The City and Borough of Juneau clerk’s office has certified two proposed citizen ballot propositions for the 2026 local election. That means the groups behind them are approved to start collecting signatures of support to put the questions on the ballot this fall.
The two propositions were filed late last month. One seeks to restore some recently-eliminated city funding, while the other seeks to add a new seasonal sales tax to boost funding to the city’s recreational facilities.
Last election, voters approved a ballot measure that placed a cap on the city’s property tax rate, also known as the mill rate. Voters also passed another proposition that exempts essential food and residential utilities from local sales tax. The advocacy group behind those measures, called the Affordable Juneau Coalition, said the goal was to make Juneau more affordable by reducing the tax burden on residents.
But those tax cuts have resulted in the city taking in $10 to $12 million less in revenue annually. The Juneau Assembly is currently considering cutting city services, closing recreation facilities and slashing local grants to pencil out the city’s budget for the next fiscal year.
One of the proposed ballot propositions would raise the city’s cap on the local property tax rate, also known as the mill rate, back to where it was before voters approved lowering it last fall. Advocates for the proposition say the tax cuts approved last year went too far, and the lower mill rate cap doesn’t benefit Juneau’s most financially vulnerable population because it only applies to property owners.
The other proposition seeks to implement a 1% seasonal sales tax in Juneau during the summer tourism season from April 1 to Sept. 30. Right now, the city taxes residents at 5%. Advocates behind that proposition say the 1% seasonal tax is aimed at financially supporting the city’s recreational facilities.
Both propositions have 30 days to collect 2,566 signatures of support for the propositions to appear in Juneau’s municipal election on October 6. The group behind the seasonal sales tax proposition began collecting signatures late last week. The group behind the mill rate cap reversal proposition can begin collecting signatures next Tuesday.
The Juneau Assembly is slated to continue discussing potential service cuts and recreational facility closures at a finance committee meeting on Wednesday night. The Assembly hasn’t made any decisions yet on closures. But those decisions must happen before the Assembly approves the final budget, which is expected to happen on June 15.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that the ballot proposition to establish a seasonal sales tax would be implemented starting April 1.
