Chamber Advocacy Update

The Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce

Advocacy Report

June 26, 2024

Join us for lunch on June 27th at The Moose Lodge!

Guest speakers will be Robert Venables, Executive Director of Southeast Conference, and Meilani Schijvens, Owner of Rain Coast Data.

Topics the Chamber is following closely

Chamber Successful in CBJ Lowering the Mill Rate

At the special assembly meeting held on June 3^rd, the assembly approved a mill rate of 10.04 which is a decrease of .12 from this past year and lower than had been proposed for the FY25 budget. This comes as a result of the Chamber’s efforts to point out areas in the operating budget that could be looked at for savings along with the use of reserves.

The Chamber submitted a detailed letter to CBJ leadership and the Assembly with suggested changes that should result in lowering the mill rate. The letter was followed with working meetings with leadership and assembly members to go through the suggestions.

We are very pleased with the outcome and thank the assembly for listening and for their decision.

Operating Mill Rate by Service Area as approved on June 3rd

Areawide: 6.20 (flat from FY24 Adopted)

Road Service Area: 2.45 (flat from FY24 Adopted)

Fire Service Area: 0.31 (flat from FY24 Adopted)

Operating Total: 8.96 (flat from FY24 Adopted)

Debt Service: 1.08 (a decrease of 0.12 from FY24 Adopted)

Total Millage: 10.04 (a decrease of 0.12 from FY24 Adopted

Overhaul of Title 49

Since the formation of the Chamber’s Housing & Development Committee three years ago, the group of contractors and developers quickly identified Title 49 – which dictates the dimensional standards for land development (among many other specific requirements) as one of the obstacles to promoting more housing in Juneau. The mayor’s Housing & Development Task Force, which met for six months) had similar findings, agreeing that Title 49 was an issue. However, over the last three years, staff turnover and staffing levels in Community Development has prevented any work being done to modify Title 49.

To that end, the assembly approved the hiring of dedicated staff, including legal support, to focus their undivided attention on Title 49 and related zoning and land use codes. This new position will report directly to the City Manager. The Chamber is watching the hiring process to ensure that this new position and related staff are retained and starting the lengthy and complex process as soon as possible. The Chamber’s Housing & Development Committee expects to play a key role in helping set priorities for change.

Assessor's Office to Begin Canvassing This Month

(CBJ Notice)

The formula for determining the amount of property tax has two sides: 1) the mill rate and 2) the assessed value. While the Chamber pushed hard to have the assembly lower the mill rate (which did happen – see article below), the fact remains that the assessed value of people’s property can still result in an increase in property tax.

The CBJ just announced that from now until October the Assessor's Office will be inspecting properties in the Auke Bay, Auke Mountain, Back Loop-South, and Point Louisa neighborhoods. Channel View, Waterside and Glacier View mobile home parks will also be canvassed during this time period. The City and Borough of Juneau Assessor's Office conducts inspections of various taxable properties within the borough between April and October every year. With about 12,000 taxable parcels throughout Juneau, the Assessor's Office divides the borough into neighborhoods, which are inspected every five years.

The canvass process involves an exterior inspection of a property, including taking photos from various angles, verifying measurements, and examining the property's condition in order to provide a value for tax purposes. If you have questions regarding the identity of Assessor’s Office staff, please request to see their Assessor's Office identification.

State law (AS 29.45.150) requires that all taxable properties within a municipality are systematically reviewed and updated by the assessor. In 1993, the Juneau Assembly passed a resolution establishing a five-year cycle of reevaluation.

For more information, contact the Assessor's Office at (907) 586-5215 ext. 4906.

Bond Issues

At the June 17^th Assembly meeting there were two ordinances authorizing the issuance of General Obligation Bonds introduced and set for public hearing at the next regular assembly meeting, which will be held on July 1^st

· $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.

·$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.

The Chamber has Public Safety as a top priority and believe that the replacement of outdated communications equipment is a critical piece for police and fire to be responsive to the needs of the community. This has been a long time in coming and the Chamber supports this bond issue.

Protecting Tourism in Juneau

A press conference was held on June 3rd at the Chamber to announce the finalization of the agreement (MOA #3) which targets a daily limit of 16,000 cruise passengers Sundays through Fridays and 12,000 on Saturdays. The accompanying press release was picked up by the Associated Press and appeared in the Seattle Times.

The Chamber is proud of the work we did to help facilitate this agreement. We remain committed to ongoing dialogue and cooperation that help make Juneau a great place to live, work and visit.

For more information from CBJ, click here.

For Seattle Times article, click here.

Advocacy Letters

Mission Statement

The Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce supports economic diversity, encourages entrepreneurship, and endorses responsible, sustainable development to maintain Juneau’s high quality of life while advocating economic vitality for all of Alaska.

2024 Priorities

❖ Housing Development: The chamber’s Housing & Development Committee will focus on identifying ways to promote the construction of single and multi-family housing to meet the current and future demand for housing. ❖ US Coast Guard Icebreaker: Home porting an Icebreaker in Juneau must be a top priority for the CBJ and will continue to actively support this effort.

❖ Property Tax Revenue - Mill Rate - Grants: Work with CBJ officials to establish a transparent and equitable process to determine commercial and residential assessments, and to change the policies and process for setting property tax revenue. The CBJ should establish a process to measure the effectiveness of grants that are routinely approved but may not be producing the intended results.

❖ 5th Dock – “Aakw’a” (HTC): The chamber supports the proposed uplands development of Aakw’a including the floating dock that will provide the 5th shoreside mooring for an additional cruise ship. This will improve traffic flow and provide additional infrastructure for this area of town. The CBJ should agree to transfer the tidelands permit necessary to construct the dock.

❖ Remote Sales Tax / Local Sales / Visitor Industry impact: Monitor the levels and relationships between the three primary sources of sales tax. In regard to remote sales tax, there should be a review of local contractors/businesses that should probably not be charged sales tax but are not captured in the exceptions. (Example – Hecla Greens Creek is paying sales tax on shipments of gravel and concrete coming in on barge from Pacific Northwest, without any limit)

❖ Tourism: The Chamber views a vibrant and balanced visitor industry as a critical piece of the Juneau economy and will work to find an appropriate balance for impacts on business and the community.

❖ Childcare: The Chamber believes that the lack of affordable childcare remains a local (and national) issue that impairs the ability of family members to return to the workforce.

❖ Public Safety: The Chamber supports the funding, recruiting and retention of a fully staffed police force; and legislation and development of facilities and services necessary to address the houseless population living on private and public property.

Chamber Standing Priorities

Develop, advance, and promote the economic, industrial, commercial, professional, cultural, and civic welfare of Juneau.

• Stabilize Demographic Trends: Work with CBJ and other organizations to address declining population and impacts of

the aging population.

• North Douglas Crossing: Continue to engage in the PEL study process and support efforts to secure federal funding as

the project progresses through the environmental and design process.

• Juneau Access (Cascade Point current “next step”): Maintain focus on road access to Juneau but engage in AMHS and

air travel discussions that improve access to Juneau.

• CBJ Budget: Engage in CBJ operating and capital budget process, including monitoring of proposed “big ticket” capital

expenditures and CBJ tax collection in excess of operating costs.

• CBJ Initiatives: Monitor CBJ initiatives that impact the health of the business community.

• State Legislation: Monitor and engage in proposed state legislation that directly impacts the business community.

To read more about the Chamber's priorities and goals, click here.

Have a question or concern? Email us at info@juneauchamber.com or call (907) 463-3488