City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) is the unified home-rule municipal government of Juneau, Alaska's state capital. Its Assembly sets taxes and utility rates, funds housing programs and leads flood mitigation along the Mendenhall River. It also runs services like Eaglecrest Ski Area.
Photo: Bernard Spragg. NZ via Wikimedia Commons · Photo source · CC0
juneau.org ↗Juneau, AK, USA
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Week of Jul 27
Juneau neighbors want a homeless camp cleared after a reported bear shooting
Neighbors near Juneau's Governor's Mansion want a homeless camp cleared after a camper reportedly shot a bear — a flashpoint in Alaska's rising camp tension.

Juneau to Mendenhall Valley: the next glacial flood is coming, plan now
Juneau says the next Suicide Basin glacial flood is on its way, expected Aug. 1-9, with about 1,900 valley homes in the advisory area. Make a plan before the river rises.

Juneau's flood barriers came from an Illinois stockpile
The walls guarding 1,900 Juneau homes from a glacial flood came from an Illinois stockpile. Locals paid for round one; the feds covered all $35 million of round two.

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.

A veteran was barred from Juneau's July 4th parade over an anti-war sign
A Juneau veteran was pulled from the July 4th parade over a sign reading "Wars: immoral, illegal." He's asking the Assembly whether a public-street event can bar a viewpoint.

Week of Jul 20
Juneau's flood barriers are finished before Suicide Basin lets go
Juneau's Mendenhall River flood barriers are done ahead of Suicide Basin's expected release. Officials still urge residents to heed evacuation advisories.

Whale permit for Juneau's fifth cruise dock issued with no public comment
Juneau has fought over its fifth cruise dock for six years. When the feds asked about letting construction disturb whales and sea lions, nobody said a word.

Juneau Assembly to weigh $1.5M negotiated sale of City Hall to Sealaska Heritage Institute
Juneau Assembly will vote on selling City Hall to Sealaska Heritage Institute for $1.5 million, down from the $2.5 million minimum the borough originally sought.

Juneau quarry seeks bigger blasts and longer hours through 2036
Juneau's Planning Commission will decide July 28 whether to let Stabler Point Quarry in Auke Bay blast bigger, run longer hours, and operate through 2036.

Week of Jul 13
Juneau candidate filing closes July 27 for five Assembly and school board seats
Juneau candidates have until 4:30 p.m. Monday, July 27, to file for five Assembly and school board seats in the October 6 election.

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 braces for another Suicide Basin glacial flood
Another glacial flood from Suicide Basin is headed for Juneau — nearly 1,900 homes are in the advisory area, and officials say the barriers holding it back are "essentially sandbags."

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 may spend its last prime waterfront lot on a bathroom
Juneau's last prime chunk of downtown waterfront might become… a public restroom and a covered spot to stand. At least one Assembly member is asking if that's really the best use.

Coming up
Assembly Ordinance Introduction - View Drive Buyout
Assembly Chambers, Juneau, Alaska
Meeting
City and Borough of Juneau — Assembly Human Resources Committee
Meeting
Juneau Assembly Regular Meeting
Meeting
Systemic Racism Review Committee
Meeting
City and Borough of Juneau — Juneau Human Rights Commission
Meeting
About City and Borough of Juneau
Photo: Bernard Spragg. NZ via Wikimedia Commons · Photo source · CC0
juneau.org ↗Juneau, AK, USA
The City and Borough of Juneau, known as CBJ, is the unified home-rule municipal government of Juneau, Alaska's state capital. Its Assembly sets taxes, budgets and utility rates, and the city runs services that include water and sewer utilities, the airport and the Eaglecrest Ski Area.
Flood mitigation along the Mendenhall River is a central task, because glacial outburst floods from Suicide Basin threaten homes in the Mendenhall Valley and lead to barrier construction and buyouts. The Assembly also decides which sales and property tax measures go to voters, how to pay for capital projects, how to manage the visitor industry, and whether to keep service contracts such as paratransit or sell city property.
The Assembly appoints residents to boards and commissions, including the board that oversees Eaglecrest, and draws on state, federal and tribal grants for flood response and infrastructure. Its decisions shape the downtown waterfront and the Seawalk, as well as what residents pay for water and sewer service.
More from City and Borough of Juneau
Week of Jul 6
One fuel supplier, no backup: Juneau pilots want an alternative
Juneau's airport has one aviation-gas supplier, a markup pilots peg near 33%, and no backup. So 50+ pilots want a fuel farm — and dispute a plan claiming there's no problem.

Juneau property owners challenge $1.1M gap in Glacier Highway assessment
Juneau property owners challenge a $2.97 million city assessment of their Glacier Highway building, valuing it at $1.84 million instead. The Board of Equalization hears their appeal July 16.

