OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Juneau Assembly Meeting Summary: January 12, 2026

Assembly Meetings — Tuesday, January 13, 2026
BodyJuneau, Alaska
SessionAssembly Meetings
DateTuesday, January 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:14:48

Transcript — Verbatim
0:19

We will bring the regular assembly meeting to order for January 12th, 2026.

0:25

Mr.

0:25

Kelly, will you lead us in the flag salute?

0:46

Thank you, Mr.

0:47

Kelly.

0:48

Mr.

0:48

Steininger, will you um read our land acknowledgement, please we would like to acknowledge that City and Borough of Juneau is on Clinkett Land and wish to honor the indigenous people of this land.

1:02

For more than 10,000 years, Alaska Native people have been and continue to be integral to the well-being of our community.

1:08

We're grateful to be in this place, a part of this community and to honor the culture, traditions, and resilience of the Klinker people.

1:18

So thank you for that, Mr.

1:19

Steininger.

1:20

Madam Clark, will you call role, please?

1:22

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

1:23

Deputy Mayor Smith.

1:27

Ms.

1:27

Hughes Candies.

1:29

Here, Ms.

1:30

Wall.

1:31

Present.

1:32

Mr.

1:33

Kelly.

1:34

Here.

1:35

Ms.

1:35

Adkisson.

1:36

Here.

1:37

Mr.

1:37

Steininger.

1:39

Here.

1:40

Mr.

1:40

Brooks.

1:41

Here.

1:43

You have Quorum for the rec.

1:45

Oh, Madam Mayor.

1:46

Here.

1:47

You have quorum, and for the record, Ms.

1:49

Hall is absent.

1:51

Thank you for that, Madam Clerk.

1:53

Um, so special order of business.

1:55

We do have one item, although I want to make a quick mention.

1:58

On January 5th, we lost a long, long time Genoite, uh, Jurdis Baxter.

2:03

Um, and I see a grandson, correct, Corey in the audience today.

2:07

So Juris was an amazing woman if you met her, and uh she was the last known survivor of the diphtheria epidemic in Nome that uh we do the Iditarod now.

2:19

But uh she lived to be a hundred and one, so those are really good years, and she would have been hunting to next month.

2:24

So our hearts go out to the Baxter family and congratulations on living a great life.

2:30

So, with that, our next item of special order business is Chief Etheridge.

2:35

Come on up.

2:40

I have a sweater, but it's too hot, so I'm not gonna put it on.

3:07

This is a proclamation in recognition of Chief Richard Etheridge.

3:11

Whereas the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly is honored to recognize the many accomplishments, Richard Etheridge, Capital City Fire and Rescue Fire Chief, and whereas on December 31st, 2025, after a 27-year career with the city and 33 years in public safety, Chief Etheridge will be retiring.

3:29

And whereas Chief Etheridge has been the fire chief for the CBJ since 2020 2010, and whereas Chief Etheridge's career in emergency services began in the summer of 1961 as a wild line firefighter for the state of Alaska Division of Forestry on the Kenai Peninsula, and whereas in 1992, he joined the Glacier Volunteer Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter and EMT.

3:53

And whereas after pursuing an opportunity to expand his public safety background as an Alaska State Trooper from 1998 to 2020, Chief Etheridge returned to Capital City Fire Rescue as the fire prevention officer, and whereas Chief Etheridge has engaged in his community and profession serving on the local emergency planning committee board, the Alaska Arson Invest Investigators Board of Directors, Alaska Municipal League, and as a president of the Alaska Fire Chiefs Association.

4:22

And whereas during the COVID pandemic, Chief Etheridge responded with quick and effective coordination of mobile testing sites around town and at the airport, supported the vaccine rollout, and assisted with the development of mobile and integrated health program.

4:38

And whereas Chief Etherit in collaboration with city leadership recognized gaps in the availability and reach of critical community services and led the development of the CARES program to strengthen and expand care for those most in need, setting a new standard of coordination and excellence.

4:56

And whereas Chief Ethridge's general stewardship of the department helped evolve their approach to a medical first approach.

5:02

And whereas in his retirement, Chief Etheridge will focus on his growing woodworking business.

5:07

He makes excellent pens.

5:09

Now, therefore, I Beth A.

5:10

Weldon, mayor of the City and Borough of Jeno, Alaska and the City and Borough Assembly do hereby express our sincere appreciation and thanks to Chief Richard Etheridge for his long-standing commitment to public safety and our community and highly commend him for the manner in which he has carried out his duties and responsibilities.

5:33

We're not done.

