[{"_1":2,"_96":-5,"_97":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6598400,"mediaKeyId","3040467-0449a3caf99f7468b9b2a892531270e2","parentId",3040467,"title","Finance committee reviews community grant requests; staff to return with follow-up details","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",4630000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3040467-0449a3caf99f7468b9b2a892531270e2&start=4630&end=4630","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3040467-0449a3caf99f7468b9b2a892531270e2/thumbnail_4630000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6598400/Juneau-City-and-Borough/Alaska/Finance-committee-reviews-community-grant-requests-staff-to-return-with-follow-up-details","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6598400-77d080e6cd4ef41e99456d3534876f49/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157713&Signature=mvj1nU9F1~7dFGm1M6ewKteNg5CcdHgC0Mn21SSOftBV6VMq89rxQIFXoztzjHS4qspYOtnW-rZ2Jpc4414WWZIzVqg3ZhFS1Hlce1tgj3D7SeEuP0HOl91zghwtisa1Q1DamblLajhnkrsut2733Iza4shrR76~Wd8zydrIAJXdWEEmjxyZ9hRT2qe7YfvfT4NzX8n9cStiVJB7ty~sgGHGa1du2jvN3wjYpV6A~OlJ04tmHn71JLEkd7KdhdkfOCXZWB9j4efcC03AXIXhNhIiq65iYlOJjeV0fUSJYP82N3KQPWoIY2kZUJVE6C-0kG8yCnODFEdrgRiuxhQ~Jg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Juneau City and Borough","date","2025-04-17T17:23:25.333Z","article","On April 16 the Assembly Finance Committee heard brief sponsor introductions for the community grant proposals that are included in this year's pending list and asked staff to collect additional information from applicants. No funding decisions were made; staff will return with requested details at a subsequent meeting.

Highlights from sponsors' introductions and committee questions:

- Child-care apprenticeship (Association for the Education of Young Children / Juneau Child Care Apprenticeship): Sponsor Assemblymember Kelly said an existing apprenticeship places University of Alaska students in child-care centers to gain licensure and on-the-job experience. The program had a two-year state grant that is ending; Kelly said roughly four or five apprentices were graduating this spring. Staff noted the city currently runs per-child and per-employee stipend programs and planned FY26 budget amounts for those stipends (roughly $1.55 million combined); the committee asked the applicant to confirm the number of apprentices and other funding partners.

- American Legion, Anchorage Post requests: Sponsor Atkinson described two Centennial Hall rentals for events (a veterans dinner and a Veterans Day ceremony). Committee members asked staff for information about the existing nonprofit rate, historical use and overall impact of waiving fees versus systemic adjustments to Centennial Hall nonprofit discounts.

- Coastal Alaska Avalanche Center: Sponsor Smith said the group wants to hire two avalanche forecasters. The forecast program cost is about $25,000 per year; donors covered roughly $15,000 this year and the sponsor described a remaining need of about $10,000 per year (roughly $30,000 over three years). Members asked how the center’s role differs from city avalanche work and whether the group can scale fundraising.

- Downtown Business Association (DBA): Sponsor Bryson supported a $75,000 recurring request for community promotions, family-friendly programming and events (e.g., “light up Juneau”). Committee members asked for detail on what was funded previously, whether funding appears in the manager’s proposed budget (staff said no FY26 funding was included and that $40,000 referenced earlier was FY25 funding), and requested more specifics on the DBA’s revenue and deliverables.

- Friends of the Marie Drake Planetarium: Sponsor Kelly said the group requested $78,000 to update aging planetarium equipment and to purchase a portable configuration to bring programs to schools. Members asked whether the applicant had explored other funding (school district, grants, fundraising) and requested a clearer breakdown of capital versus operating needs.

- Juneau Arts & Humanities Council (JACC): Sponsors Bryson and others requested additional recurring funds for regranting and inflationary increases; members asked for a list of last year’s grant recipients and details on how prior allocations were used.

- Juneau Community Foundation (JCF): Sponsor Hall summarized a $500,000 request intended to support social-service grants distributed by the Foundation. She described an ongoing CBJ memorandum of agreement under which the foundation administers grant programs and utility waivers and noted rising demand for homelessness, mental-health and substance-use supports; the committee asked for more detail on specific recipient impacts and whether any federal funding cuts had affected operations.

- League of Women Voters, Capital Visits: Sponsor Smith said the League seeks $10,000 recurring to support a coordinator role that facilitates eighth-grade visits to the capital; the committee asked whether the League had sought other funding (schools, civic groups) and asked the applicant to report prior fundraising efforts.

- REACH Inc.: Sponsor Bridal said projects included heat-pump installations for group homes and a seven-passenger van to transport residents to work; committee members asked about eligibility for other capital sources and whether the JCF program would accept capital requests (staff replied that JCF typically funds operating needs and not capital projects).

- Southeast Alaska Food Bank: Sponsor Atkinson proposed $150,000 recurring: half to increase food reserves and half to fund an assistant manager position. The committee sought clarity on whether the Food Bank had also applied to the Community Foundation and asked for recent revenue and expense trends before committing to recurring support.

