I just read about Juneau's decision to spend some of the collected passenger fees on an appropriation for their life-sized bronze whale sculpture. I'm sure glad their using the money wisely & putting it to good use.
I'm also sure everyone who travels to Juneau won't want to miss that one & someday it'll become one of the main reasons to stop there.

http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/090908/loc_330260443.shtml

Maybe we can all chip in with an extra donation so they can complete the sculpture for next years 50th anniversary celebration.

I don't know if the article in the link changed since it was posted -- but it looks like it was only a proposal. And, it was a proposal that failed, although it was a tied vote.

I'll have to do some research on this, yet I dug up the language for the 2006 Cruise Ship Ballot Initiative proposal, and it seems doubtful that this would have allowed to proceed. It seems pretty clear that the funds were to be used toward improving facilities at the port to "properly provide" for ship visits, safety, and infrastructure. (Of course, "properly provide" is open to interpretation.) There's also a provision that does not allow additional levies to be assessed by municipalities.

I'm still searching for the final language.

I do agree it's rather silly.

They also said "The committee said in August that it would use part of the city seed money to start casting the bronze sculpture, which is being designed by artist Skip Wallen, and also to help in fundraising efforts."
I might be wrong but my bet is that the funds will be used for the sculpture one way of the other & not used for their original intended purpose.

Are you trying to tell us someone is playing the old shell games with us?
They wouldn't do that would they.

The whale sculpture is effectively dead. With so many other projects in the works, the whale proposal was ONLY ever a proposal... the Assembly received so much negative feedback that I don't think they had a choice but to dump it...

-Case