Special Election Set to Vote on Cruise Limitations in Sitka
After three failed attempts, the voices behind Small Town SOUL will finally be putting their ordinance to limit cruise tourism in Sitka, Alaska, in front of voters. The special election will be held this spring.
The non-profit, which has been working to limit cruise tourism in Sitka in order to protect the quality of life within the small island community, learned that the most recent version of their petition had been approved by the city clerk on December 17, 2024.
In its fourth version, the proposal would cap the total number of cruise guest visitors at 4,500 per day and 300,000 per year — which cuts the current arrivals in half. Ships that exceed their authorized limit would be penalized with a fine.
It would also mandate that Sitka would be guaranteed at least one day a week without cruise ship calls – even during the peak Alaska season that runs from May to September.
That said, clerk approval was not the only hurdle Small Town SOUL needed to overcome.
Next, they had to collect at least 613 signatures on their petition from registered voters in a relatively short time period to hold a special election on the matter in Spring of 2025 – which is a benchmark the group has now exceeded.
The petition was certified on Thursday, March 13, 2025, and the special election must be held within 40 to 90 days of certification.
“So the 40- to 90-day clock starts as of yesterday. In order to have that special election according to the charter, 613 valid signatures were required, and they did get more than 613,” Municipal Clerk Sara Peterson told KCAW, a local news outlet, on March 14.
So far, May 30, 2025, has been assigned as the tentative date for the election, pending assembly approval. A special meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, where the assembly will discuss the approval of the ballot ordinance.
If it wins the vote, the ordinance would go into effect some time in 2026.
Are Cruise Limitations Really Necessary?
If you ask the organizers behind Small Town SOUL, who have been trying to get their ordinance approved since 2022, cruise ship limitations are necessary to preserve the quality of life in Sitka.
The group’s mission is to preserve Sitka’s rural designation and small town feeling and to eliminate “excessive cruise tourism,” which they see as something that goes hand in hand with protecting the community’s health, safety, and economy.
“We seek to improve safety, reduce nuisances, and protect the health and wellbeing of Sitka residents by reducing cruise-related overcrowding of people and vehicles on Sitka’s highways, streets, sidewalks, trails, waterways, and public places,” reads the Small Town SOUL website.
There is something to be said for the fact that Sitka only has a population of between 8,000 and 8,500 – with the number of residents easily matched or outnumbered when the maximum number of two large cruise ships are docked at once.
Read Also: Sitka Cruise Port Guide: Terminals, Piers, and What’s Nearby
Sitka also wouldn’t be the first Alaskan city to enact a ban. In fact, it’s following in the footsteps of the popular Juneau, Alaska.
To mitigate overcrowding, Juneau has already implemented an agreement that limits the daily number of cruise ship calls to five per day and the number of daily passengers to a maximum of 16,000. On Saturdays, the number of cruise guests that can come ashore drops to 12,000.
That said, there are some who oppose the ordinance in Sitka because cruise tourism has fostered an economic boom through creating opportunities for new businesses and raising the city’s tax revenue.
A pro-tourism group, called Safeguard Sitka’s Future, formed and ran a “Decline to Sign” campaign while Small Town SOUL was gathering signatures – and likely will be working overtime against the ordinance as the special election nears.