- Trailmix Inc.: Sponsor Steininger introduced a $54,000 request for Eagle Crest trail construction and improvements to sustain trail crews amid declines in federal trail-work contracts. Committee members asked for detail about project deliverables and how the request fits broader trail-maintenance funding.

- United Way / VOAD planning: Sponsor Hughes Gandyz outlined a $40,000 request to fund coordination among nonprofits for disaster response and recovery, a role the presenters said emerged after last year’s flooding. Members asked how the proposal overlaps with Red Cross efforts and whether United Way runs similar programs elsewhere.

Across proposals the committee repeatedly requested: (1) clear budgets and breakdowns showing how city funds would be used; (2) documentation of other funding pursued (grants, donors, foundation support); (3) measurable deliverables and past-performance metrics for regranting organizations; and (4) legal or eligibility confirmation where city policy or agreements may limit options (for example, settlement agreements tied to certain fees).

Staff said they would collect the additional materials and return answers at the April 30 Assembly Finance Committee meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","April 16, 2025 Assembly Finance Committee Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The committee heard sponsors introduce a broad slate of community grant and program requests — from child-care apprenticeship support to food security and arts regranting — and asked staff and applicants for clarifying information before any funding decisions.","taxTitle","Juneau City and Borough, Alaska","taxId",13703,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6598405,"Juneau committee weighs seasonal sales tax, visitor-tour tax rules and permit-fee options",2162,1278000,3440000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3040467-0449a3caf99f7468b9b2a892531270e2&start=1278&end=3440","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3040467-0449a3caf99f7468b9b2a892531270e2/thumbnail_1278000.jpg","/articles/6598405/Juneau-City-and-Borough/Alaska/Juneau-committee-weighs-seasonal-sales-tax-visitor-tour-tax-rules-and-permit-fee-options","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6598405-07defc89f041e1c0c77ae9a7b8130118/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157713&Signature=msQsipgNifYwfctuQVqcuM3Hks3cba5-icsYoxE4RBK8VDHVSrvGU2KJ8Mn4jAnNYJxvSps0~Sed1xXgEpg87TkMoIZIfBk-CtPJn3YuDDlwaB~svmsHmHlmhav3Blt9V6~A8~Q~-gdbpauc09sKw5iiyZkJ5ahoO-xKfDgW-b~G4Oxe9wWM5m-Wvj7adyaCzHGuK5c-HZBQJVwDeev3~Wuk2UicAazXmYxs1kXHYGfQP~57LTtSLPOW1ghowUzkoNFwC9Z8WjaowhdUFtXdt4DfjlvmVTna8pTl92jJOvOE1PqCMCIHcg08Q0REmuVuD1IRB0PbfD7sj5fDHei4NQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Assembly Finance Committee on April 16 received an overview of possible visitor-industry revenue strategies, including clarifications about sales tax on visitor tours, potential permit and fee changes, and several illustrative seasonal sales-tax scenarios intended to shift some tax burden from year-round residents to summer visitors.

Director Flick told the committee staff had prepared scenarios and clarifications so members could “seed ideas” and ask follow-up questions. On visitor tours she said operators must estimate the portion of a ticket attributable to activity inside the City and Borough of Juneau and remit sales tax on that portion; some operators simplify administration by collecting tax on the full ticket price. Flick said federal rules restrict taxation of transportation itself — “we're not to collect sales tax on transportation” — but activities performed inside borough limits (for example scenic operations at a site inside the borough) can be taxable.

Flick also described the scale of sales-tax revenue and potential targets for exemptions. She said roughly $5–$6 million of the current sales tax can be attributed to food sales and another $5–$6 million to utilities (water, wastewater, electricity, heating oil, waste disposal). She gave context on the city’s 5% sales-tax regime and temporary/expiring portions: “In FY '24, 1 percent of a 1% sales tax was about $13,000,000,” and CBJ currently uses a mix of permanent and temporary sales-tax percentages for operations and capital projects.

Staff provided example seasonal models (using calendar-year 2024 data) that illustrate how changes in winter/summer rates and exemptions would shift revenue. Examples in the memo show visitor-contributed sales-tax figures under different regimes: under a large seasonal differential (summer 7.25% vs. winter 1%) visitors could be shown contributing about $26.6 million with an $8.2 million shift from residents to visitors; smaller differentials would produce smaller shifts. Flick noted these scenarios are illustrative and that the team did not model behavioral changes (how customers might alter purchases in response to tax differences).

Committee members pressed staff on legal and administrative questions. Assemblymember Bryson said some platforms (a peer-to-peer car service example was raised) do not remit tax to merchants, and said the city’s current practice asking the merchant to remit a fixed share can be inconsistent with operators’ realities. Flick said she would consult the law department about whether the city could collect tax on transactions that take place partially outside borough limits and follow up on exemptions and collection enforcement. Several members asked whether additional auditing capacity could pay for itself; Flick said auditing and delinquency work “likely could” recover revenue but that staffing/time are limited.

