Residents favor funding streets and schools, cuts to tourism and climate programs in CBJ budget survey
- Mark Sabbatini
- Feb 25
- 5 min read
Nearly 4,400 people say what they would fund first and cut first as Juneau’s leaders face leaner budget process; respondents also more open than expected to new taxes or fees
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
Streets, schools and public safety are top priorities, while tourism, climate action and economic development are the lowest among nearly 4,400 people responding to a survey about what Juneau’s leaders should be keeping in mind as they draft the city’s budget for the coming year.
Also, somewhat surprisingly, residents are more willing to consider new taxes or fees than expected, the study’s author said while presenting the results to the Juneau Assembly during a Committee of the Whole meeting Monday.
"I was expecting a higher percentage of people to say that they don't want any taxes, or no new taxes at all, or no raise (in) taxes," said Meilani Schijvens, owner of Rain Coast Data, told the Assembly.
Among the other surprises, Schijvens said, was the number of respondents, with the 4,398 people equal to 17% of all Juneau residents ages 15 and older. About 6,000 written comments were also submitted in addition to the responses to the survey questions.
Assembly members are facing significant spending reductions — and possibly ways to increase revenue — due to two tax-cut measures approved by voters in last fall’s municipal election. City leaders have said they intend to prioritize key needs such as public safety and infrastructure, and that other spending areas such as recreation programs and community grants may be targeted for cuts.
Voters will also be asked this fall if they want to renew a temporary 3% sales tax that has been renewed every five years for decades, which has Assembly members pondering if separate bond measures for school and utility improvements are something voters will also be willing to support.
The online survey conducted between Jan. 16 and Feb. 10 is intended to provide guidance for the budget process already underway for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Juneau’s budget this year is roughly $200 million — excluding entities such as the Juneau School District and Bartlett Regional Hospital, which brings the total budget to about $478 million — and the tax cuts are expected to result in up to $12 million in lost revenue.
Respondents were asked to select their four to five most important priorities from a list of general budget categories — and then asked to select their least important priorities from the same list. Schijvens said that was among the efforts made in the survey to reinforce findings by asking similar questions in multiple ways.
"One thing that we kept a close eye on as we were going through the survey was looking at generation, geography, race, making sure that the surveys that were coming in looked like the community as a whole, and we got as close as we could," she said.
The three areas respondents identified as top priorities were: "Streets, roads, bridges, and winter maintenance" (58%), "Schools and K–12 education support" (53%), and "Public safety (police, fire, EMS)" (52%). Schijvens said there were differences in priorities among age groups.
"While most chose streets, roads, bridges, we did see that (for) millennials their number-one priority was K through 12 school education," she said. "For those our greatest generation — those 80 and older — and the silent generation, their number-one priority was Bartlett Regional Hospital and health care. And for Generation Z and Generation Alpha — those in their teens and 20s — their number-one priority was recreation."
When asked their lowest priorities, the top responses were "Tourism management, visitor infrastructure" (62%), "Climate action, energy efficiency" (44%), and "Economic development, workforce support" (34%).
Assembly Member Christine Woll asked for clarity on the low-priority rating given to tourism.
"I think you could read that title two ways," she said. "You could say people don't want us managing the industry, they want the industry to have free rein in the community and do whatever they want, and we're not going to manage the impacts. Or it could mean we don't want you supporting and growing the industry."
Comments from respondents, published in an appendix that fills more than 400 pages of the 474-page report about the survey, appear to suggest residents don't want the city spending public funds to support the industry’s growth, Woll said.
Schijvens said she didn’t have a specific answer because respondents were asked why they voted for the categories they did, but one pattern among low-priority items was "they were elements of the budget that had a smaller price tag, and so therefore they're going to have a smaller impact." Also, according to the report she presented, "each has access to revenue streams outside of the CBJ General Fund and is not directly dependent on municipal operating dollars to function."
Among nine potential revenue options, survey respondents picked property tax changes (59%) and "underperforming property fees" (56%) as the two they are most willing to consider. Ranking next were sales tax changes (43%) and municipal bonding (35%). Ranking lowest — except for "other" at 17% — were reserve fund use (16%) and "no new or increased taxes or fees" (22%).
When asked about the types of property tax changes voters might support, Schijvens cited as an example Jacksonville, Florida, where year-round residents get a discount on rates compared to people using properties for seasonal purposes.
Respondents were also asked to select top picks from 15 "community values," with the top three being "Making Juneau a place where working-age residents and young families can live, work, and stay long-term" (68%), "Delivering high-quality core services" such as police and roads (57%), and "Well-maintained public infrastructure" (56%).
Ranking fifth on the values chart was "Expanding the availability of affordable and attainable housing" at 39%, but the study notes "more than half of the four subgroups — Gen Z, low income, Asians, and Alaska Natives — selected this as a top community value."
The study also notes "Overall feelings regarding the City and Borough of Juneau are mixed, but positive sentiment outweighs the negative." A total of 45% of respondents said they have positive feelings towards the CBJ, including 13% answering "very positive."
"Less than a third of residents (32%) have negative feelings about the CBJ, including 9% that say they have very negative feelings," the study reports. "Another 23% are neutral."
Of 3,458 residents offering specific comments about their feelings about CBJ, the top general subjects among those responding positively were "strong pride in Juneau’s natural setting and livability" (333 comments), recognition of housing issues (293), recreation and community assets (257), and "active engagement with Assembly decisions and local governance" (215).
Top negative subjects among commenters were "fiscal frustration" (596 comments), housing and development conflict (421), "high-profile facilities and capital projects as symbols of misaligned priorities" — meaning controversial projects such as a new City Hall and the gondola at Eaglecrest Ski Area (289), and "tourism tension" (253).
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
