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Juneau weighs budget pressures as officials review partners, ferry plans and governor’s tax proposal

NOTN- Juneau officials are watching state decisions closely as local government prepares for what could be a difficult budget season.

Christine Woll, chair of the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly’s Finance Committee, said the committee is preparing for the upcoming budget process.

“We’ve been going line by line, through what we typically fund, and asking a lot of questions. And so last night, we invited some of our partner agencies in to talk to us, and did a deep dive into their budget.” She said.

Those groups included Travel Juneau, which handles tourism marketing for the city, and the Juneau Community Foundation, which administers grant programs supporting local social services. The city typically provides about $1.5 million annually to each organization, Woll said.

“Given that, we’ll likely be thinking about cutting some services over the next few months, we want to make sure we understand what they’re up to and the impact of the dollars that we put in.” Woll said.

The committee also heard from the Small Business Development Center, which receives a smaller amount of city funding but provides coaching and support to local small businesses.

The Juneau Assembly has not taken a formal position on the proposed Cascade Point ferry terminal project, which is being considered by state lawmakers today.

“The assembly has not taken a position on Cascade Point. We probably don’t all agree on it is part of the reason. Obviously it’ll have an impact on our city, so we’re interested to see what happens.” Said Woll, “Personally, I’m not convinced that it’s the best use of state resources, especially because we do have a struggling ferry system, but the assembly has basically said, we know this matters, but if we’re not all going to be unanimous in our decision, we’ll wait and see how things play out.”

Questions about state spending priorities extend to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed fiscal plan, which includes a statewide sales tax. Woll said the Assembly is still deciding whether to take a specific position on the proposal.

“We’re still deciding whether we want to take a specific stance on his fiscal proposal around sales tax. We have taken a position in the past that I think is going to be presented to the Legislature today. We are figuring out how we fund our state budget; it is going to require a broad-based tax of some sort, and so we are supportive of that.” Said Woll, “I know there are folks with some concerns about if it is a sales tax, as proposed by the Governor, because, of course, the city has a sales tax, and that’s usually about 50% of our general income. The challenge is, if the state also has a sales tax that takes away some of our local control, we wouldn’t be able to decide who gets exemptions.”

Woll mentioned the Governor’s proposed sales tax might also make it harder for voters to approve future municipal taxes.

“Voters have to approve our local city sales tax. So if the state puts a tax on top of that, it just makes it less likely that the voters will support a city tax. So that definitely makes me a little nervous.” She said.

The Assembly is expected to continue its budget discussions in the coming weeks.

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Residents can weigh in on JSD Superintendent search in new survey

The Juneau School District office in downtown Juneau. (Photo courtesy City & Borough of Juneau)
The Juneau School District office in downtown Juneau. (Photo courtesy City & Borough of Juneau)
The Juneau School District office in downtown Juneau. (Photo courtesy City & Borough of Juneau)
The Juneau School District office in downtown Juneau.
(Photo courtesy City & Borough of Juneau)

NOTN- The Juneau School District is seeking public input as it begins its search for a new superintendent, asking parents, staff, students and community members to weigh in on priorities and desired leadership qualities.

First reported by the Juneau Independent, the district released an online feedback survey Wednesday, designed to guide the Board of Education as it recruits candidates to lead the district.

Participants are asked to describe strengths of the Juneau community and school district that prospective superintendents should know, as well as the most significant challenges facing the district.

The survey also asks respondents to identify the qualities, skills and characteristics they believe are necessary for the next superintendent to be successful.

In addition, respondents are asked to rate the importance of various areas of experience, including prior superintendent experience, work as a classroom teacher, familiarity with Alaska’s public education system, knowledge of school finance and facilities, and understanding of the district’s culture and community.

District officials say the feedback will help inform the board’s decision-making as it evaluates candidates and determines what leadership qualities best align with the district’s needs.

Current Superintendent Frank Hauser will be stepping down June 30, he said this when asked what he was most proud of in his tenure as Superintendent, “I think that we’ve done a lot of great work here, the Juneau school district staff, are some of the best staff in the world. Consolidation was hard, those are really tough decisions. But I think looking at the future, we’re on much better financial footing.” He said, “There are still challenges with the budget, but I think putting together a fiscal plan that is more focused, and having opportunities for kids, and even through the consolidation, being able to maintain those opportunities for our students and still see growth, those are the things I’m really proud of. We made it through, and we’re in a better position than we were going in.”

What will Superintendent Hauser do next? He says he’s not sure yet, but he hopes it will continue to include advocacy for education in the state.

“I have spent the last 28 years in public education, advocating for public education, I’m Alaska educated, and I will continue to advocate for public education. I don’t know in what capacity that will be right now, but it is something that I believe in.”

