Tacoma City Business Preview - Week of August 21, 2012

City-Owned Property
A resolution on this week’s City Council meeting agenda would adopt a newly drafted policy for the sale/disposition of City-owned property. This policy establishes guiding principles for which properties should be sold based on whether the properties meet City objectives, a system of classifications for City-owned properties to determine which processes should be used to sell specific properties, and guiding principles for properties sold through direct negotiation.

Poultry & Pigeons
An ordinance up for first reading this week would amend the City’s Municipal Code dealing with “Poultry and Pigeons.” Changes include a change in language from “domestic foul” to “poultry and pigeons,” with poultry defined as “domestic fowl raised for meat or eggs, such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, or geese.” Other changes limit the number of adult birds to six (with a three year grandfather period for existing flocks of greater size), a reduction of setbacks for coops from 50 feet to 12 feet from neighboring residences, and a change of the penalty from criminal to civil. The Sustainable Tacoma Commission initiated the changes to replace current code, which supporting documents suggest may inhibit many residents from pursuing the opportunity to keep poultry, while also limiting a neighbor’s recourse for nuisance control.

Community Budget Input
The main item on this week’s study session agenda is a briefing on the community budget input meetings. Council will hear common themes coming out of that series of meetings. If you have opinions still to share with the council, the online survey is still available through August 31.

South Sound 911
A resolution on the consent agenda for this week’s City Council meeting would authorize the execution of an amendment to the interlocal agreement establishing South Sound 911. The amendment would include the City of Fife as another member agency, and add two seats to the governance board: one for Fife, and one rotating position for a city or town with a population under 50,000 that contracts with South Sound 911.

Purchase Resolution

 
1. $1,919,258.40, budgeted from the Wastewater and Tacoma Water Bond Funds, for the replacement of 2,800 linear feet of wastewater and 1,400 linear feet of water pipes as part of the Wastewater and Water Main Replacement Project in the downtown area.

 
2. $1,700,889.12, budgeted from the 2009 LTGO Bond Series B and E Funds, and the Capital Projects REET Fund, for Old Town Dock repairs.

The current Old Town Dock project replaces deteriorated portions of the dock, installs new hand rails, lighting, and fire suppression, realigns the main breakwater float, installs three new finger floats to allow for transient moorage, and makes upland improvements including meeting Americans with Disability Act requirements. The Old Town Dock restroom project is not included in this contract; staff is working on selecting a design contractor for this work, with an anticipated fourth quarter 2013 completion for that work. This project is scheduled to begin in September 2012 and to be completed in June 2013