On policy preferences, members expressed a range of views. Some favored a modest seasonal uplift to protect small business (Bryson suggested a small, simple summer increase); others supported a larger seasonal swing combined with targeted exemptions for basic food and utilities to reduce cost-of-living impacts on residents (Atkinson, Steininger, Kelly, and others expressed interest in exemptions for food and utilities). Multiple members said they want more granular modeling (including comparisons with other Southeast Alaska municipalities that have implemented seasonal taxes) before moving forward.

The committee did not take action. Staff said they will compile follow-up items, including legal analysis on taxing tours that cross jurisdictional lines, examples and outcomes from other municipalities with seasonal taxes, additional mill-rate and revenue modeling and more detailed impacts by business sector.

No vote was taken; members asked staff to return with refined numbers, legal guidance and comparisons ahead of future budget and ballot discussions.","Finance staff presented multiple revenue options tied to the visitor industry — from changes to permit and commercial-use fees to a possible seasonal sales tax that could shift millions of dollars of the tax burden toward summer visitors. Committee members asked for more modeling and legal guidance before any decisions.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":42,"_43":89,"_45":89,"_46":90,"_48":91,"_50":92,"_52":93,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":94,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":95,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6598410,"Juneau finance committee debates school bond timing amid uncertain state reimbursement",4257000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3040467-0449a3caf99f7468b9b2a892531270e2&start=4257&end=4257","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3040467-0449a3caf99f7468b9b2a892531270e2/thumbnail_4257000.jpg","/articles/6598410/Juneau-City-and-Borough/Alaska/Juneau-finance-committee-debates-school-bond-timing-amid-uncertain-state-reimbursement","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6598410-2ce96409a7be187a7b18f70e51239e74/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157713&Signature=cbq1sXu~H549pufLZHsyFl6cAwS97p8QWNluB0wVBEo~F3UkRcs7urs4DVOfgEbukC0Vkja5sXh2xGZkUlZInEp479oeKT4CJWJsNIFZFw0p3zYT7G0enV1boXFrism4Z0W0mY0oamGYZX1bshq3DFdTKp0ZggyAuCiTnh-XdpJomv9f34lMDk8GhWTFfx0S1QtBSggL3XY-npZEN~JWw6VgG3QHKmj5O4C5nzTYA5Qf~OVQC2ZEKkVQLhMJBM8Gm1riUgDROWxXqoY1-OQD9OYXysrp5TrCzX8nnnD-vLbxYQVpjuO3-xQ~WbZL8WBkiMH4q03AbM9OBrYxjFcFRQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Assembly Finance Committee on April 16 debated whether to place school bonds on the October ballot after staff outlined a tiered list of possible projects and modeled debt-service impacts.

Manager Kester, who introduced the item, said the Juneau School District and its facilities committee prepared a tiered list of possible bond projects “$5, 10, and $50,000,000,” and that the list “are really all just major maintenance projects,” adding that bond language would be broad enough to allow flexibility on which projects are funded. Kester also warned that “there is a chance that that program, that moratorium will get extended,” referring to the state program that reimburses local school debt.

Director Flick presented modeling and timing details and told the committee reimbursement under the state program, if available, is unlikely to appear immediately. Flick said, “If the moratorium sunsets and it's allowable, there may not be funding for actual reimbursement. I would guess it would be FY '28 before we would see any reimbursement.” Flick also showed a $15 million bond scenario that would put upward pressure on the debt-service mill rate; she noted the current rate in the manager’s proposed budget is 1.08 mills and said a $15 million issuance “would be back up at that 1 point you know, around a 1.2 mill rate.”

Committee members expressed caution. Assemblymember Smith asked whether, if bonds passed in October and the moratorium expired, the state reimbursement would appear in the FY27 budget; staff answered that reimbursement likely would not be available until FY28. Assemblymember Atkinson said members should “move forward with the intent that if we put these on the ballot, they pass, we will pay for all of them,” calling state reimbursement a potential “happy surprise” but not something the city should rely on. Several members said they preferred holding the discussion in committee to give staff and the school district time to refine numbers and bond structure. Options discussed included a smaller “starter” bond around $5 million or waiting to see the full ballot context (possible utility bonds, citizen initiatives).

Assemblymembers also asked about debt structuring. Flick confirmed the city can adjust amortization schedules to change near-term mill-rate impacts, noting the modeled scenario assumed even split of debt service over 20 years and that interest will be due in early years even if principal is deferred.

No formal motion or vote was taken. The committee generally agreed to keep the school bond matter in committee for further analysis and to return with additional information—timing of state reimbursement, refined mill-rate projections, and bond-structure options—before deciding whether to place a bond question on the ballot.

The committee next moved to unrelated agenda items after the school bond discussion concluded.","The Assembly Finance Committee discussed whether to place a Juneau School District bond on the October ballot after staff described project lists, modeled debt-service impacts and warned that state reimbursement under a moratorium may not be available for several years. Members favored holding the issue in committee while seeking more data.","actionData","errors"]

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Finance committee reviews community grant requests; staff to return with follow-up details

Juneau committee weighs seasonal sales tax, visitor-tour tax rules and permit-fee options

Juneau finance committee debates school bond timing amid uncertain state reimbursement