Clarise Larson

In this newscast:

•  A group of paddlers from Kasaan prepare for a 10-day, over 250-mile journey to Juneau for Celebration in canoes they carved themselves, making stops in communities like Wrangell and Petersburg along the way.
• Alaskans looking to invest in solar panels or other renewable energy infrastructure for their homes will likely have some new options in the next few years. The state is setting up a new so-called “green bank” that aims to help Alaskans keep their power costs down and speed the transition to renewable energy.
• A Kotzebue police sergeant has resigned after making racist comments on social media.

Members of the Juneau Assembly decided to lower the city’s property tax rate next year.

But, that means they had less money to work with in the city budget, so they had to use some creative thinking to cover costs.

At a meeting Wednesday night, the Assembly voted to approve a mill rate of 10.04 for next year, a reduction from last year’s rate of 10.16.

A mill rate determines how much property tax the city collects from residents. One mill is equal to $1 dollar per thousand dollars in property value. So, that means for every $1,000 in taxable property value, there would be a tax of $10.04 for next year.

Even though the Assembly decided on that rate, it could still change before the city budget is finalized in June. 

The decision didn’t come easy. Members were split and spent multiple hours discussing different proposed rates that spanned up and down the scale. But, the general consensus was that most Assembly members, like Michelle Hale, wanted a decrease of some sort. She proposed one of the lowest rates of the night. 

“It’s really driving from the outcry that we are hearing from our residents to offer some relief on property taxes,” she said.

This year, property values have increased a bit in Juneau, but not nearly as much as last year’s jump. Both residential and commercial property assessments rose by about 2% on average. 

In her proposed budget, City Manager Katie Koester suggested a higher rate for next year of 10.32 — which is a .16 bump from last year. She said that an increase was needed to balance the cost of taking over the buildings that will close under the school district’s consolidation plan and to maintain current city services.

But Mayor Beth Weldon offered a creative idea instead that would allow the city to reduce the mill rate without using city savings. She suggested the Assembly dip into the City Hall fund to cover the costs.

“The money that is supposed to go to these three new buildings we have, instead of taking it from general funds, I would take it from the new City Hall,” she said.

The City Hall fund is made up of about $16 million that was squirreled away last year in hopes of building a new City Hall. But, voters said no to that idea – for the second year in a row — and the money has sat there since. 

A lot of members applauded Weldon’s thinking, including member Alicia Hughes-Skandijs, who called it a “slick move” despite her opposition to decreasing the mill rate. 

“I think it is incumbent on us to consider the finances of this city, and the impact to lowering the mill rate will be, and weigh that against what the financial impact to the individual tax payer will be,” she said.

Hughes-Skandijs argued the additional buildings could introduce unexpected recurring costs to the city in the future, and a mill rate increase would ensure there was consistent funding to cover that. 

Assembly member Paul Kelly said he was nervous about using the City Hall fund because that money could be needed toward future plans to move City Hall functions and staff elsewhere. But, he was overruled.

The final vote on the rate was 7-2, with Hughes-Skandijs and Christine Woll voting against it. The Assembly will take public testimony on the final budget and mill rate in June.

The general manager of Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area, Dave Scanlan, resigned from his role Wednesday night at the request of the ski area’s board. 

The announcement came Thursday morning after the board held a special meeting on Wednesday to evaluate Scanlan’s performance. His resignation came after the board met in an executive session.

The board’s statement thanked Scanlan for his vision of “providing year-round recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike.”

In an interview, board chair Mike Satre said he would not be sharing why the board asked for Scanlan’s resignation. 

“So we can’t discuss personnel matters. But the board and myself are 100% committed to ensuring that Eaglecrest is a successful facility providing winter and summer recreational opportunities for both our residents and visitors,” he said. 

Scanlan’s resignation will be effective on June 3. In an interview, he said he didn’t want to leave his job. 

“I want our people to know that this has been my passion. I had no intent to walk away. But it’s clear that they want to try a different pathway,” he said. 

He said that when he was hired back in 2017, the board was looking for a hands-on working manager. But now he thinks they’re looking for something else. 

“The current board has a desire to find a more office, process, paper-oriented general manager to lead the mountain through this next period,” he said. “I don’t hold ill will against any board member or staff or city administration or anything. This has been my life’s passion, and I am honored to have had the opportunity.”

Eaglecrest and Scanlan have both seen some public backlash in recent years, especially following the purchase of a used gondola from Austria. Scanlan was a driving force in getting the multimillion project approved.

Eaglecrest also faces a deficit heading into the city’s budget process — more than $415,000 —  which Scanlan attributed to rising costs, the effects of climate change on snowfall and a tight job market. 

The ski area originally sought a five-year loan of nearly $900,000 from the city, which Scanlan said would help cover the deficit and prepare for the summer season and the addition of the gondola. But the Assembly ultimately approved a $518,000 loan to cover the deficit and the cost of giving a slight raise to employees.

According to the board, they will immediately begin the search for Scanlan’s replacement. In the meantime, the ski area’s Director of Snowsports School, Rental, Retail & Repair, Erin Lupro, will take over the role of interim general manager. Lupro could not be immediately reached for comment. 

Scanlan said he plans to remain in Juneau and be active with the ski community.

This story has been updated to include comment from Dave Scanlan.

The deadline to file to run for one of Juneau’s seats in the Alaska Legislature is fast approaching. But, just a little over a week out, only incumbent lawmakers have done so. 

Juneau has one seat in the Alaska Senate, currently filled by Jesse Kiehl, and two seats in the Alaska House of Representatives, filled by Sara Hannan and Andi Story. All three are Democrats who first took office in 2019 following the 2018 election.

Kiehl represents Juneau, Haines, Skagway, Gustavus and Klukwan. Story represents parts of the Mendenhall Valley, Haines, Skagway, Klukwan and Gustavus. Hannan’s seat represents downtown Juneau, Douglas Island, Thane, Lemon Creek and parts of the Mendenhall Valley.

Both Kiehl and Hannan have officially registered to run for reelection. Story has filed a letter saying she intends to. No other candidates have filed paperwork indicating they’re running. 

In the most recent legislative session, which ended last week, all three lawmakers were pretty busy. They all were strong supporters of increasing education funding – an issue that dominated the session.

Kiehl also sponsored a bill to ban harmful “forever chemicals” in firefighting foams and was a major proponent for another that put more guardrails around the state’s property assessment process. Both bills passed the House and Senate by wide margins and are on the way to Gov. Mike Dunleavy to be signed into law.

Story also sponsored bills that passed both bodies. One adds several Indigenous languages to Alaska’s list of official languages, among other actions. Another requires safety ladders at public harbors. 

Hannan sponsored a few bills as well, including one that sought to ban licensed practitioners from performing “conversion therapy” and another to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products. Neither passed before the session ended. 

The last day to file to run for state office is June 1. The statewide primaries will take place in August. 

In this newscast:

• AKPM’s Eric Stone reports on the dozens of bills passed as lawmakers concluded their work this legislative session.
• Injured commercial fishermen and boat owners in Alaska will now be able to access higher insurance reimbursements, thanks to a senate bill passed by lawmakers.
• A bill passed by the legislature addresses the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous People in the state.

In this newscast:

• An affordable housing project built specifically for people in recovery from substance misuse received funding support from the Juneau Assembly this week.
• KTOO reporter Anna Canny sought out where ravens roost in Juneau in this week’s Curious Juneau episode.
• A 91-year-old cruise tourist is suing the Ketchikan Borough for negligence after his mobility scooter tipped over on a public bus.