Paul Kelly
Assembly Member · City and Borough of Juneau Assembly
26 articles · 20 transcripts · 8 clips
Juneau, Alaska 99802
Paul R. Kelly is an areawide member of the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly in Alaska, serving a term from October 2023 to October 2026. He serves on Assembly standing committees including the Committee of the Whole, the Finance Committee, and the Joint Assembly/School Board Facilities Committee for non-DZ related matters.
Affiliations
Juneau committee calls for ordinance to pay off Eaglecrest's $2.5 million deficit
Juneau's gondola was supposed to pay off Eaglecrest's $2.5M deficit. With that deal over, a committee asked for a payoff from extra cash, not the reserve.
Juneau Assembly splits 5-4 on paying $80,000 to restore arts grants the arts council kept
Juneau's arts council kept grant money meant for local artists to cover its own costs. On a 5-4 vote, the Assembly added $80,000 so the grants go out anyway.
Juneau Assembly drops e-bike trail rules and takes aim at e-motos citywide
“I move that the assembly reject Ordinance 2026-41.”
Juneau Assembly keeps harbors as raw fish tax default but adds an exception
Juneau's Assembly kept harbors as the default for raw fish tax money but gave itself an out for "extenuating fiscal circumstances," which have no set threshold.
Juneau voters decide Tuesday on sales tax renewal, property tax cap and summer sales tax
Juneau voters decide Tuesday on renewing a 3% sales tax the city says raises about $34 million a year for police, fire, libraries and road work, plus two other tax measures.
Juneau Assembly votes 6-3 to sell old City Hall to Sealaska Heritage Institute
Juneau took Sealaska Heritage Institute's $1.5 million for its old City Hall instead of seeking bids at $2.5 million. Nobody has appraised the building.
Juneau's glacial flood was the mildest yet, but barrier costs are climbing
Juneau's Aug. 13 glacial flood was the mildest yet, damaging 12 homes — officials credit the barriers but say upkeep may cost more than the city planned.
Every Juneau ballot seat drew a candidate as filing closed
Filing closed for Juneau's Oct. 6 election, and all five seats — three Assembly, two school board — drew candidates. The certified ballot posts soon.
Juneau Assembly pulls a $16M school bond from the fall ballot
Juneau yanked a $16M school bond off the fall ballot — part timing blunder, part cold feet over shaky revenue. Dissenters say it will only cost more later.
Juneau Assembly amends senior hardship tax test to 300% poverty line
Juneau Assembly raised the income limit for senior and disabled veteran property tax hardship exemptions to 300% of federal poverty guidelines, broadening eligibility for tax relief.
Juneau Assembly to take up ordinance making 5-ship cruise limit enforceable law
Juneau Assembly will introduce an ordinance July 27 to make the five-large-cruise-ship-per-day limit a binding municipal law instead of a voluntary agreement.
Juneau's new casino, and the land the city can't reach
Juneau's first casino opened on sovereign Native allotment land, through a legal door ANCSA was built to close and the courts haven't settled. The city can't even regulate it.
Steel and pilings shrink Juneau's Oak Landing to a third its size
Steel doubled and the ground needs 100-foot pilings, so Juneau's Oak Landing is shrinking to a third its size — but the welcome center, shops and seawalk survive.
Juneau weighs selling City Hall for top dollar — or for less, to Sealaska
Juneau can auction its old City Hall to the highest bidder or sell it cheaper to Sealaska Heritage for community use. It can't have both, so it's punting the choice to the public.
Juneau finance committee deadlocks 4-4 on Eaglecrest closure study as ski area seeks $1.68M
Juneau's Finance Committee deadlocked 4-4 on studying closure costs for Eaglecrest after the ski board said it needs $1.68 million to stay open, nearly double the committee's $930,000 target.
Juneau fills its airport, harbor and ski-area boards
“Seeing none, those appointments are made.”
Kenai airport eyes automated fee system amid pilot privacy backlash
Kenai Airport is moving toward an automated landing fee system using aircraft tracking data, but a federal bill co-sponsored by Senator Dan Sullivan would ban that exact use, forcing the airport to choose a different technology if the law passes.
Kenai airport cafe closes; city seeks new operator by June 25
Debbie's Bistro closed at Kenai Municipal Airport after gross receipts fell to $68,000 in a year, compared to $400,000 to $500,000 when prior restaurants operated there. The city seeks a new operator with bids due June 25.
Juneau gets clean audit despite control gaps, three-month delay
Juneau's audit passed but arrived three months late due to hospital delays and staff turnover, with auditors flagging two control gaps in debt review and harbor leases that finance staff have begun fixing.
Juneau Assembly Finance Committee cuts $736,000 in recurring expenses, faces $687,000 deficit
Finance Committee cut $736,000 from city budget but Juneau still faces $687,000 deficit for 2027. Travel Juneau funding dropped $400,000, museum budget cut $261,500, and landscape budget trimmed $75,000. Committee rejected cuts to affordable housing and fire station lease that would raise insurance costs. Full Assembly votes on budget June 8.
Juneau Assembly Finance Committee cuts Travel Juneau budget in 5-4 vote
Finance Committee cuts Travel Juneau marketing budget by 400,000 dollars, dropping funding 31 percent to close city deficit. • Executive director warns cut will remove Juneau from visitor marketplace for two to three years. • Full Assembly votes on budget June 8, must decide by June 15.
Juneau Assembly votes 8-1 to end gondola deal, repay Goldbelt $12.2M
Juneau Assembly votes 8-1 to end gondola deal with Goldbelt. • City must repay $12.2 million, including $10 million principal plus interest. • Rising costs made the project financially infeasible with public funds. • City can still explore future partnerships with Goldbelt or others.
Juneau Assembly Finance Committee votes 6-3 to end gondola project, repay Goldbelt
Juneau Assembly Finance Committee voted 6-3 to end the Eagle Crest gondola project and repay Goldbelt's $12 million loan after construction costs jumped from $7 million to $27 million.
Joint committee forwards $16M school bond with flood mitigation funds
Juneau's Joint Assembly-School District committee approved a $16 million school bond that includes $300,000 for flood mitigation at school properties, following the 2023 Mendenhall River flooding.
Juneau committee weighs limiting short-term rentals to one per owner
Juneau's housing committee is reviewing a draft rule to cap short-term rentals at one per owner starting January 2027, but members disagree on whether rentals actually worsen housing shortages.
Airport firefighting trucks fail, leaving Juneau one flat tire from losing all flights
Juneau's airport nearly lost all commercial flights this month when two firefighting trucks failed simultaneously, leaving it dependent on a borrowed truck from Gustavus that must return by May 1.
