The Assembly Finance Committee is looking deeply at City and Borough of Juneau finances. Through presentations and interactive resources, CBJ staff is getting into the nuts and bolts of the budgeting process, as well as giving the committee a big picture overview of CBJ’s finances. The public is encouraged to follow along by attending the meetings or looking closely at the agenda packets. Get answers to budget questions, like: Where do the revenues come from to pay for local government services? What services do CBJ residents get? See the Finance Committee’s schedule and agendas here.

The goal of the process is for the Finance Committee to provide direction to the City Manager in advance of the FY21/22 budget development. Major issues at hand include school bond debt reimbursement – a result of the Governor shifting costs to municipalities – and the potential of adding childcare as an ongoing expense.

On October 2, the committee got an overview of CBJ’s revenue sources and debt capacity.

On October 9, the committee is looking closely at CBJ expenditures, program by program, including Capital Improvement Projects. CBJ staff created cards for programs and services CBJ offers. Each card includes things like program description, cost, revenue sources, and whether the program is mandatory, essential, or discretionary.

After tonight’s meeting, the Finance Committee’s task is to look at the balance of revenues and expenditures, and prioritize programs and services for the long-term fiscal sustainability of the organization. The committee won’t meet again until November 2. All of the Finance Committee meetings are work sessions where no actual budget decisions are being made.