A lot of people – from toddlers to teens to retirees – had a lot to say to the Juneau Assembly at a special meeting Wednesday night.
It was the first chance for residents to testify about a list of possible city service cuts and facility closures the Assembly is considering as the city grapples with a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall.
Dozens upon dozens of people packed the Assembly chambers at Juneau’s City Hall like sardines, filling every seat, lining the walls and stuffing into an overflow room.
Nearly 80 people signed up to share their two cents on the city’s proposed budget as the Assembly deliberates a list of more than 40 service cuts and facility closures due to a budget shortfall. But before testimony began, Mayor Beth Weldon started off the meeting explaining that nothing is set in stone yet.
“I know that people are not pleasantly surprised with the list of priorities that we marked for reductions,” she said. “Be advised, this is just a list that we’re going to talk about.”
The Assembly is tasked with making tough budget decisions this year as the city faces an estimated $10 to $12 million recurring budget hole. That’s after voters passed a tax exemption on food and utilities and a cap on the city’s property tax rate last fall, though some residents are trying to reverse some of the damage with new proposed ballot propositions for this coming election.
But for now, the list of potential service cuts and facility closures the Assembly is looking at includes hot-button items like closing recreation facilities, reducing local grants, slashing some legal services and city staff’s travel and training budgets.
The Assembly is considering closing one of Juneau’s two pools. But dozens of testifiers asked the Assembly not to.
“These pools are really important to me and a lot of kids in our community,” said high school student Annabelle Sullivan, a member of Glacier Swim Club. “Swimming has helped me become a stronger athlete. It’s taught me how to work hard, set goals and keep going even when things get tough.”
On top of the people who attended the meeting in person and online, more than 1,300 people signed an online petition asking the Assembly to protect Juneau’s pools from closing.
Sullivan said the pools keep her and her friends active throughout the year, even when the weather is bad in Juneau. Elementary school student Wren Dihle said the same about the Dimond Park Field House, which is also on the chopping block.
“Please think of all the families and seniors who would be affected if you close the field house or the Dimond Park swimming pool,” she said. “Please don’t take these important places away.”
Janet McCallister asked the Assembly not to close the Juneau-Douglas City Museum, which she said plays an important role in keeping the memory of Juneau’s distinct history alive.
“It would be like burning down the house for the insurance money with all your grandparents’ love letters in the attic,” she said. “Don’t take away our memory. You may not get it back.”
Many testifiers shared sentiments of frustration, loss of trust and a disconnect between what residents want versus what the Assembly prioritizes. Joanna Forst called the proposed cuts to recreation facilities disappointing and unnecessary.
“You have to understand residents are being forced to accept the blame and cuts to core family services while carrying the frustration of costly projects that we did not vote for and are not our community priorities,” she said.
There has been growing community resentment for some Assembly-directed projects that have ballooned in costs, such as the Eaglecrest gondola, the Telephone Hill redevelopment and the move to a new City Hall building.
But there were also a lot of people who spoke optimistically and offered several solutions to lessen the severity of cuts.
“I’d like to see you put more focus on raising revenues than cutting parks and recreation facilities. I would support you increasing taxes – head taxes, bed taxes, user fees,” said Kris Benson, a downtown resident.
The Assembly hasn’t made any decisions yet on what will or won’t get cut or closed. But those decisions must happen before the Assembly approves the final budget, which is expected to happen on June 15.
Residents will have another chance to testify on the budget at another meeting on June 8.
