Water sprays out of a hydrant on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
Juneau residents will see a 5% hike in their water and sewer utility rates starting on Wednesday. Service and program fees at many city parks and recreation facilities will also increase.
The utility rate hikes come after the Juneau Assembly voted last year to increase residential water and sewer rates by 5% annually through 2029. The increases this year are part of the second round of five planned incremental increases.
When the rate hikes were approved, city officials said they were needed to help offset hundreds of millions of dollars in replacements and repairs for the water and sewer system in the coming decade. Juneau’s utility rates have gone up 2% each year since 2020, but those increases haven’t kept pace with inflation or maintenance needs.
The Juneau Assembly is currently considering putting a multimillion-dollar bond question on the municipal ballot this fall to help fund more significant repairs to the city’s water and sewer systems. That decision will be made at a meeting later this month.
In addition to the utility rate increase, users of the city’s various parks and recreation facilities will also see fee hikes. Increases will affect rates at multiple facilities, including Juneau’s pools, the Dimond Park Field House, the Jensen-Olson Arboretum and Treadwell Arena.
The Assembly approved those increases during the city’s difficult budget-making process. The last time parks and recreation were significantly increased was in 2021. The Assembly opted against closing Juneau’s pools and Dimond Park Field House after public outcry, but voted in favor of closing the Mount Jumbo Gym on Douglas Island.
A citizen ballot proposition seeks to add a new seasonal sales tax intended to boost funding for the city’s recreational facilities and will appear on the local ballot in the fall election.