Juneau's plan to move city hall leans on a sale that's coming up short
Juneau wants to sell City Hall to fund its move, but the only offer is $1M under the floor, the new building's late and over budget, and the backup fund leans on that same short sale.

Juneau's Áak'w Landing project shrinks to a third its size
Huna Totem cut its Áak'w Landing development to a third its planned size after costs jumped from $150M to $250M+ — though all the promised public features stay.

Whale watching incident in Coghlan Cut prompts operator inquiry at Juneau task force
A whale watching incident in Coghlan Cut prompted Juneau's Visitor Industry Task Force to request details on which operators use the waterway under voluntary oversight programs.

Eaglecrest interviews GM finalist, holds Goldbelt conversation amid $1.9M deficit
Eaglecrest interviewed its sole general manager finalist and met with potential partner Goldbelt as the ski area faces a $1.9 million deficit and pressure to balance its budget by November.

Juneau invites Goldbelt to partner on Eaglecrest with two firm conditions
Juneau invited Goldbelt to invest in Eaglecrest Ski Area if it keeps city ownership and the deal stays separate from Goldbelt's West Douglas cruise dock proposal.

Juneau task force takes up cruise cap criteria Thursday, with dock pressure looming
Juneau's task force meets Thursday to draft criteria for future cruise passenger cap changes, with a potential dock expansion by Goldbelt poised to test those rules.

Juneau's only runway closes overnight, and the medevac plan matters
Juneau's only paved runway closes overnight this weekend for repairs — and since you can't drive to Juneau, there's a backup plan for emergency medevacs, though it wasn't spelled out.

Juneau tourism task force faces a fork: which planning model fits the capital?
Juneau's Visitor Industry Task Force will choose July 16 among three tourism planning models, each with different timelines and budgets ranging from seven to 18 months.

Juneau weighs a tighter senior property tax break
Juneau may tighten its senior property tax break, cutting the income cutoff from $115K to $49K and capping the biggest awards — though the cap hits only a couple dozen people.

Juneau Commission on Aging hears Capital AKcess ridership is rising as ADA approvals grow
Capital AKcess ridership is rising in Juneau as more seniors get ADA approvals, and transit staff told the Commission on Aging they are improving the application process and dispatch system.

Nearly 1,900 Juneau homes are under an evacuation advisory as a glacial flood nears
Nearly 1,900 Mendenhall Valley homes, almost double last year, are under an evacuation advisory as Suicide Basin fills toward a major glacial flood expected in early August.

Juneau proposes handing North Bridget Cove trail to state in budget-driven swap
Juneau proposes giving Alaska State Parks the remote North Bridget Cove trail to cut $75,000 in maintenance costs, gaining city control of closer Mt. Juneau and Granite Basin trails instead.

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 ordinance would expand senior property tax relief to hundreds more households
Juneau Assembly will vote July 27 on expanding senior property tax relief to hundreds more households by raising the income threshold and capping the maximum exemption at roughly $5,079.

Juneau airport to lease Texas fire truck while new ARFF rigs await delivery
Juneau airport will lease a Texas fire truck for $162,000 while two new rigs arrive, covering a gap when the airport would have minimal firefighting capacity.

Week of Jun 29
Juneau GA pilots say master plan ignores fuel monopoly, push for self-serve AvGas
More than 50 Juneau pilots are pushing the airport master plan to study self-serve AvGas fuel, saying a single provider charges 33% markups and limits competition.

Southeast Alaska ports share a pattern: residents want stable or reduced cruise volumes
Residents across six Southeast Alaska cruise ports say tourism helps the economy but has limits, and most want stable or fewer visitors, not growth.

Juneau sets two conditions for any Eaglecrest deal with Goldbelt
Juneau told Goldbelt it will keep owning Eaglecrest Ski Area and won't tie any deal to the corporation's separate cruise dock proposal.

Juneau advisory committee to vote on banning Class 2 and 3 e-bikes from city trails
Juneau's Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee will vote July 7 on banning throttle-equipped and high-speed e-bikes from city trails, allowing only pedal-assist Class 1 models.

Juneau proposes trading trail maintenance with state to offset $75K budget cut
Juneau Parks proposes swapping trail maintenance with Alaska State Parks to offset a $75,000 budget cut that eliminated brushing on city trails in the coming fiscal year.

Juneau weighs what kind of cruise town it wants to be
Juneau's tourism task force is drafting criteria for whether its cruise-ship limits should ever change — with Goldbelt's proposed new docks adding pressure to the question.

Juneau isn't changing its cruise caps — it's deciding how to decide
Juneau's tourism task force isn't touching its cruise ship limits yet — it's building the criteria future officials would use to change them, with new docks looming as the pressure point.
