Tacoma City Business Preview - Week of January 8, 2013

For this first full week of City of Tacoma business of 2013 we’ll be one council member short of a full dais, with Jake Fey relocating to his new position in Olympia, and the process of appointing his replacement underway.

Rental Property Regulation
In an ordinance passed in 2011, which went into effect last January, the City Council established a residential provisional rental property license program to prevent and correct problems in residential rental units that might adversely affect the health, safety, and welfare of tenants. An ordinance scheduled for a first reading this week would amend the regulation to address areas identified as needing to be amended, including:

 
• clarification of language

 
• changes to the appeal process

 
• addition of terms to deal with repeat offenders

 
• addition of incentives for first-time offenders to complete repairs in a timely manner

 
• addition of Crime Free Housing class as a license requirement

We’ll hear more details on the proposed amendments at Tuesday’s study session, where staff from Tax and License will present the changes to Council, and again at the first reading at Tuesday’s meeting.

Point Ruston
This week’s consent agenda once again includes resolutions 28116 through 28121, all dealing with LIDs for Point Ruston. These resolutions were on the December 11 and December 18 agendas, but were postponed without comment. Maybe the third time will be the charm.

Telecommunications and City Right-of-Way
A lengthy ordinance authorizing a 10-year telecommunications agreement with Deleware-based telecommunications franchisee Zayo Group, LLC will get a first reading this week. Zayo currently operates a system of fiber optic cable, a portion of which passes through the City as a result of the 2000 City agreement granting a non-exclusive franchise for the use of City right-of-way to Metromedia Fiber Network Services, Inc (Abovenet, Inc acquired Metromedia in 2006, and Zayo subsequently acquired AboveNet). The previous agreement has now expired, and Zayo has applied to continue it. The ordinance is 50 pages long; we’re hoping for a more concise explanation this week.

Wage Increases
This week Council will hear the final reading of Ordinance 28123, which would implement wage increases resulting from collective bargaining agreements. The ordinance got its first reading at the City Council meeting for December 18.

Appointments
A resolution on this week’s agenda would elect Councilmember Campbell to serve as Deputy Mayor for 2013. Another resolution would appoint and reappoint several individuals to the Landmarks Preservation Commission. A final resolution would appoint Council members to various local, state, regional, and national committees, boards, and commissions.

Purchase Resolution
Two items on this week’s purchase resolution would award the following contracts:

 
1. Valley Freightliner, Inc., in the amount of $236,128.40, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Wastewater Fund with partial contribution from the Fleet Services Capital Fund, for one Freightliner cab and chassis with hook lift swap loader; and

 
2. Western Peterbilt, Inc., in the amount of $720,000, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Solid Waste Fund, for a cumulative total of $900,000, to increase the contract for repair services and related parts for vehicles and equipment on an as-needed basis.

We’re not exactly sure what a “hook lift swap loader” is, but according to the supporting documents, it’s a versatile configuration that would improve efficiency, and could replace up to seven less versatile vehicles. The bid for that item is through and interlocal cooperative purchasing agreement with King County, which allows Tacoma to purchase the vehicle for at least 5% below what the purchase would cost if bid today.

Citizens’ Forum
It’s that time again already – time for concerned citizens to weigh in on any issue over which the Council has authority that they feel needs attention. It is January, which means it’s time for all sorts of prognostication over what the coming year will bring. We do have a guess or two of our own, but we’ll let you tell us: what issues do you see being big in 2013?

UPDATE:

Click! Cable vs. Fisher Communications
A resolution was added to this week’s agenda expressing the Council’s wish for Fisher to return to good faith negotiations with Click! over rebroadcast rates for six channels, including KOMO. Read more here