The Committee of the Whole received an informational briefing Nov. 3 from Visitor Industry Director Pierce on how Juneau currently manages cruise‑ship calls and what policy tools the borough could use to manage visitor impacts.

Pierce said the borough currently relies on negotiated, voluntary agreements and regional scheduling by cruise line agencies but also enforces two negotiated constraints: a five‑ship limit for the docks and borough‑wide passenger caps ("No more than 16,000 passengers in Juneau, 12,000 on Saturdays," Pierce said). She described options to pursue long‑term berthing agreements (contracts with cruise lines that could include guaranteed minimum calls and penalties) if the assembly wants more predictability at CBJ docks.

Pierce also discussed the Bar Harbor, Maine litigation and its significance: the ruling indicates communities may be able to enact legislated limits if supported by robust data. "The upshot is that communities can legislate limits with supportive data," she said, and recommended that the Visitor Industry Task Force 2 consider long‑term tourism goals, data collection needs, and multiagency coordination before pursuing ordinance language.

Assembly reaction: Members expressed mixed views. Some favored a data‑driven approach to legislated limits and supported exploring statutory options; others cautioned about litigation risk and the financial consequences of a legal challenge like Bar Harbor (Pierce estimated litigation costs there in the seven figures). Several members urged regional coordination and incremental approaches (five‑year agreements or pilot MOAs) rather than abrupt, unilateral changes to long‑standing regional scheduling practices.

Next steps: Pierce said the task force will examine policy options, identify the data needed to underwrite any ordinance, and report back; no ordinance or binding action was taken at this meeting.