Assembly reviews ordinance to add Juneteenth as Fairbanks North Star Borough holiday; budget impact estimated

Assemblymember Kras presented Ordinance 2025-3 on March 6, 2025, proposing to amend Fairbanks North Star Borough Code (FNSBC) 2.32.420 to add Juneteenth as a borough holiday and to adjust holiday-pay calculations to match collective bargaining agreements. "Juneteenth marks the fulfillment of this promise for all Americans," Kras said while outlining the historical context and the proposed code changes.

The measure would add Juneteenth to the borough holiday list and change how holiday pay is calculated "for consistency with the collective bargaining agreements that have been established," Kras said. The ordinance includes contingency language: if required letters of agreement with bargaining units are not executed, the ordinance contains provisions that would void the change so that nonunion employees would not receive a paid holiday that union employees do not.

Kras told the assembly staff calculated multiple cost scenarios. At current staffing levels without benefits, the addition would increase annual payroll costs by about $117,000; at fully staffed levels without benefits, about $132,000; with benefits applied at current staffing levels, about $193,000; and fully staffed with benefits, about $218,000. Kras also noted an overtime component for departments that must operate on the holiday and estimated an additional parks-related overtime impact of about $28,000 to $49,000, depending on operations.

Assemblymember Wilson sought clarification on how the borough counts holidays and whether adding Juneteenth would change the total paid days off. Kras explained that the borough currently lists 11 named entries in code but that two entries include paired days (Thanksgiving/Friday after Thanksgiving; Christmas Eve/Christmas Day), which yields 13 paid holidays now; adding Juneteenth would bring that total to 14 paid days off. Questions about whether the school district or other agencies observe the same day were noted as matters to confirm with those entities.

Mayor Hopkins said facility closures on summer holidays have traditionally been left to the administration and noted parks often remain open for holidays such as the Fourth of July while some facilities, like pools, have been closed. Kras and other members discussed negotiation history with unions: the administration previously offered to exchange a holiday during bargaining rather than add one; unions declined such an exchange for this day, and Kras said he decided to bring the matter forward outside the usual bargaining cycle.

No formal motion or vote on Ordinance 2025-3 was recorded in the transcript excerpt. Kras said he would offer an amendment for a typographical error copied from the proposed ordinance when the item returns for action. The ordinance presentation closed with the chair moving on to the next agenda item.

The borough's next steps, per the presentation, include confirming required letters of agreement with unions and refining any technical edits prior to a vote.