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Recycling Center remains closed today; parts have been ordered for repairs

NOTN- Juneau’s Recycling Center remains closed today and, according to CBJ, will remain closed indefinitely while critical replacement parts are shipped to the city to repair damaged equipment.

The center, has been closed due to problems with its recycling baler.

Recycleworks said parts have been ordered to repair the center’s baler, the parts are on the way to Juneau, but no timeline has been given for when repairs will be completed or when the center will reopen.

During the closure, staff are working on deferred maintenance projects and manually baling accumulated recyclable materials already on site.

The center closed through the city’s major snow storm, and when it reopened closed once more due to a surplus of recyclables.

The center serves as a primary drop-off location for community recycling and has experienced intermittent closures in recent years due to equipment and operational challenges .

City officials acknowledged the inconvenience for residents and said updates will be posted daily here, as repairs progress.

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City leaders discuss changes to Eaglecrest board at meeting Monday night

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Committee of the Whole, Monday Jan. 26

NOTN- The major topic discussed at the Committee of the Whole meeting last night was proposed changes to governance at Eaglecrest Ski Area, which has struggled for years with operational instability and deferred maintenance.

Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon said she introduced an ordinance that would shift the Eaglecrest board from an empowered governing body to an advisory role under a newly established City and Borough of Juneau Eaglecrest Recreation Area Department. The change would give the city more direct oversight over operations and capital investments.

“My ultimate goal is to try to save Eaglecrest. If anybody knows my history, both my kids grew up in Eaglecrest. In fact, my youngest son continued ski racing in college.” She said, “Eaglecrest is a great place to learn how to ski, but they have struggled with operational instability and management challenges for many years. So this tells me there’s a structural problem.”

She emphasized that the proposal is not a reflection on the current board, but rather an effort to ensure the ski area’s long-term survival.

“Currently, the board that we have is a very strong board, but despite having more year-round staff than ever before, Eaglecrest has still struggled with basic ski operations, amplified by long-term neglect of equipment and deferred maintenance.” Said Weldon, “And I think in order for Eaglecrest to survive, it needs a little shake-up, and the only shake-up we can really do is to have more city oversight.”

Without additional city control, Weldon warned, major repairs may not be financially feasible.

A joint meeting is scheduled for early March between the city’s Committee of the Whole and the Eaglecrest board to address these proposals and gather further input.

“We’re going to have a joint meeting where we’ll sit and talk to the Eagle Crest board, and then I think a couple weeks later, it’ll be back in front of the Committee of the Whole and we can decide what we change.” Said Deputy Mayor Greg Smith, “I’ve heard a lot about it. It shows how much people care about Eaglecrest.”

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From lost wallets to storm responses, The Juneau Community Collective keeps neighbors connected

NOTN- What began as a simple solution to an overcrowded online buy-and-sell page has grown into one of Juneau’s most influential community forums.

The Juneau Community Collective, founded in March of 2014 by local resident Dan DeBartolo, now counts nearly 30,000 members and serves as a central hub for sharing information, asking for help and staying connected during emergencies and everyday life.

“So many people wanted to post all kinds of information about the community that wasn’t strictly about selling and buying.” Said DeBartolo, “So I just decided, we need to start up something else, initially, the page was called Juneau Community Concern, and that was early 2014, so we’ve been up for about 12 years now, but after a while, we switched to Juneau Community Collective, because it wasn’t just about people airing their concerns.”

Over the years, it has become a go-to resource during major events such as glacier outburst flooding, the recent winter storms and infrastructure disruptions, even a source for your local news outlets.

Members frequently use the page to report road conditions, locate lost pets or belongings and coordinate help during emergencies.

Reminiscing on favorite community posts and stories, DeBartolo said, “Somebody had a pet cat that had climbed up a tree, the cat did not want to come down, was up there for multiple days, the fire department was having a challenge getting involved. It became this big community interest piece where people had suggestions, people wanted to help these individuals just get their poor cat out of the tree. We were able to follow a story of somebody, in a town that really loves their pets, have their cat finally get rescued, and all the community support. I remember just feeling really good about having a space where people could discuss that and see it.”

Moderation has become an important part of maintaining the group, DeBartolo said.

As online discourse has grown more polarized, the Collective adopted clearer rules and more active moderation to keep discussions constructive.

“As the online space became more contentious, we needed to set very clear boundaries.” DeBartolo said, “By and large, the majority really appreciated that we spelled out what you could and couldn’t do on our page. We have those who feel it’s a little too strict sometimes, but it’s supposed to be as broad an appeal as possible, where people feel they can come in, air their concerns, or ask for help, ask questions and get those things solved.”

