Assembly adopts FY27 budget; Juneau Douglas City Museum faces staff and program cuts

The Juneau Assembly adopted the FY27 operating budget on June 8 after an extended public hearing that included dozens of residents, nonprofit leaders and business owners. The manager described the ordinance as appropriating approximately $545 million for city and borough operations (excluding the school district), recognizing $525 million in forecasted revenue and $20 million in transfers.

Public testimony focused intensely on cuts to cultural and recreational services. Dozens of speakers urged restoration of funding for the Juneau Douglas City Museum. Dixie Kluff, director of Museums Alaska (calling from Anchorage), asked the Assembly to reconsider steep staff reductions, saying the museum would be left with "one collections person and an admin person" and would be unable to apply for grants or plan programming if key staff were lost. Chuck Cohen, a longtime resident, asked, "Why in the Dickens are you cutting half of its operating budget?" and urged restoring the director and education positions.

Assembly members considered multiple amendments to return recurring funds to the museum. An amendment to add $261,000 in recurring general funds failed on a roll call (4–5). Proponents — including Ms. Hall and Assemblymember Kelly — argued the positions are technical and difficult to restore once cut. Opponents and the finance chair said the borough faces a structural revenue shortfall and that the Assembly had to balance program preservation with fiscal prudence; Finance Chair Wall said the package staffs and managers trimmed roughly $4 million already but that the city could not absorb every community priority without eroding reserves.

The compromise budget passed by majority vote. Members said they expect to revisit longer-term revenue options and monitoring: changes to the single-item tax cap and other revenue measures adopted earlier in the meeting were intended to help shore up the FY27 picture. Manager and staff committed to reporting updated revenue estimates and to follow up on the museum’s programmatic recovery options.

What happens next: The Assembly adopted the budget as amended; staff will model real-world revenue impacts of the tax-code changes and return to the Assembly with updated projections. The manager also scheduled a July committee session for a broader flood‑mitigation briefing with Army Corps representatives and urged continued public engagement on CIP priorities.