Juneau officials tee up more cash for cruise ship lawsuit defense

A pair of Panamax cruise ships docked in downtown Juneau on Aug. 30, 2017. The floating berths have eliminated the need for yellow security fencing and opened up a wide promenade for pedestrians. (Photo by Jacob Resneck/KTOO)
A pair of Panamax cruise ships docked in downtown Juneau on Aug. 30, 2017. The floating berths have eliminated the need for yellow security fencing and opened up a wide promenade for pedestrians. (Photo by Jacob Resneck/KTOO)

Juneau officials are preparing another $250,000 to cover the city’s legal defense against a cruise industry lawsuit.

If approved, it would bring the total commitment to $847,000 since the case began in 2016. On top of that, the head of the city’s finance department is recommending setting aside another $750,000 later.

Juneau Assemblyman Jesse Kiehl chairs the committee that heard the staff request for additional legal defense money on Wednesday.

“You know, it’s not a problem that we were looking for,” Kiehl said. “I think generally the Assembly feels pretty confident that the city’s use of those taxes is appropriate, so we’ll continue to defend the lawsuit. Because we use those monies to serve cruise ships and cruise passengers.”

The Cruise Lines International Association Alaska lawsuit has to do with the city’s collection of a cruise ship passenger tax, also known as the head tax, and how it’s spent. CLIAA thinks the city is spending it on projects and services beyond what federal law authorizes.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated when the case began. The lawsuit was filed in 2016, not 2015. 

Jeremy Hsieh

Local News Reporter, KTOO

I dig into questions about the forces and institutions that shape Juneau, big and small, delightful and outrageous. What stirs you up about how Juneau is built and how the city works?

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