It appears the proposition to borrow money to build a new city hall in Juneau is failing, although narrowly. Proposition 1, is losing 4,593 to 4,351. There are a few remaining possible ballots that need to be “cured” due to errors,, but it’s unlikely that there will be enough to pass the measure.
Propositions 2 and 3 are passing by a wide margin: Prop. 2 is passing 6,056 to 2,923, and Prop. 3 is passing 6,192 to 2,793. Prop. 2 asked voters to authorize the city borrowing up to $6.6 million for city parks and recreation improvements. Prop. 3 renews the temporary 1% add-on sales tax, which has been temporary since 1972, but approved every five years when it comes up for a vote. The money will be used for infrastructure and special projects and will generate over $60 million over five years. Juneau’s sales tax is 5%.
The citizens initiative to repeal a mandatory real estate disclosure ordinance passed 4,649 to 4,281. That initiative repeals an ordinance passed by the Assembly in 2020 that forced property owners to share real estate prices with the city assessor’s office, which has the duty to determine the tax values of homes and businesses every year. Most Assembly members opposed the repeal, while many conservatives favored the repeal.
The Juneau Canvass Review Board meets at 10 am Monday at the city’s Ballot Processing Center to complete the count of the straggler ballots, but the ballots that have yet to be cured are not expected to change the outcome. Juneau, like Anchorage, does mail-in voting, and thus, two weeks after the Oct. 4 election, the citizens still do not have final results.
