Tacoma City Business Sneak Peek - Week of April 9, 2012
Parks
The City of Tacoma is in the process of transitioning itself out of the park management and maintenance business, and shifting operation of those park properties under its purview into Metro Parks hands. On Tuesday the Metro Parks Transition Plan Policy Team composed of City and Metro Parks representatives will give a presentation on progress so far to a joint session of Tacoma City Council and the Metro Parks’ Board of Commissioners.
SWAT Truck
The purchase resolution for the Lenco BearCat armored SWAT truck last week stirred a little more comment than the average purchase resolution. It returns this week, this time armed with a little more information. Yes, TPD does have a first-generation Lenco “Bear” SWAT truck, which is different from the smaller, lighter, more maneuverable “BearCat CBRNE” (chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear, and explosives) vehicle currently under consideration, which has such top-shelf technology built into it that it’s a matter of Homeland Security, and so can’t be published. Last week’s City Manager’s report contains more details on the specs and need for the vehicle. It’s a fair amount of detail to wade through. Whether it answers the basic questions raised last week remains to be seen.
Other Resolutions
Other resolutions on this week’s agenda propose appointing and reappointing individuals to the Sustainable Tacoma Commission and the Citizen Review Panel; designating the Swedish Mission Tabernacle as a city landmark, and placing it on the Tacoma Register of Historic Places; and designating Biot, France as a Sister City to Tacoma.
Final Readings
The Council will hear final readings of three ordinances we heard first readings of at last week’s Council meeting.
- Amending the Six-Year Comprehensive Transportation Program to add the Puyallup Avenue Multimodal Improvement project.
- Establishing a Tacoma Power Cumulative Reserve Fund, and depositing $26 million in that fund to allow for flexibility and rate stabilization.
- Amending the Municipal Code to increase rates of pay and compensation for employees represented by Tacoma Police Union, Local 6, International Union of Police Associations.
Future Hearings
Two resolutions before the Council this week set Tuesday, April 24, 2012, at approximately 5:30 p.m. as the date for public hearings on the proposed substantial amendment to the 2011-2012 Annual Action Plan for Housing and Community Development, and the proposed 2012-2013 Annual Action Plan for Housing and Community Development.
Council Public Disclosure
Monday, April 16, a week from today, is the deadline for Council members to submit a “Personal Financial Affairs Statement” to the Public Disclosure Commission.
Citizens’ Forum
And last, but certainly not least, this week is Citizens’ Forum for April. This is your chance to get up and tell the City Council exactly what you think on any issue over which they have jurisdiction.
Filed under: City-Council
11 comments
F fredo April 9, 2012
It is the mission of the city of Tacoma to deliver necessary services in a cost effective manner. Any further discussion of spending increases at a time of multi-million dollar budget shortfalls should be tabled immediately. The raises for city workers and the expensive new SWAT toy should await resolution of current budget problems.
J Jesse April 9, 2012
If I’m understanding the parks thing right, it looks like all inter-city Tacoma parks will be maintained by Metro Parks. That’s a good thing! But, do they have the ability to change a park, create a new one, etc in the downtown core? I hope so! I suggest even giving them the ability to at least semi-maintain some of the city’s vacant lots downtown as temporary parks or gardens.
J jd April 10, 2012
It seems to me that purpose of government (and I’m combining City, State, Federal, Park Boards, School Boards, et al) is to provide for more than simple necessary services. If I’d wanted a life of room, board, and relative safety (heavy on “relative”), I’d have spent a career in the military. In no way am I belittling our Armed Forces here, they’re doing a job that I respect and for which I’m extremely grateful. My point is, that as citizens of Tacoma, we expect certain additional amenities beyond those which may be considered “necessary”.
We pay taxes that at some times may seem burdensome, but allow us to live a life-style to which we’ve become accustomed. It may seem a little selfish, but we expect more than WalMart versions of police and fire departments, we expect more than a couple of vacant lots to call parks, and we expect libraries to be available.
If we want our businesses to thrive and grow, and if we want new businesses to move into our city, we need to offer more than a low tax rate, with the accompanying miserable level of provided services. If low taxes are all you want, Texas appears more than willing and able to meet your needs.