While the page is private to reduce spam and fake accounts, DeBartolo said membership is open to current residents, former Juneauites and those planning to move to the area, provided they follow the group’s guidelines.

Facebook’s attribution tools now clearly identify the Collective’s administrators, DeBartolo said this helps distinguish the official page from imitation groups.

“Imitation is the best form of flattery. I don’t know if the intention is flattery there, but I will tell you that if folks are worried that they’re in the authentic space that we have tried to create for this community, Facebook has allowed us to do something called attribution. So now, when you go look for Juneau Community Collective Official, which is at the back end, my name is actually on the page, and you can click on my name, and it tells you that the page has existed since 2014, you can see the authentic individual who’s actually responsible for the content on this page.” DeBartolo said, “What we see in a lot of other spaces, they don’t actually identify their moderators, or they use fake profiles. It’s very intentional. I will be transparent. My moderators will be transparent. So if you’re looking for a source you can trust, we want to be that.”

As the Collective continues to grow, DeBartolo says it’s mission remains focused on fostering connection rather than division.

“I don’t want our page to be about how people feel about national events. I want this to continue to be a place where you feel connected to Southeast Alaska, Feel connected to the Juneau community when you can’t get out and see them every day, when we have these situations like weather events that cut you off from in person communication.” DeBartolo said, “We want to be a source where you can have these discussions and feel that people are willing to help.”

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Residents invited to take CBJ survey to share budget priorities

NOTN- The City and Borough of Juneau is asking residents to weigh in on what city services matter most as officials prepare for budget cuts in the coming fiscal year.

CBJ is asking Juneau residents to take the CBJ Community Compass Survey before mid-February. Community feedback collected through this survey will help inform the CBJ assembly’s budgeting process this spring. 

“What we hope to achieve is basically gathering community input to have a deeper understanding and depth of knowledge of the community values and priorities.” Said Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon, “And the other thing that we’d like to do is just increase awareness of our budget process and how that all works.”

Following the passage of Proposition 2  , which expanded sales tax exemptions in the October 7, 2025 Regular Municipal Election, significant reductions in sales tax revenue are expected and will likely require service-level cuts to the city’s annual budget.

CBJ officials say they seek to better understand community funding priorities and values, including where residents are willing to make tradeoffs and which services are critical to quality of life.

This effort will include an online survey, in-person workshops, and Assembly listening sessions.

“We’re also looking for one broad community listening session where we’ll take public testimony on the budget.” Said Weldon, “That, in a nutshell, is what we’re trying to do for our public engagement through this process, trying to figure out what the public sees as important, and trying to figure out some kind of consensus on where the cuts are going to come from.”

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Eaglecrest updates operations; snow challenges, leadership changes and deepening deficits

Photo courtesy of Eaglecrest Ski Area

NOTN-Eaglecrest Ski Area officials say the resort continues to operate even with the extreme winter weather, closures, infrastructure problems and leadership turnover.

One of the most significant operational challenges for Eaglecrest has been a major water system failure beneath Fish Creek Lodge. Officials said the break was caused by aging infrastructure, not freezing, but repairs were complicated when a separate heating-system water line was damaged during initial work.

Contractors are now scheduled to install a supplemental water line, with hopes of restoring service next week. Water testing will be required before potable use can resume.

Mountain operations crews are continuing grooming and trail preparation as the snowfall allows, though mechanical issues with snowcats have slowed the progress.

Contractors are on site assisting with repairs. Plans are also being developed for snowmaking improvements and the possible return of night skiing.

According to the managers report released after the meeting last night, Eaglecrest has seen access improvements. For the 2025-26 season, the City and Borough of Juneau assumed responsibility for maintaining Fish Creek Road.

City crews are currently widening the road to improve traffic flow to the ski area.

Despite the continuous operational hurdles, the report discussed strong participation in snowsports programs. The ski area hosted three holiday camps with 125 students and launched its first multi-week programs in early January.

Thursdays meetings also brought notable leadership changes.

First reported by the Juneau Independent, General Manager Craig Cimmons resigned, after taking up the position on September 30 of 2024.

Board chair Hannah Shively stepped down for health reasons. Erin Lupro, a longtime employee and former acting general manager, was appointed interim general manager, with Cimmons assisting in the transition for up to 30 days.

Eaglecrest has faced financial strain as well, including a reported 40% drop in season pass sales and major projected deficits in the years leading up to the proposed gondola project.

On January 5, a report was presented during a Special Finance Committee Planning Meeting that shows Eaglecrest is facing mounting budget deficits.

