Sneak Peek: Tacoma City Council This Week - 02-20-12

B&O for Nonprofit Healthcare Providers

The proposed changes to the B&O tax exemption currently given to nonprofit healthcare providers are up for a final reading this week. The version on this week’s agenda currently reads (in part), “to reduce the exemption and deduction provided to non-profit healthcare providers to 75 percent of their gross income…” We can expect some changes to the language as written, including a language change requested by Councilmember Mello limiting affected organizations to those with annual gross incomes exceeding $30,000,000. Also, at last week’s meeting, Councilmember Ibsen promised to bring a proposal to fully eliminate the exemption this week, while representatives of the organizations affected requested that the Council change the 75% to 85%. Comments on last week’s first reading were lively and varied, with some opposing, and many supporting the change. We’re guessing we’ll see more lively debate this week.

Downtown Parking

The other item up for final reading this week is the proposed change to the ordinance regarding downtown off-street parking requirements is up for a final reading this week. As originally proposed, the changes would include elimination of minimums, implementation and reduction of maximums, and a ban on new parking lots on primarily pedestrian streets in downtown. Some questions have been raised over the impact of instituting and lowering parking maximums on attracting new businesses to the downtown core, but the reception for the changes seems to be generally fairly warm.

Railroads, Human Rights, and Human Services

We’re looking at several railroad-related resolutions on this week’s City Council meeting agenda – repairs, upgrades, replacements, loans, land purchase, etc. Other resolutions on the agenda propose the authorization of agreements with the Boys and Girls Club, Metro Parks, and Catholic Community Services for the provision of various programs and services.