May 27, 2026 Special Assembly Meeting

Madam Mayor. Deputy Mayor Smith. Here. Miss Hughes-Candies.

Here. Miss Wall. Present. Mr. Kelly. Here.

Miss Adkisson. Here. Mr. Steininger. Here. Miss Hall.

Here. Mr. Brooks.

Here. Madam Mayor. Here. Okay, you have quorum. Uh, thank you, Madam Clerk.

Uh, Miss— Madam Manager, are there any requests for agenda changes? No. Uh, seeing no changes to the agenda, we'll consider our agenda approved. So that brings us to the consent agenda. Is there any public requests for consent agenda changes other than ordinances for introduction, which today it's all ordinances for introduction?

So All consider that pass. Assembly request for consent agenda changes. Ms. Wall.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Um, I move, um, to pull Ordinance, um, 2026-25, um, which is item 2, um, off the consent agenda. And if I could just real quickly let people know what I'm doing, um, These 4 ordinances here were, you know, what we've been calling fast-tracked, which meant we set them for introduction today and public hearing on the 8th. But I had a few folks wondering if we could talk about— potentially talk about them in our Finance Committee meeting next week. And so I'm going to pull this one off, and I can make that motion to when we get there to also talk about that in next week's committee.

And so I'd just say if there are other things on this list that you want to potentially talk about in committee, pull them off the consent agenda so we can have that discussion.

Okay, seeing nothing further, we will pull that, but we will talk about it right after we do the consent agenda.

Mr. Smith.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. I move the amended consent agenda and ask for unanimous consent. Any objection?

Seeing none, that so moves. So let's go to item ordinance 2026-25. And I think, Ms. Wall, all you're saying is we're going to introduce it now, but we refer it to committee rather than to the assembly. Is that correct? Um, I can make a motion if that's, um, easier.

I—. Yes. Okay, so my motion—. Making sure I understood what you were doing. Yeah, yeah, it'll become clear hopefully when— if I get the words right here.

So, um, I move that we introduce this ordinance set it for public hearing at the next regular assembly meeting and send it to the Finance Committee meeting, the June 3rd Finance Committee meeting for discussion. So this would still be on our June 8th regular meeting for public hearing, but we'd get an opportunity to chat about it next week.

All right, thank you, Ms. Wall. And I'll just quickly speak to that one really quickly. We may have inadvertently caused a double taxation that we just have to work with our our finance director and sales tax person to make sure that it's not what— I doubt that's what the intention of the assembly was, is to double tax something. So that's why this is happening. So thank you, Ms. Wall.

Any objection to that motion?

Uh, seeing none, that motion is passed. We'll go to public participation. We have 2 people signed up. Um, Madam Clerk, will you bring over Stephen Ball?

Good morning, or afternoon, I guess. Please state your name and area of town you live in for the record. And since there's only 2 of you signed up, we'll give you 3 minutes today. Good afternoon, Mayor and members of the Assembly Finance Committee. My name is Steve Ball, and I'm the general manager of Core Alaska's Kensington Mine.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide input on the proposed ordinance to amend the tax cap on single goods and services. I trust that each of you has had time to read our two submitted letters to the assembly. Uh, Core Alaska is one of Juneau's largest taxpayers and private employers. In 2025, we paid nearly $3 million in local property and sales tax, provided nearly 400 stable, year-round, high-paying jobs, and strengthened the local economy by spending more than $72 million with Alaska-based vendors. These steady, non-seasonal contributions help support a more balanced economy in Juneau.

We understand and respect the city's fiscal challenges. However, eliminating the sales tax cap would have a disproportionate and significant impact on a very small number of taxpayers, primarily the mining industry. Unlike most businesses, we cannot pass these costs on to customers. Based on our 2025 spending, removing the cap could increase our annual tax burden by approximately $5 million, roughly 280% increase. This would be a substantial and recurring cost that would directly have an effect on operations, investment, and long-term planning.

It's also important to recognize that due to Juneau's participation in the Remote Sellers Sales Tax Commission, These taxes apply broadly, even to goods and services sourced outside the community, significantly expanding the impact of any cap modifications. While our operation is a significant portion of CBJ's tax revenue, Kensington receives limited direct services from CBJ. We operate off the road system, off the grid, and fully fund and operate our own infrastructure, utilities, and emergency response. We are committed to being a strong community partner. Our contributions go beyond taxes.

We've invested millions in local nonprofits, schools, and community facilities, including CBJ facilities. Mining continues to provide meaningful value to Juneau. We respectfully urge the Assembly Finance Committee to retain the sales tax cap to ensure that CBJ is adopting a balanced and broad-based solution that protects long-term investment and economic stability in our community. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you for your testimony. Any questions for Mr. Ball? Mr. Brooks.

Thank you, and thank you for the testimony. I was curious You know, you spoke on what it would mean to eliminate it. With the proposal of doubling it, what does that look like for impacts on your operations? Our estimate right now on a raise from $15,000 cap to $30,000 cap would be an additional $250,000 on our existing tax burden. Which is, you know, as I mentioned, our total in local property and sales tax, we paid nearly $3 million.

Any further questions? Seeing none, thank you for your testimony tonight.

Madam Clerk, will you bring over Jean McBride?

Hello, Ms. McBride. Please state your name and area of town you live in for the record, and you have 3 minutes. My name is Jean McBrien and I live in downtown Juneau and I am a member of the Friends Board and I've also been volunteering there for many years and I just wanted to bring up another, uh, way of looking at it. The City Museum is the only place actually dedicated to telling Juneau's story. Over the years it has collected the art, the artifacts, and the memories of our Inuk, Inuk unique culture.

Excuse me. When the people of Juneau and Douglas gift their irreplaceable family treasures, they don't do it so they can be locked away in storage room. They donate them to be shared, to be part of our living history. The museum doesn't just safeguard these treasures, however. It brings them to life through exceptional seasonal exhibits and the vital school outreach program.

Simply staffing a skeleton crew is not enough. Without a director and a programs curator, this vibrant space will stagnate into a warehouse. Heirlooms will be closeted and our story will be silenced. Sharing our stories and our history is the very definition of community. The people of Juneau cherish our past and our unique culture, and we must fully fund the staff to protect and to share it.

Please keep the doors open. That's all I have.

Thank you. Any questions for Ms. McBride?

Say, oh wait, Mr. Smith. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Ms. McBride, thank you for your testimony and speaking us to it today. Um, do you— is, is the Friends of the Juno Douglas City Museum Do you do fundraising or provide any financial support to the museum?

A waste of— well, I probably would be speaking out of turn, but yes, we do, we do support different grants. We help finance the First Fridays, all of the, you know, extraneous things that would fall outside the actual work schedule, but we bring it— bring a lot of, a lot of information to them and, and, uh, try to make sure that we have everything in a row.

Thank you. Anything further? Seeing none, thank you for your testimony today. So with that, uh, any assembly comments or questions before we adjourn? Anything further before the assembly?

Seeing none, we are adjourned. Thank you guys for your time.