Tacoma City Business Preview - Week of January 21, 2014

Many City offices, including all of the administrative offices in the Tacoma Municipal Building, will be closed in observance of the MLK Day holiday today. Maybe for that reason it's a pretty light week as far as the City Council agenda is concerned.

STAR Project

The main topic on the agenda for this week's City Council study session is an overview of something called the STAR Project. In November Tacoma was the first of 30 communities to receive certification in a pilot program rating community livability and sustainability. Tacoma was awarded four out of five stars by the assessment, which evaluates communities in a variety of categories.  Some of the areas that Tacoma did particularly well in include: built environment; climate and energy; education, arts and community; and natural systems. Tacoma showed room for improvement in the economy and jobs, equity and empowerment, and health and safety categories. The City Manager intends to use the STAR framework as a way of identifying opportunities for improvement, and measuring Tacoma's progress going forward.

Purchase Resolution

The first of three purchase resolutions would award $1,497,109, budgeted from the Streets Special Revenue, Surface Water, and Wastewater Funds, for the construction of permanent pavement and related improvements, including sewers, for five alleys located within Local Improvement Districts in Tacoma's North End. The winning bid came in nearly 20% below pre-bid estimates.

A second purchase resolution would award $235,108, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Wastewater Fund, for 25 Rotork Valve actuators for the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Automation Project to automate processes for more efficient operation of the treatment plant.

The third and final purchase resolution would award $880,000, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Treasury Operation Fund, to Wells Fargo Bank for general banking services and merchant bankcard services.

Other Items

Last week we heard the first reading of an ordinance on the consent agenda that would vacate a portion of Milwaukee Way between East 11th Street and Lincoln Avenue to the Port of Tacoma. The deal dates all the way back to a 1994 agreement between the City and the Port that was never finalized, relating to the planning and construction of Highway 509.

We will also hear the final reading of two ordinances relating to rates of pay and compensation for several groups of represented City employees; those two ordinances got their first readings last week as well.

A resolution on this week's agenda would appoint and reappoint six individuals to the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority Board.