Juneau voters approved cuts to municipal taxes in October’s elections. Now, the City and Borough of Juneau is asking residents to weigh in on what services are most important to them ahead of “challenging budget decisions” to come this spring.
The city released the CBJ Community Compass Survey on Tuesday to collect feedback ahead of the Assembly’s budgeting process for fiscal year 2027.
The 5% local sales tax on essential food and household utilities dropped in late November, as outlined in Proposition 2. That measure passed with overwhelming support, garnering nearly 70% of the vote.
With the passage of Proposition 2 and Proposition 1 — capping property tax — CBJ expects a $10-12 million reduction in general fund revenue. The city says that revenue reduction will likely necessitate cuts to city services.
“The CBJ Assembly would like to approach the challenging budget decisions ahead – including budget cuts – equipped with as much feedback from the community as possible,” CBJ wrote in an FAQ attached to the survey. “As budgets are being reduced, the Assembly wants to know how, when, and where residents would like to see continued investment and where they are willing to make tradeoffs.”
The 15-question survey starts with baseline questions about residency, age and income. Then, it lists off services and asks the respondent to select which services are most important to them, and which services the respondent would favor for budget reductions.
The survey also asks residents to weigh in on preferences for the potential introduction revenue sources, including changes to structures for sales and property taxes, increased fees for public services or introducing no other revenue sources whatsoever.
The Assembly discussed financial priorities for the upcoming fiscal year at its annual retreat in December. The next step in the budget process is for the city manager to draft a proposed budget based on input from the Assembly and the other boards. The Assembly Finance Committee will review the proposed budget later in the spring, before it goes before public hearing, and is eventually adopted by June 15.
CBJ says that all respondents remain anonymous, and asks residents to respond by mid-February. Respondents will be entered into a raffle for the chance to win passes to city facilities and services. The survey is available at juneau.org/community-compass.
After collecting survey responses, the Assembly will host three in-person workshops to discuss the city budget. Space is limited, and RSVPs are required. The workshops are scheduled as follows:
- February 18 at 5:30pm at the Filipino Community Hall, 251 S Franklin St
- February 24 at 5:30pm at the Valley Library, 3025 Dimond Park Loop
- March 3 at 5:30pm at Douglas Library, 1016 3rd Street
