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Juneau committee builds ‘pending list’ of budget cuts and votes on grant/ service trims
Summary
Faced with a widening budget shortfall, the Finance Committee compiled a prioritized ‘‘pending list’’ of candidate service reductions and grant trims for the FY27 budget and recorded roll‑call votes on a number of items, advancing some one‑time cuts and rejecting others.
The Assembly Finance Committee on May 13 set a process to narrow the FY27 budget gap by moving candidate reductions to a 'pending list' for next‑week review, then debated and voted on dozens of individual items.
Chair Wall described rules: if an item is moved to the pending list it remains available for final budget action; if not moved it can be reconsidered later but will not be a front‑line option for the FY27 decision. Members emphasized they were not yet finalizing amounts, instead seeking to shorten the list and identify items worth deeper study.
Motions and roll calls covered grants, program cuts and facility options. The committee approved the following notable items for the pending list (selected outcomes): - Reduce the JEDC grant (move to pending list) — passed 7–2. - One‑time $50,000 reduction to the Alaska Committee (Better Capital City) — motion amended to be one‑time and passed. - Small reductions and holds for Heatsmart, small business development, arts council and other grants were advanced in various forms.
Several higher‑impact facility proposals failed to move to the pending list, including motions to mothball Augustus Brown Pool and Diamond Park Pool; committee members voiced concerns about impacts to the community and to youth programs. A motion to mothball Diamond Park Fieldhouse also failed. The committee did approve putting the City Museum on a range for further consideration — members voted to allow options from staff that ranged from reduced hours/programming to full closure to be evaluated next week.
The committee also debated a proposal to increase utility rates to reduce general‑fund support; that motion failed, 4 A, 5 N. Members raised competing priorities: preserving core services, honoring prior ballot measures and protecting low‑income residents.
What’s next: The committee will reconvene with a shorter pending list and updated fiscal impacts. Staff warned that, unless the Assembly identifies new revenue or substantial cuts, the FY27 general‑fund ending balance will be strained; decisions about fast‑tracking selected revenue ordinances were taken so the Assembly could consider revenue changes alongside cuts.
