Assembly candidates lay out approaches to money, capital projects

Mayor Merrill Sanford responds to a question at a Juneau Chamber of Commerce candidate forum Thursday. From left to right: moderator Eric Eriksen, Merrill Sanford, Greg Fisk, Jerry Nankervis and Dixie Hood. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
Mayor Merrill Sanford responds to a question at a Juneau Chamber of Commerce candidate forum Thursday. From left to right: moderator Eric Eriksen, Merrill Sanford, Greg Fisk, Jerry Nankervis and Dixie Hood. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)

Juneau Assembly candidates offered differing approaches on city budget matters and the bundling of capital projects at the Juneau Chamber of Commerce’s forum Thursday.

Incumbent Mayor Merrill Sanford said he’s not opposed to looking at sales and property taxes.

“But I’m very proud of the fact that we haven’t raised property tax in over 10 years. So we, the assembly, has not raised those property taxes, millage rates, in 10 years,” he said.

Mayoral candidate Greg Fisk said he wants to institutionalize an attitude that’s been building in city government,

“To constantly look at incremental efficiencies. I don’t think there’s any big, low-hanging fruit that we can cut at this point in time,” he said.

He said he’d prefer focusing on building the economy to expand the tax base.

Incumbent Assemblyman Jerry Nankervis says he’s unsuccessfully suggested cutting staff in the manager’s office and shutting down a city copy shop that competes with the private sector.

“I’m just one of nine. So I can offer some proposals, but they have to be acceptable to at least four other people on the assembly to do that,” he said.

Dixie Hood, who’s running against Nankervis, said she thinks enough cuts have been made. She said she wants to focus on finding grant money but is willing to consider taxes.

“Exploring tax options is really necessary. Nobody is happy about taxes, but I think that is what needs to be looked at, and not an increase in the sales tax,” she said.

An audience member asked if the candidates would support measures to prevent the bundling of capital projects in ballot questions. The city often bundles many separate capital projects under a single yes/no question that asks voters to approve major debt and extend temporary municipal sales taxes to repay it.

Nankervis said bundling has led to the approval of projects with less than majority support.

“A project should be voted up or down on its merits, not bundled,” he said.

But, he had reservations about how unbundling could complicate debt and debt repayment.

Hood said she definitely supports a charter amendment that would enable single issue voting on these matters.

“I was really bummed out by the bundling that happened. And things that I absolutely was not supportive of, just getting swept along. I think it’s an important thing to pursue,” she said.

Sanford agreed with Nankervis. He said a charter amendment is unnecessary since the assembly has oversight of those ballot questions.

“It’s a little bit of responsibility on you as a voter to get the right person in that will adjust to your thinking a little bit,” he said.

Fisk didn’t line up with the other candidates. He said bundling is often necessary for the greater good.

“Bundling may not always be comfortable, but it’s part of the political process that we go through in the community to reach a consensus on how to move things forward in a broader sense. So, I mean, it sounds good at first blush to just say, ‘Oh, well, we’ll have everything voted up simply on its own merits,’ but it’s part of the political process to balance these things out,” he said.

Candidates Loren Jones and Jason Puckett were out of town and could not attend. The candidates have another debate scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at UAS. Election day is Oct. 6.

Jeremy Hsieh

Local News Reporter, KTOO

I dig into questions about the forces and institutions that shape Juneau, big and small, delightful and outrageous. What stirs you up about how Juneau is built and how the city works?

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