By SUZANNE DOWNING
May 28, 2026 – The City and Borough of Juneau’s plan to relocate City Hall operations into the Michael J. Burns Building is increasingly becoming a symbol of a local government that has lost touch with taxpayers demanding affordability, accountability, and spending restraint.
After Juneau voters twice rejected bond proposals for a new standalone City Hal, including a roughly $27 million proposal in 2023, many residents believed the issue had been settled.
Instead, city leaders pivoted toward purchasing the lower two floors of the three-story Michael J. Burns Building through a condominium-style ownership arrangement with the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation retaining ownership of the upper floor. That building is located near the Douglas Bridge.
Supporters of the expenditure say the city’s current offices are outdated and fragmented across multiple locations, and that consolidating roughly 164 employees and Assembly functions into one building would be a practical move that would avoid having to go to the voters.
But the proposal repackages an expensive government expansion voters already rejected. The Assembly formally approved the purchase in September and in January approved additional appropriations bringing the total project authorization to approximately $20.6 million.
The purchase itself is expected to cost between roughly $9.3 million and $12 million, while another estimated $7.5 million to $8 million or more is expected to be spent on renovations, office build-out, technology systems, and redesign work.
The project exposes a broader spending culture problem inside Juneau’s local government. Juneau relies heavily on a 5% local sales tax and a 10.24 mill rate property tax to fund operations, making it an expensive place to reside.
“Accountability and affordability really must be the touchstones if Juneau is going to progress and thrive,” said one Juneau resident who questioned the expenditure.
Others point to other recent spending decisions as further evidence of misplaced priorities, including the decision by the Assembly and senior management to award more than $600,000 to a Portland, Ore. planning firm for a “conceptual study” involving possible high-density housing development at the historic Telephone Hill site, where the city plans to raze single-family homes that have been there for generations. That property is owned by the City after being purchased and abandoned by the State of Alaska, which had once planned to build a new Capitol building on the site.
Particularly controversial is the condominium-style ownership arrangement itself.
The structure will require ongoing annual condominium dues and assessments that will likely cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Some analyses have estimated those fees could approach or exceed $650,000 per year.
Opponents argue those costs will be determined through a shared ownership structure largely outside the direct control of Juneau voters, creating what some residents describe as a government “time share” arrangement with indefinite financial obligations.
Parking concerns add another layer of uncertainty.
The Michael J. Burns Building has limited parking capacity, with reports varying depending on configuration and surrounding use. The city may eventually need to spend even more public money to secure additional parking or nearby land to accommodate employees and visitors.
Some have also questioned why city officials did not more aggressively pursue lower-cost alternatives, including repurposing vacant school buildings or other existing public facilities.
Renovations and relocation are expected to continue into 2027, while discussions continue about the future of the existing City Hall property near Marine Park.
4 thoughts on “Juneau leaders ignore voters as costly City Hall project moves forward”
This is bs. The city is so far gone. No wonder so many are leaving town and getting out. These so called “leaders” have their heads so far up their butts they can’t see the light of day
Juneau’s leaders are who their majority voters voted in unless there us cheating going on in the counting of their mail in ballots
If the majority don’t like their current type of leader, then they know what they can do.
Or voters can just be stupid, play victim, and sit paralyzed which is a choice too
Whats another little bump in property assessments? Or maybe a percent or two more in sales tax?
They said tourists pay the bulk of sales tax collected so no harm in that right?
Does every one really expect hard working royalty to have to dwell in substandard work environment while reevaluating everyones tax bills making sure all late penalties are paid?
The list of expensive blunders with taxpayer money made by our assembly is almost endless. The peoples votes mean nothing to them. The JACC voted down twice. New City Hall voted down twice. Both projects continue on unabated today. $600,000 blown on a worthless gondola for Eaglecrest Ski Area that was cast aside once they figured out it will cost millions to complete. We are still out the initial purchase price along with shipping and taxes that I believe we still owe. These are just a sample. Their latest money saving idea is to close down and rent out the Douglas Fire Station. The last time I looked we had one bridge across Gastineau Channel. If anything happens to that bridge that would leave Douglas Island without Fire and EMS protection. Critical thinking at its finest. Especially considering Mayor Weldon was once a Fire Captain. Of course she now lives in the valley so who cares about Douglas Island as long as she gets a fancy new office. I seriously doubt anyone on that assembly is old enough or been here long enough to remember when a crane on a barge left its boom raised and struck the old bridge closing it down for almost a week. I do so I am very aware of the risk involved.
Instead of going through with this futile attempt to save money, sell Eaglecrest to Goldbelt. That would zero out the debt the city owes them for the gondola fiasco plus would eliminate the million dollar a year subsidy. No, can’t do that. It makes too much sense.