As the annual US Coast Guard Buoy Tender Round-Up approaches, we are reaching out to request your generous support for the sailors arriving a few days ahead of the event. The US Navy League-Juneau Council is seeking offers of complimentary deals or discounts for these servicemen and women.

You may recall our similar request for the USCG Cutters KIMBALL and LAWRENCE, and your generosity was greatly appreciated. We are looking for offers such as percentage discounts, buy-one-get-one-free deals, and similar promotions. Sailors are expected to start arriving around August 16.

If you are able to provide an offer (and many of you already have military discounts!), please email info@juneauchamber.com by Monday, August 12th.

Chamber Candidate Forums Scheduled to be held at the Moose and will be 90 minutes in length

School Board – Thursday August 22^nd

(Three open seats – all 3-year terms)  

Elizabeth (Ebett) Siddon, Amber Fommherz,

Will Muldoon, Jenny Thomas,

Michelle Stuart Morgan, Jeff Redmond

Assembly – Mayoral and District 1 Candidates – Thursday September 5th

Mayor (one open seat – 3-year term):    

Beth Weldon, Angela Rodell

District 1 (Downtown-one open seat – 3-year term): Neil Steininger, Conner D. Ulmer

Assembly District 2 – Thursday September 12^th

(One open seat – 3-year term): 

Nathaniel Brooks, Emily Mesch,

Maureen Hall, Doreen Lorenz,

Mary Marks

Proposed Bond Issues – Thursday September 22nd

o   $12,750,000 to finance Public Safety Communications Equipment

o   $10,000,000 to finance Wastewater Utility Infrastructure

Mail-in ballots will be mailed out to registered voters on September 12^th

October 1^st is the Regular Municipal Election

Bond Issues

$12,750 to Finance Public Safety Communication Infrastructure:

This ordinance would send one general obligation bond proposition of up to $12.75 million for the improvement of public safety communication infrastructure, including, but not limited to, replacing the outdated communication system with a system that will be Alaska Land Mobile Radio compliant. The current system is beyond its useful life and is experiencing dead zones and limited interoperability with other agencies. The total project cost is currently estimated between $24 and $25 million, of which the Assembly has already appropriated $8.7 million of general funds and sales tax. An additional $3.5 million is secured for this project via Congressionally Directed Spending and 1% sales tax.

The Chamber has Public Safety as a top priority and believes that the replacement of the outdated communications equipment is a critical piece for police and fire to be responsive to the needs of the community.  The price tag is significant, and the chamber will be providing more information to its members as to the breakdown of the system acquisition, installation and ongoing maintenance.

$10,000,000 to Finance Wastewater Utility Infrastructure

This ordinance would send one general obligation bond proposition of up to $10 million for the replacement of the wastewater clarifier building at the Juneau Douglas Wastewater Treatment Plant, that services Thane, Downtown, and Douglas. The total project cost is currently potentially estimated to be as high as $14 million. Project costs exceeding the bond amount will be funded from Wastewater fund balance.

Vote NO on No-ship-Saturdays !!

Protect Juneau’s Future is hard at work to provide information to the public about the impact the cruise industry has on Juneau, Southeast, and all of Alaska. You will be seeing and hearing a lot of information that is critical to this issue.

In the meantime, the City & Borough of Juneau has determined that they will provide information in the form of FAQ’s that provide neutral and factual information about the impact of tourism and the efforts made to work closely with the industry. If you have not already done so, go to https://juneau.org/newsroom-item/ship-free-saturday-faq-now-available-online and read the information. 

Juneau Chamber has signed onto a letter to Congress – in cooperation with the US Chamber and many other local chambers urging action to prevent tax increases

Absent congressional action, at the end of 2025 American families and employers will be hit with the largest tax increase in American history. 

The pro-growth tax reforms enacted in 2017 have been instrumental in driving economic growth, fostering capital investment, job creation, and higher wages. The expiration of many of these reforms will reduce economic growth, increase costs for families, harm main street businesses, reduce take-home pay for workers, and result in significant job losses. These outcomes are unacceptable and completely avoidable.

The letter calls on the next Congress and Administration to commit to pursuing a pro-growth agenda and acting to prevent any tax increases on American families or businesses. 

Rewrite of Title 49

Since the formation of the Chamber’s Housing & Development Committee three years ago, the group of contractors and developers identified Title 49 – which dictates the dimensional standards for land development (among many other specific requirements) as one of the obstacles to promoting the construction of more housing in Juneau. The mayor’s Housing & Development Task Force, which met for six months) had similar findings, agreeing that Title 49 was one of the key issues that needed attention. However, over the last three years, staff turnover and staffing levels in Community Development have prevented any progress on making changes.



To that end, the assembly approved funding for the hiring of dedicated staff, including legal support, to focus their undivided attention on Title 49 and related zoning and land use codes. City Manager, Katie Koester recently announced that Rob Dumouchel has accepted the position and will join the CBJ staff on August 5^th. Dumouchel is the former City Manager of Homer with prior experience working for the City of Eureka, California. Dumouchel holds an MBA from the University of Alaska, a Master of Science from Humboldt State University and previous service in the US Army. Dumouchel will report directly to the City Manager.

The Chamber’s Housing & Development Committee expects to play a key role in helping set priorities for change and look forward to working with Dumouchel and his staff.