5:40

But thank you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████19%
Affordable Housing█████████████13%
Emergency Management████████████12%
Historic Preservation██████████10%
Economic Development█████████9%
Budget Equity Analysis█████████9%
Public Safety█████5%
Facility Management█████5%
Personnel Matters█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Juneau Assembly Meeting Summary: January 12, 2026

The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly convened on January 12, 2026, for a regular meeting that began with a tribute to the late long-time city resident Jurdis Baxter and a proclamation honoring Fire Chief Richard Etheridge on his retirement. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a staff report on the ongoing response to the December 2025–January 2026 winter storm, including avalanche mitigation efforts in the Baron's subdivision and flood mitigation advocacy in Washington, D.C. Public testimony heavily focused on opposition to the Telephone Hill redevelopment plan, with residents and developers arguing against demolishing existing housing and proposing alternative strategies. The Assembly approved a capital improvement budget transfer for the new Municipal Building (Burns Building) after failing to pass amendments that would have reduced the scope or allocated funds to the Lemon Creek Multimodal Path.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the minutes from the December 17, 2025 special assembly meeting.
  • Approved the minutes from the December 15, 2025 regular assembly meeting.
  • Approved the consent agenda as amended by the removal of Transfer Request T2606 for separate discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Max Rosen (Baron's neighborhood, speaking for the Friends of the Juneau Public Libraries): Expressed full support for public libraries as essential civic spaces and urged the Assembly to maintain the library budget as a core community service despite fiscal challenges.
  • Heather Marlowe (Oak Bay/Satellite Harbor): Suggested the Assembly initiate outreach to private property owners downtown (including the Bill Ray Center) to identify barriers to development, proposing a target of 250+ new units and offering to provide a detailed grid of property profiles.
  • Larry Tally (Flats): Expressed strong opposition to the Telephone Hill demolition project, arguing it is financially infeasible and calls for the $9 million budget to be used to build approximately 43-180 new housing units instead of demolishing existing ones; supported a seminar on infill and incremental development.
  • Tony Tangs (Downtown): Expressed opposition to the process used to initiate the Telephone Hill project, criticizing former City Manager Rory Watt for bypassing public input and for proceeding with infrastructure upgrades before Assembly approval, describing the action as improper.
  • Joshua Adams (Downtown, incremental developer and resident of the Bosch Kerrigan House): Expressed strong opposition to the planned demolition of the historic Bosch Kerrigan House on Telephone Hill, emphasizing its unique architectural value and warning against the destruction of the neighborhood's history.
  • Catherine Fritz (Highlands): Expressed strong opposition to the Telephone Hill project, characterizing the demolition without a viable development plan as reckless and irresponsible, and advocated for "Concept D" (selling existing homes for infill) as a superior, cost-effective alternative.
  • Susan Clark (Flats): Expressed concern that Third Street serves as a significant safety and access bottleneck for the proposed Telephone Hill development, noting the city has no plan to widen the street despite recent infrastructure spending.
  • Paige Bridges (Carroll Way/Downtown): Expressed opposition to the Telephone Hill plan, arguing that the community needs green space and a park in the downtown area rather than housing, and voiced frustration that the current plan risks failing to produce the promised housing outcomes.
  • Bruce Simonson (Downtown): Submitted five specific questions demanding clarity on the number of affordable units, the identity of developers who lobbied for demolition, the total taxpayer cost, the costs/benefits of keeping current homes, and the tools available to ensure community vision is met after the property is transferred to private sector control.
  • Mary Alice McKean (Downtown): Expressed concern that the project as described will not meet public targets due to a proposed design yielding only 87 units (a 44% reduction from the 155-unit goal) and advocated for a comparison of demolition versus "Concept D" (incremental infill).
  • Angie Menbyer/McBride (Downtown): Expressed opposition to the Telephone Hill demolition, stating it would not result in affordable housing due to high construction costs on the hill and urging the city to sell existing parcels and reinvest those funds into infill or other redevelopment strategies.

