The McDowell Group will do a survey of Juneau residents’ municipal spending priorities.
With a two-year projected budget deficit of 7.5-million dollars, the CBJ Assembly and administration are seeking guidance from the community before writing the fiscal year 2013 and 2014 budgets.
In the past, the city had contracted with the League of Women Voters to do the budget survey. But the League’s proposed change in format from a telephone poll to a mail-out survey, and the desire to have results sooner caused the Assembly to go with the private, Juneau-based McDowell Group. Assembly Finance Committee Chair Karen Crane led a subcommittee which compared the two proposals on Monday.
“Timing ended up being a considerable issue, since we would not be getting the results until later. And there were also some questions about using a mail-out survey,” said Crane. “So because of those questions, the committee is recommending that the assembly forward the recommendation to the manager to contract with the McDowell Group.”
The Assembly unanimously adopted the subcommittee’s recommendation last night (Monday).
Both the League and McDowell Group offered to do the survey for 10-thousand dollars. At that price it’s not necessary to put the contract out to competitive bid.