Admittedly, running a vibrant, thriving city like Tacoma is expensive. We could privatize fire, police, and EMS. It could possibly even save us a few dollars by getting rid of those horrible union bastards. But would you rather have a police and fire department that are held accountable by the citizens/taxpayers/voters or or held accountable by their companies’ shareholders? Do you really want the main concern to be the bottom line of an international corporation when life-and-death decisions are being made, or do you want those decisions based on the good and welfare of the community?
The same goes for the rest of our local government. Every time I’ve called the City for help with anything from a simple question about a derelict vehicle, to a question about codes during a remodel, they’ve always been extremely helpful. We’ve got great libraries, great parks, fantastic police and fire, and some of the most amazing pot-holes anywhere!
Thing’s aren’t perfect, and right now we are going through a tough time. But he economy’s on an up-swing, houses are selling again, and unemployment is slowly on its way back down. Let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater and shut down all but the necessary services. And be very, very careful with the term “necessary”… what is necessary to one person, may not be necessary to another.
J Jenny Jenkins April 10, 2012
@jd – I couldn’t agree more. Especially to the point about “necessary” services. And I don’t think that slamming the brakes on every other project in town while we wait for the budget to get fixed is the right answer.
It seems to me that cutting back services and projects too drastically will hurt Tacoma more than help it as the economy turns around. As a potential customer/resident, I’m far more likely to avoid a neighborhood/city because it’s not being maintained than I am to avoid it because of a minor difference in tax rates.
F fredo April 10, 2012
Jenny, I appreciate your comment and agree that the city should receive maintenance. What you failed to respond to is the requirement in the city mission statement that services be provided on a COST EFFECTIVE basis. If a city is running a deficit, then by definition, the services being provided are NOT cost effective.
As far as the “economy turning around” I would note that we can’t continue spending at unsustainable levels just because there are a few positive signs in the general economy. Revenues are down at city hall and that can no longer be ignored.
N NEAL April 10, 2012
good point, fredo.
we could do a couple of things to improve the cost effectiveness of city government:
1. instill a (federal) maximum wage law, to ensure that there more equality, and see to it that whatever is made over that amount is used towards the common good of the community in which they live.
2. set a standard to hold businesses to the same scrutiny that you aspire to hold our government to. If a business wants a tax break to create jobs, give it to them, provided they can prove the number of jobs directly created by the tax break. If they do not meet those criteria, have them reimburse the government for the break they received.
J jd April 11, 2012
@Jenny, please don’t let the comments of our local Eeyore sway you from looking into Tacoma as a wonderful place to live and run a business. Having lived here my whole life, I can tell you that while the economy’s a little tough right now (and everywhere else, as I recall), this is a fantastic city. Without trying to sound too much like the tourism board, we’ve got great neighborhoods, parks, and schools. We’ve got a vibrant restaurant/bar scene. We have nearly endless recreational options within a very short distance.
If I sound a bit like a cheerleader, it’s because I’ve seen this city grow into something that we can be proud of. I suppose I get a little defensive of her when people (actually, just one that I can think of off the top of my head) bad mouth the local government, and what they percieve as an oppressive anti-business attitude.
J jd April 11, 2012
@Fredo, doesn’t cost-effective mean getting bang for your buck? To paraphrase a line from a great movie, “I do not think that term means what you think it means”.
If it’s more cost-effective to buy the SWAT vehicle now for reasons that may be beyond our scope of information, wouldn’t it prudent to get it now? I kind of doubt that anyone in the city is asking for extravagant, wasteful equipment in these economic times. I’m not being naive here, I’m just saying that you may not know all the info on why the TPD is requesting this piece of equipment right now.While the city has fewer dollars to spend these days, that doesn’t mean that we stop looking into cost-effective purchases. That sound fiscally irresponsible to me. Just because you don’t understand, or agree with the way money is being spent, doesn’t mean that we aren’t using what money we do have, wisely.
F fredo April 11, 2012
“I kind of doubt that anyone in the city is asking for extravagant, wasteful equipment in these economic times” jd
The director of Human Resources just spent $14,000 on some custom office furniture.
J jd April 11, 2012
Great point Fredo. They should figure out what the furniture should have cost, and deduct the difference from their paycheck. And it should be done publicly (say, the TNT, TV,etc) to set an example. Hey, look! I think we agree on something!
F fredo April 11, 2012
That will solve the $14K unaffordable extravagence.
Which employee should have to pay for the $2M lost on the Winthrop Hotel fiasco? Will the worker’s salary be sufficient to cover it?