Juneau cuts trail brushing, arboretum staff as budget pressure mounts

Juneau hikers will find no contracted brushing on city-owned trails this fiscal year after the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly finalized a $75,000 cut to the Parks and Landscape Maintenance budget at its June 8 meeting. Parks Director Marc Wheeler eliminated the department's brushing contract with Trail Mix, Inc. for all City and Borough of Juneau-owned trails in fiscal 2027. A separate $41,100 cut to the Jensen-Olson Arboretum budget resulted in the layoff of one part-time limited employee and reduced hours for the remaining part-time limited employee, dropping total arboretum staffing from 1.79 FTE to 1.39 FTE. Wheeler outlined both cuts in his director's report prepared for the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee's July 7 meeting.

Both cuts follow two voter initiatives approved in October 2025 that capped the general government property tax mill rate and exempted essential food and residential utilities from sales tax, together estimated to reduce annual tax revenue by roughly $11 million.

The same budget update included the Assembly's approval to move out of Mt. Jumbo School and sell the property. Gym activities and the Facilities Maintenance Division will relocate to Marie Drake this fall and winter. Voters will also see a question on the October ballot asking them to approve a 1% seasonal sales tax from April 1 through September 30, with the stated intent of helping fund indoor and outdoor recreation in Juneau.

Trail Maintenance Realignment

Wheeler is also pursuing a memorandum of understanding amendment with Alaska State Parks that would shift some maintenance responsibilities between the two agencies. Under the proposal, the state would assume maintenance of the North Bridget Cove Beach Access Trail on CBJ land. In exchange, CBJ would take on maintenance of the Mt. Juneau and Granite Basin trails on state land. "As the furthest CBJ trail from our Park Maintenance shop, maintaining the North Bridget Cove Beach Access Trail requires more resources to maintain than trails closer to town," Wheeler wrote in materials prepared for Tuesday's Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meeting. The committee's recommendation on the amendment would go to the Assembly for final action.