A record-breaking cruise season in Sitka is coming to an end with the prospect of an similarly busy summer on the coming 2024, many are contemplating what the best way Sitka will sustain its tourism growth. A group of Sitkans are calling for a limit for the total number of cruise guests next year. They plan to put the issue to the people in a special vote in the winter.
Sitkan Larry Edwards has drafted an initiative for a ballot before. In 1995 the former employee of a pulp mill initiated a campaign to stop clear cutting.
“It was to create the area of 35 miles around downtown, which could be free and clear,” Edwards says. “It was defeated by 4 votes.”
He is hoping that his latest initiative does not fall into the same trap. When asked if the cruise industry is less or more destructive than log-logging, he smiles and says he’ll think about it. Whatever the case, he believes that it should also be limited.
“It’s pure chaos. I think like the business of cruise believes they are the planning director of the city, and that we must follow its directives,” Edwards says. “I think we should return control.”
This summer cruise ships brought more than 560,000 visitors to Sitka. This was a break from last year’s record and was more than twice as many as any prior year in the history of Sitka. Edwards believes it’s the right the right time to inquire with Sitkans what the ideal bar would be.
“There are a variety of studies which have revealed that around two-thirds people consider it to be out of proportion and it has been for a long time. It’s been a source of controversy in the 90s” Edwards says. “And no one has ever asked…the residents from the municipality in Sitka what they would like and then requested that they decide on a number. The first time, and somebody needed to put their neck out in order to accomplish it.”
Over the last several years, Edwards has been quietly creating an ordinance that would have voters decide if Sitka should create an “port district” on its roads and restrict cruise ship visits to 240,000 in the coming year.
He’s employing Bar Harbor Maine as a model. Similar to Sitka Bar Harbor’s dock for cruise ships is privately owned by the company. In November, voters backed the initiative to restrict the number of cruise ships that can begin next summer, subject to legal proceedings.
“The initiative was to establish a flat limit of 1000 people per day, including crew and passengers, which could be permitted to step off any of the cruise ships that visited town. This is two-to-one,” Edwards says. “It’s extremely strict. The thing I’ve come up with in this proposal is more flexible than that, instead of just being a number that is flat there’s a logic behind the numbers included.”
Edwards has taken the past 20 years of cruise traffic, with more than 200,000 passengers and put the average at the limit. The ordinance also contains an annual cap of 13,000, and daily limits. It also calls for cruise companies to get permits with the city, and give the city regular, up-to-date information regarding the number of passengers and crew members.
Edwards made the ordinance the city’s hall on Friday, (9-15-23) along with signatures from 44 other supporters. At press time, the Municipal Director John Leach hadn’t seen the initiative, and so was unable to discuss its details however, he had anticipated that a ballot initiative was on the way. The day before, Leach issued a statement that addressed the city’s response to tourism, advising that a ballot initiative that seeks to restrict tourism is a matter of legal, constitutional and economic issues.
“My wish was that…we as a city we would be given more opportunities to continue working with people who are involved,” Leach says. “We believed the tourism task force as well as the amazing work we’re doing in the area would get the chance to grow and result in something. Since I believe a deal with stakeholders that isn’t too restrictive is the best way for the future.”
“So having a sense of what was going on I decided that this was the perfect time to put the word out and let everyone know about the dangers and what the risks are about additional restrictive steps.”
He fears that any ballot measure to regulate cruise traffic might cause lawsuits. It’s happened at Bar Harbor where local business owners filed a lawsuit against the city. Federal judges are scheduled to rule in the case shortly.
“There is a significant risk of litigation and the method we’ll have to cover the cost of that litigation should it happens is straight from our fund general. The general fund is the one that provides the public school system, and it covers our infrastructure and also provides for our security,” Leach says. “So the legal costs will need come from somewhere…if we ever get to the point where stakeholders choose to pursue this issue in the legal arena.”
Leach believes it’s the case that city officials are doing all it can to address the increased demand. Apart from the activities that the tourist task force, which the assembled last year, Leach is working along with other Southeast communities to negotiate a deal with the cruise line industry like the “memorandum of understanding” Juneau struck.
However, Edwards believes Sitka must respond more quickly. He believes that the ordinance is pro-tourism, pro-Sitka and simply trying to determine the appropriate size for it. It’s also meant to be a temporary solution.
“So the plan is to provide Sitka the relief that it needs for 2024. Afterwards regardless of whether the outcome is a win or a loss the contest will bring some debate in the air. If Sitka wins, it’ll remain in place for the duration of an entire period of time,” Edwards says. “In the meantime we’ll work together towards the goals we’d like to accomplish in the in the future, in 2030 and after.”
The question of whether Edwards initiative will appear on the ballot is undetermined. The first step is to gather just over 800 signatures, which is a third of the voters who voted in that last election. The deadline is three months for this, but he wants to complete it within three weeks. The ballot prop has to be scrutinized in the eyes of city officials. If it is given the green signal, Sitkans will decide to vote in the special election as early as the beginning of December.
