Juneau Assembly drops requirement to name emergency successors in advance

Juneau will no longer keep a standing list of officials in line to take over if city officers are unavailable in a disaster. The Juneau Assembly adopted Ordinance 2026-40 at its regular meeting Monday, Aug. 17, when the measure came up for public hearing.

The measure rewrites the continuity of government code. It removes the requirement to pre-designate successors and instead codifies Assembly appointment of successors as needed, according to the agenda. Under city rules, ordinances that do not appropriate funds take effect 30 days after adoption unless they specify a later date.

That departs from the state's Emergency Operations Plan, which directs state agencies to establish lines of succession below the deputy level in their continuity plans. Juneau's prior code required the name, address and rank of each emergency interim successor to be filed with the municipal clerk and open to public inspection.

Reviewed clerk records do not document testimony, debate or a reason for the change.