Marine Passenger Fee funding recommendations open for public comment through March 25

The public has until March 25 to comment on the City Manager’s recommendations for how to allocate cruise ship Marine Passenger Fee (MPF) proceeds in the upcoming year. Read the draft proposal on the MPF website.

The draft proposal makes recommendations on expenditure of funds that come from the $5 City and Borough of Juneau Marine Passenger Fee, $3 CBJ Port Development Fee, and the $5 State of Alaska Commercial Passenger Vessel Fee. For budgeting purposes, CBJ has estimated that about 1.65 million passengers will come to Juneau this year. Based on that projection, the amount of revenue in fiscal year 2025 is anticipated to be roughly $21.5 million.

In December, CBJ solicited project proposals from city departments and the public, including businesses and the visitor industry, to be funded with MPF proceeds. The Tourism Manager is recommending 28 operating, grant and capital funding allocations. They include:

  • Enhanced Capital Transit service to Mendenhall Valley
  • Improvements to Marine Park
  • Installation of public wi-fi downtown
  • Funding for shore power
  • Low-interest loan program for tourism operators to invest in clean energy equipment

Submit comments on the recommendations by Monday, March 25, 2024 to CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce by email to [email protected] or by mail to the City Manager’s Office, attn: Alexandra Pierce, 155 S. Seward Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801.

All Marine Passenger Fee project proposals and comments will be forwarded along with the City Manager’s recommendation list to the Assembly Finance Committee for review, and then to the Assembly for consideration during the upcoming budget cycle.

For more information, contact CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce at [email protected] or visit the Marine Passenger Fee Program website.

February 21st, 2024|

Public can submit proposals for Marine Passenger Fee proceeds starting Dec. 4

Every year, the City and Borough of Juneau asks city departments and the public, including businesses and the visitor industry, for project proposals to be funded with Marine Passenger Fee proceeds. This year, proposals can be submitted December 4, 2023 through January 3, 2024.

Juneau voters in 1999 passed a proposition that assigned a tax of $5 per cruise ship passenger. The fee assists in funding projects or operational services that provide services to cruise ships and passengers, and mitigate community impacts created by the cruise ship industry.

Proposals must be submitted by January 3, 2024 to [email protected] or the City Manager’s Office, attention Alexandra Pierce, 155 Heritage Way, Juneau, Alaska 99801.

The Tourism Manager will develop a draft recommendation list of projects to be funded by Marine Passenger Fee proceeds, followed by a 30-day public comment period. All Marine Passenger Fee project proposals and comments will be forwarded along with the City Manager’s recommendation list to the Assembly Finance Committee for review, and then to the Assembly for consideration during the upcoming budget cycle.

For more information, contact Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce at 586-5240 or [email protected], or go to the Marine Passenger Fee Program webpage.

 

 

Katie Koester To Serve as Next City and Borough of Juneau Manager

The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly is extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Katie Koester as Juneau’s next City Manager. Koester, who currently serves as the CBJ Director of Engineering and Public Works, will assume the role in September alongside outgoing City Manager Rorie Watt.

“It is a tremendous honor to be chosen to serve as Juneau’s next City Manager,” said Koester. “CBJ has dedicated and professional staff, committed leadership on the Assembly and an engaged citizenry all working together for the good of our community.”

“We feel so fortunate to be able to hire someone who has already served as an Alaskan municipal manager, leads a major department in our city, and regularly demonstrates her passion for Juneau,” said Assembly member and City Manager Recruitment Committee Chair Christine Woll. “I feel confident that our municipal government will be in excellent hands.”

Koester joined CBJ in 2020, leading one of the city’s largest departments in the management of Juneau’s streets, public transit system, water and wastewater utility, maintenance, and construction. Prior to joining CBJ, Koester served as the City Manager of Homer, Alaska for five years, where she developed and executed the city budget, oversaw capital improvement planning, and directed operation of all city departments.

Koester holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Alaska Southeast along with a Master of Political Science from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Smith College. She currently serves on the board of the Southeast Conference Regional Economic Development Association and the Glacier Valley Rotary Club. She is a past president of the Alaska Municipal Management Association.

Watt announced his intent to retire at an Assembly meeting on April 17. The CBJ Assembly immediately convened a special committee to begin the search and recruitment process. The committee met six times over the next three months to establish hiring criteria, determine recruitment strategies, review applications, and interview candidates.

Following a 30-day application period which drew prospective candidates from across Alaska and the US, the committee began reviewing applications on June 27. The committee conducted video interviews with each candidate that met the hiring criteria, after which the full Assembly selected who to invite to interviews with the full body and senior leadership on site. The Assembly held a final selection vote on August 2.

August 2nd, 2023|

CBJ Assembly Recruiting Experienced Leader To Serve as Next City Manager

The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly is actively recruiting for an experienced leader and dedicated public servant to serve as the next City Manager.

Following three decades of CBJ service, City Manager Rorie Watt will retire on September 30, 2023. A new City Manager will be appointed by the Assembly to begin duties in September.

The City Manager is the City’s Chief Operations Officer. Under the Assembly’s direction and authority, the City Manager actively implements policy directives and oversees the City’s administrative and day-to-day activities. This includes preparing and monitoring the annual budget and supervising all department directors.

The City Manager manages a municipal government of 641 employees (FTEs) and an overall budget of $360 million. In addition to the core departments, the municipality also operates several major facilities including Juneau International Airport, Docks & Harbors, Bartlett Regional Hospital, and Eaglecrest Ski Area.

For this complex and demanding position, the City and Borough of Juneau seeks a passionate, visionary, and decisive servant leader. The ideal candidate will have executive management experience, financial management expertise, strong communications and interpersonal skills, strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, a commitment to transparency and community engagement, and the highest standards of professional ethics.

The Assembly City Manager Recruitment Committee will conduct an initial review of applications and recommend 2-4 finalists, who will be interviewed by the full Assembly on site. The committee will begin reviewing applications Thursday, June 22.

The City Manager’s salary begins at $175,000. See the full job description and apply online via the CBJ Careers site.

June 9th, 2023|

City Manager Rorie Watt To Retire Following Thirty Year Career With CBJ

City Manager Rorie Watt has announced his intent to retire at the end of September 2023, following a distinguished thirty year career with the City and Borough of Juneau.

“We have been extremely lucky to have a City Manager with Rorie’s depth and breadth of expertise,” said Mayor Beth Weldon.  “Time and time again, his deep understanding of the history and complexities of our community, as well as of the needs and wants of our residents, has allowed him to navigate difficult decisions while never losing sight of the prime directive of what is right for Juneau’s long-term future.”

Watt began his career with CBJ as a seasonal technician in the Engineering Department, quickly working his way up the ranks to full-time technician, project manager, chief engineer, and ultimately to appointment in 2008 as Engineering Director. Watt proved an adept director, bringing to the position not only technical aptitude but consummate skill in relating to others—recognizing that logic is the beginning of the wisdom, not the end. His leadership of the department culminated, in 2015, in overseeing the milestone transition to today’s combined Engineering & Public Works Department.

Watt was named City Manager in April 2016. His tenure is significant for a long and successful track record of negotiations with the tourism and cruise industry. Faced with the seemingly impossible challenge of managing major corporate negotiations, strengthening the local economy and protecting quality of life, Watt consistently repudiated the idea of a no-win scenario. His bold and enterprising approach led to achievements such as successful settlement negotiations regarding the use of Marine Passenger Fees—an outcome that will benefit cruise ship port communities in Alaska for decades.

The Assembly will begin the recruitment process for the next City Manager in the coming weeks. Watt will remain in office through September 30, 2023.

April 18th, 2023|