Eaglecrest entered the current fiscal year with a budget deficit of $691,600, with the lowest previous fund balance in fiscal year 2006.

Under the current projections, the report estimates the fund balance could reach between negative $2.5 million and negative $3.0 million at the start of fiscal year 2027.

The mountain’s long-term financial planning is tied heavily to the proposed gondola project, but the first potential gondola related revenue is only expected in the final two months of fiscal year 2028.

Officials said additional updates on operations, infrastructure repairs and leadership transitions will be shared as the season continues.

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Atmospheric river forecast to bring heavy rain to Southeast Alaska as Juneau emergency response continues

Capital Transit, submerged in pooling water, photo courtesy of CBJ

NOTN- Winter is far from over, and the next phase of Juneau’s extreme winter weather is coming in the form of an atmospheric river, which is expected to bring heavy rain to Southeast Alaska through the weekend, and this is raising concerns about flooding as rain falls on to an already deep snowpack that has clogged storm drains, flooded roads and pooled on highways and strained local infrastructure.

The system is forecast to arrive late tonight and persist through early Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service Juneau.

In Juneau, forecasters are predicting the storm will begin as snow and transition to rain Friday morning, totaling roughly 1 to 4 inches.

The rain will fall on the already deep snowpack across much of the central and northern Panhandle, increasing water pooling in streets and low-lying areas where blocked storm drains prevent proper runoff, there is also increased risk of possible isolated landslides for the southern panhandle.

Governor Mike Dunleavy has verbally approved Juneau’s disaster declaration, activating the state’s public assistance program.

Under the declaration, the state is assisting Juneau with clearing snow from roofs of critical public facilities, including schools, water treatment plants and Bartlett Regional Hospital.

Crews will also help dig out storm drains and fire hydrants to reduce flooding and maintain emergency access. However, officials emphasized that the assistance does not extend to private homes or businesses.

Emergency managers said conditions will continue to be monitored closely as the storm develops and additional updates will be issued as needed.

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Juneau schools, city offices close as another winter storm warning takes effect

A snowblower, photo courtesy of CBJ

NOTN- Juneau schools and City and Borough of Juneau offices will be closed today as a winter storm warning takes effect earlier than expected, with forecasters calling for heavy snowfall and hazardous road conditions across much of Southeast Alaska.

The City and Borough of Juneau announced that all CBJ offices and the Juneau School District will be closed.

City staff will work remotely where possible and remain available by phone or email. Officials are urging residents to limit travel to allow snow removal crews to operate safely and efficiently.

According to the National Weather Service, snow is beginning this morning for much of Southeast, and intensifing through the afternoon, with peak snowfall around midday.

Updated forecasts issued late Sunday moved winter storm warnings up in time for Juneau, Pelican, Gustavus, Hoonah and Angoon.

The weather service said Juneau could see between 8 and 14 inches of snow by this evening, Snow is expected to start out light and fluffy before transitioning to wetter snow later tonight, meaning residents can shovel snow early before the snow becomes wet and dense.

City officials are encouraging residents to avoid unnecessary driving and to check road conditions if travel is unavoidable.

The Juneau Police Department is also asking the public to report slick intersections or dangerous road conditions to its non-emergency line.

Snow removal crews from CBJ Streets and the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities have been working through the weekend to prepare for the storm.

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Juneau Assembly retreat focuses on budget strategy as city faces shortfall

NOTN- The Juneau Assembly spent its Saturday retreat examining an estimated $11 million budget shortfall, Mayor Beth Weldon said it will take one to two years to fully understand as the city assesses the effects of recent voter-approved ballot measures.

“This is just an estimate because it will take us a year or two to figure out exactly what the ramifications of the ballot measures are, good or bad.” Weldon Said.

According to Weldon, about $4.4 million of the projected deficit is considered one-time cost.

The Assembly directed the manager to split reductions between delaying capital projects, including a planned waterfront museum, and pushing back one year of planned street work funded through the 1% temporary sales tax.

The remaining $6.6 million is tied to recurring costs. Weldon noted that additional financial pressures remain, including school district funding questions and outstanding police and fire labor contracts.

“To give people an idea of how big that is, when we did our priority list budgeting, all of our recreational facilities, everything together was $6 million. So we’re looking at some definitely cuts in service.” She said, “And on top of that, we also have to keep in mind that we have to have funding for glacial lake outburst floods and we have to have contracts out there for police and fire.”

To address the recurring shortfall, the city said it will tighten budget assumptions, such as eliminating long-vacant positions and delaying the launch of new programs, increase revenue, primarily through higher dockage fees and begin service reduction.

“We’re looking for community input on this, because this is where the community is going to feel it.” Weldon said.

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