Finance Committee reviews Eagle Crest pay-plan conversion and receives operations update; decision left to Eagle Crest board

The Assembly Finance Committee on Aug. 6 received a two-part briefing on Eagle Crest that covered a proposed conversion of Eagle Crest employees to the Juneau City and Borough (CBJ) pay plan and an operational status update from Eagle Crest management.

CBJ staff member Angie Flick told the committee the conversion effort would “cross walk positions” from Eagle Crest’s pay scale to the CBJ pay scale and change personnel rules so Eagle Crest employees would be treated the same as other CBJ unrepresented employees. Flick said the finance office’s first-pass costing indicates “it looks like we can afford that within their f y 26 annualized allocation.”

The memo before the committee described why staff recommended considering conversion: consistent application of annual increases and promotion processes, inclusion of Eagle Crest positions in enterprise-wide market studies (useful for hard-to-fill trades such as mechanics), and administrative efficiencies from a single set of personnel rules. Flick cautioned that conversion would also carry costs: Eagle Crest positions would move into the pool of unrepresented CBJ positions and thus be subject to negotiated/unrepresented increases already adopted during the FY26 budget process — she cited inclusion in a 3% FY27 increase, a 5% FY28 increase and a FY27 lump-sum payment as examples of the implications.

Flick said human resources will finalize range mapping and objective conversion rules before any personnel-rule change is brought forward, and that the Eagle Crest board must act before CBJ could implement personnel-rule changes. The staff timeline presented envisioned rules and costings finalized in August, an Eagle Crest board personnel-rule action (possibly by special meeting), and a personnel-rule resolution to the assembly in September with implementation targeted for the pay period starting Sept. 22 if approved.

Committee members split over how prescriptive to be. Assemblymember Kelly moved a motion instructing the Eagle Crest board to continue exploring conversion and asked unanimous consent; that motion was later withdrawn amid objections and clarification that members preferred to leave exploration and any final recommendation to the Eagle Crest board. Chair Wall summarized that, unless the committee gives a clear directive, the default would be to let Eagle Crest “explore this and come to us with a recommendation.”

Members who urged caution raised two main concerns: that converting to CBJ rules could reduce Eagle Crest’s operational flexibility, and that the city’s pending election and potential budget impacts make committing to added long-term payroll rigidity risky. Assemblymember Bryson asked, “Could we approve the raises but not recommend to convert Eagle Crest employees into regular CBJ employees?” (Bryson was later told typical practice allows the Eagle Crest board to recommend pay increases through the budget process without changing pay-plan status.)

Separately, Eagle Crest General Manager Simmons gave an operations update to the committee on the items the committee had requested when debating the FY26 budget. Simmons reported difficult maintenance findings this summer after staff shifted resources: the Black Bear lift will not be repaired this summer and remains a longer-term replacement question; at Ptarmigan the drive shaft was discovered to be “about 50% worn out,” and one tower was found to be leaning. Simmons described the Black Bear drivetrain as obsolete and said industry sources recommend replacement rather than continued patch repairs.

Simmons outlined a list of maintenance and safety projects completed or underway: distributing emergency action plans, rebuilding an outdoor staircase, repairing the Fish Creek Lodge back deck, roof and building repairs, heating improvements, locker-room cleanups, and inventory reconciliation. He said the Tarmigan gearbox was sent to a Michigan shop and returned with additional work performed; two bull-wheel bearings and multiple tower-assembly upgrades are planned. On snowmaking Simmons said staff ran the Sourdough pump station and expect both pump stations to be operational this winter.

On staffing Simmons reported recent hirings and certifications: an administrative coordinator on board for a few weeks, an additional summer trail crew member, and a new lift mechanic who completed a level‑1 certification course. He said CBJ had conducted 16 J‑1 candidate interviews and expects to hire international seasonal workers as in prior years, and that camp and retail programs are moving forward.

Committee members who supported conversion argued that regularizing pay would produce a predictable path and bring Eagle Crest employees under the CBJ HR processes that ensure classification and market adjustments. Those opposed emphasized short-term fiscal uncertainty and the risk of constraining a seasonal enterprise with full CBJ personnel rules.

Outcome and next steps: no formal personnel-rule change was approved at the Aug. 6 meeting. Staff said they will present finalized range allocations and conversion rules to the Eagle Crest board (which meets separately) and return to the assembly with a personnel-rule resolution if the board recommends a change.

Quotes used in this report are taken from the Aug. 6 Assembly Finance Committee transcript. Direct excerpts include Flick’s assessment that “it looks like we can afford that within their f y 26 annualized allocation,” Bryson’s question about approving raises without conversion (“Could we approve the raises but not recommend to convert Eagle Crest employees into regular CBJ employees”), and Simmons’s operational note that “we do not have the time, resources to fix [Black Bear] this summer” and his description that a Ptarmigan drive shaft “was about 50% worn out.”

Because the Eagle Crest board must act before conversion can be implemented, the key near-term developments to watch are the Eagle Crest board discussion and any formal personnel-rule ordinance or resolution brought back to the assembly in September.