Juneau residents have a chance to share their thoughts on two important ordinances under consideration by the Juneau Assembly.
On Monday, July 20, they will consider an emergency ordinance requiring face masks in certain indoor settings during the 5:30 p.m. Special Assembly Meeting (agenda). Later that evening, during the regular Assembly Meeting at 7 p.m., they will hear from the public regarding plans to establish a “systemic racism” review committee. (agenda).
The Assembly is scheduled to take action on the mask mandate which would require people to wear a face covering at public indoor locations or indoor communal areas outside the home. Exceptions are made for people with disabilities or young children. It is nearly identical to the controversial mask mandate in Anchorage and would take effect immediately.
As this is an emergency ordinance, it requires six Assembly votes to pass. Read the ordinance here.
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With regard to the racism review committee, the Assembly will take public comment but will not make a final determination on the plan. The ordinance would establish a seven-member systemic racism review committee charged with reviewing all Assembly legislation to determine whether any law is tainted with so-called “systemic racism.” The review board would present its opinion to the Assembly on each and every law along with options for “curing” any suspected or perceived systemic racism. Read the ordinance here.
To provide public comment, call the clerk at 586-0215 or send an email to City.Clerk@juneau.org by 3 p.m. July 20 and provide your full name, email address, the phone number you’ll be calling from, and the agenda topic(s) on which you wish to testify. You can also testify by clicking the “Raise Hand” button (online Zoom Webinar) or press *9 (telephone) when those items come up on the agenda. Testimony time will be limited based on the number of participants. Members of the public are encouraged to send their comments in advance of the meeting to BoroughAssembly@juneau.org.
The public can listen to the audio or watch the meeting in a few different ways: connect directly to the Zoom Webinar, call 1-346-248-7799 and enter Webinar ID 946 8471 8036; or watch on Facebook Live.
