Tacoma City Business Preview - Week of August 14, 2012

Joint Study City/County Study Session
This week the Tacoma City Council will hold a joint study session with the Pierce County Council. Two topics on the agenda:

 
1. The two councils will discuss opportunities for partnership between the City and the County on delivery of services.

 
2. The councils will also discuss state and federal legislative priorities for 2013.

Wages & Benefits
Three items continued from last week’s City Council meeting” relating to collective bargaining agreements for City employee wages and benefits return after a week more of consideration. The two resolutions both authorize collective bargaining agreements with unions. One with Teamsters Local Union No. 117, General Unit (approximately 239 positions), and the second with Local Lodge No. 297 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Yard Clerk Unit (approximately 5 positions). The one ordinance up for a first reading this week amends the Tacoma Municipal Code relating to compensation for these two groups.

Public Hearing Set
Included in this week’s consent agenda is a resolution setting Tuesday, August 28 as the date for a public hearing by the City Council on the proposed amendments to the Land Use Regulatory Code to allow greater flexibility for infill development and the reuse of existing buildings, and to streamline the Land Use Regulatory Code to lower the barriers to infill development and reuse of existing buildings.

The proposed code changes include three components:

 
1. Raising SEPA review thresholds (in line with Resolution 38499 passed earlier this year).

 
2. Expanding the allowances for “live/work” and “work/live” spaces. Changes would allow for more flexibility by relaxing requirements in the Downtown and Mixed-use districts.

 
3. Expanding the parking exemption for existing buildings within commercial districts. This change would apply to changes within existing buildings in commercial districts outside the downtown and mixed-use districts, and would allow a change of use without requiring additional parking.
   Bonus points if you can tell us the difference between “live/work” and “work/live” spaces.

Grants
Two resolutions related to grants on the agenda this week:

 
• One would authorize the submittal of an application for $500,000 to complete funding for phase two of the Thea Foss Waterway Site 11 Esplanade and the northern segment of the adjoining Site 10 Esplanade.
  
  The grant application to the State Community Economic Revitalization Board 2012 Community Revitalization Grant Program. The grant would require a match of 5%, which the City would meet using a budgeted grant of $50,000 from the Puget Sound Regional Council. The grant requires a 5% match, but a 10% match was applied from this existing funding commitment to increase the competitiveness of the application.

 
• The second would accept the 2012 COPS Hiring Program grant for $4,957,620, which would cover salary and benefits for 15 police officers for three years. No matching requirements are included, but the positions must be funded by the department for the fourth year. Acceptance of the grant does not preclude the department from laying off police officers for city-wide budget cuts. The department will be required to continue community policing efforts as outlined in the grant application, and to retain the officer positions awarded, though not the specific officers in those positions.

Purchase Resolution

 
1. $370,547.94, plus sales tax, budgeted from various departmental funds, for the supply and laundering of garments, linens, and other articles for use by various General Government and Tacoma Public Utility departments and divisions, for an initial two-year term, with the option to renew.

 
2. $250,000.00, plus sales tax, budgeted from the General Fund, for semi-ruggedized computer laptops and accessories on an as-needed basis, for an initial one-year term, with the option to renew.

 
3. $344,235.68, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Information Services Fund, for hardware and software maintenance support for the City’s Cisco SMARTnet data network equipment.

 
4. $664,654.55, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Streets Special Revenue Fund, for the North Waterview Street Road Repair project.

 
5. $1,948,087.68, budgeted from the Wastewater and Tacoma Water Funds, for the replacement of approximately 4,400 linear feet of existing wastewater pipe and 3,200 linear feet of water pipe at North 49th to North 42nd Streets from Bristol to Visscher Streets.

Appointments
Appointments will be made to the Human Rights Commission, the Planning Commission, the Sustainable Tacoma Commission, and the Tacoma Arts Commission, and appointing Councilmember Mello to the Pierce County Flood District Advisory Committee.

Citizens’ Forum
It’s everybody’s day this week – it’s Citizens’ Forum time. Bring your concerns, your thanks, and your questions relating to anything over which the Council has jurisdiction, and share them. It’s your three minutes. Ready. Set. Go.