly members on Monday night, a tongue-in-cheek preview of what’s expected to be several hours of challenging discussions by city leaders about the year ahead during their annual retreat on Saturday.
Significant spending reductions are a likely part of the future after voters approved two tax-cut measures in the October municipal election. While the Assembly typically starts detailed work on a draft budget in April for the fiscal year that begins July 1, Saturday’s retreat will allow elected officials and city administrators to craft what’s essentially a roadmap for what that preliminary budget will look like.
"You have to give me budget direction now so that I can give the department heads budget direction," Koester told Assembly members during a meeting of their Finance Committee on Monday at City Hall. During Saturday’s retreat "we’re asking department heads to talk about each service so that you can understand each service that we deliver and how it's supported by the general fund. And the idea there is that when you look at it from a service delivery level you can think about, ‘OK, if I want to make cuts to that service this is what that would look like.’"
The retreat will also allow city leaders an opportunity to discuss policy goals that may or may not have direct ties to the budget. During last year’s eight-hour retreat, for instance, participants brainstormed ideas involving development of additional and affordable housing, negotiating further operating agreements with cruise ship companies, and improving sustainability in areas such as waste reduction and electricity.
The agenda for this year’s retreat in the Alaska Room at Juneau International Airport includes icebreaker introductions at 9 a.m. (during a previous year everyone was asked to state which emoji best represented them), an overview of the budget for the past year, a look ahead to next year’s budget and other Assembly goals. The meeting is scheduled to last until 4:30 p.m.
The public is allowed to attend the meeting, but no public comment period or testimony on agenda items will occur.
Juneau has a roughly $200 million budget for the current fiscal year for its municipal government operations and capital projects — not including the Juneau School District and city-owned Bartlett Regional Hospital. Voters approved one ballot measure exempting food and utilities from the city’s sales tax, plus a lower cap on property taxes, which are projected to cost the city about $12 million in revenue under a status quo budget next year.
Supporters of the ballot measures said they will help Juneau residents struggling with affordability issues, with one economic study estimating an average household will pay $944 less in taxes during the year. However, many Assembly members and other people opposing the measures said they will mean some popular programs such as libraries, grants to nonprofits, and Eaglecrest Ski Area may see funding significantly reduced or eliminated.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