Discussion Items

  • Proclamation for Chief Richard Etheridge: The Assembly unanimously approved a proclamation recognizing Chief Etheridge for his 27-year career with the City and 33 years in public safety, highlighting his retirement after leading the CARES program and his role during the pandemic.
  • Winter Storm and Avalanche Response: City Manager provided a detailed update on the December 2025–January 2026 winter storm, noting the state disaster declaration, the evacuation of the Baron's subdivision (approximately 50 peak shelter residents), and the relocation of cold weather shelter residents from Marie Drake to Glacier Valley due to structural snow load concerns. Staff confirmed the suspension of Capital Transit service on the Glacier Avenue section of the Baron's path and the use of an "Avalanche Monster" and helicopter monitoring for the upcoming weather event.
  • Advocacy for GLOF Mitigation: City Manager reported on a week-long trip to Washington, D.C., meeting with federal officials to discuss long-term flood mitigation. Updates included meetings with the Army Corps of Engineers, HUD, FEMA, and the Forest Service, with a focus on advancing the Water Resources Development Act (WRA) and securing funding for Phase Two.
  • Transfer Request T2606 (Municipal Building): The Assembly debated a transfer of $20,586,040 from various Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs) to fund the purchase and renovation of the Burns Building for the new Municipal Building.
    • Ms. Hughes Scandis introduced an amendment to delete funding for the Lemon Creek Multimodal Path (CIP D12-100) to be backfilled by general funds; this amendment failed 4-4.
    • Mr. Brooks introduced an amendment to reduce the transfer amount to $14,586,040 from specific CIP accounts; this amendment failed 1-7.
    • The original motion for the full transfer amount carried 7-1.

Key Outcomes

  • Approval of Capital Transfer: Transfer Request T2606 was approved, authorizing a transfer of $20,586,040 from various CIP accounts to CIP D12-112 (Municipal Building) for the purchase and renovation of the Burns Building.
  • Ordinance Adoption:
    • Ordinance 2025-01BX adopted to transfer $200,000 from the General Fund back to the Marine Passenger Fee Fund.
    • Ordinance 2025-44 adopted to amend the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Fine Schedule to include fines related to vehicle standards.
  • Capital Priorities: The FY 2027 CBJ Legislative Capital Priorities List was formally adopted via resolution.
  • Appointments:
    • Reappointed Douglas Saylett to the Board of Equalization.
    • Appointed Laurel Shoop and Michael Beasley to the Douglas Advisory Board.
    • Appointed Teresa Ross, Travis Wolf, and Britta Tonenson to the Local Emergency Planning Committee.
  • Mayor's Report: Announced the drafting of legislation to convert the Eagle Crest advisory board from an empowered board to an advisory board due to recent executive director and chair resignations and financial issues.
  • Committee Reports: Scheduled next Committee of the Whole for January 26 (focusing on Douglas West Area Plan and Assembly Goals), with specific liaison reports provided on planning, housing, and Eagle Crest status.

Meeting Transcript

We will bring the regular assembly meeting to order for January 12th, 2026. Mr. Kelly, will you lead us in the flag salute? Thank you, Mr. Kelly. Mr. Steininger, will you um read our land acknowledgement, please we would like to acknowledge that City and Borough of Juneau is on Clinkett Land and wish to honor the indigenous people of this land. For more than 10,000 years, Alaska Native people have been and continue to be integral to the well-being of our community. We're grateful to be in this place, a part of this community and to honor the culture, traditions, and resilience of the Klinker people. So thank you for that, Mr. Steininger. Madam Clark, will you call role, please? Thank you, Madam Mayor. Deputy Mayor Smith. Ms. Hughes Candies. Here, Ms. Wall. Present. Mr. Kelly. Here. Ms. Adkisson. Here. Mr. Steininger. Here. Mr. Brooks. Here. You have Quorum for the rec. Oh, Madam Mayor. Here. You have quorum, and for the record, Ms. Hall is absent. Thank you for that, Madam Clerk. Um, so special order of business. We do have one item, although I want to make a quick mention. On January 5th, we lost a long, long time Genoite, uh, Jurdis Baxter. Um, and I see a grandson, correct, Corey in the audience today. So Juris was an amazing woman if you met her, and uh she was the last known survivor of the diphtheria epidemic in Nome that uh we do the Iditarod now. But uh she lived to be a hundred and one, so those are really good years, and she would have been hunting to next month. So our hearts go out to the Baxter family and congratulations on living a great life. So, with that, our next item of special order business is Chief Etheridge. Come on up. I have a sweater, but it's too hot, so I'm not gonna put it on. This is a proclamation in recognition of Chief Richard Etheridge. Whereas the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly is honored to recognize the many accomplishments, Richard Etheridge, Capital City Fire and Rescue Fire Chief, and whereas on December 31st, 2025, after a 27-year career with the city and 33 years in public safety, Chief Etheridge will be retiring. And whereas Chief Etheridge has been the fire chief for the CBJ since 2020 2010, and whereas Chief Etheridge's career in emergency services began in the summer of 1961 as a wild line firefighter for the state of Alaska Division of Forestry on the Kenai Peninsula, and whereas in 1992, he joined the Glacier Volunteer Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter and EMT.

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