Sneak Peek: City Council This Week

Budget

It’s no surprise that this week’s City Council Study Session will include more budget-related discussions. This Tuesday’s Study Session budget-related topics will include discussion on the budget direction and outside agency contracts, a conversation on Council initiated revenue enhancements.

Pierce County Flood Control Zone District

At tomorrow’s study session the Council will also hear an update on the Pierce County Flood Control Zone District. The implementation of the District has not exactly been free of controversy. Created in 2010, and then disolved in 2011, it has faced challenges over the public process and right to tax. The challenges have come primarily from areas of the county that don’t feel the added tax burden will be proportional to the benefit they will derive. The initial ordinance passed with a five dollar flat rate for all parcels, but the number discussed in the long-run is more in the neighborhood of ten cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The County and supporters of the idea of the District haven’t given up, and it will be interesting to see where we stand now.

City Council Meeting Agenda Items

Most of that long list of ordinances we heard first readings of at last week’s Council meeting will be up for a final reading this week. This includes three each pertaining to property taxes, and to personnel and compensation adjustments to the municipal code. The Shoreline Master Program amendments will be pushed out to next week, so that both Council and the public can have the long weekend to mull over the proposed changes. We know we’ll be mulling for sure. See more of this conversation from Exit133 later today.