Tacoma City Business Preview - Week of July 30, 2013

Q2 Financial Report: 

At this week’s City Council study session, staff will provide an update on the City’s revenues and expenditures through the second quarter of 2013.

Transportation Benefit District Board Meeting

This week we’ll see another meeting of Tacoma’s Transportation Benefit District Governing Board (a.k.a. Tacoma City Council). The meeting will take place on Tuesday at 5:30 pm, as a part of the regular City Council meeting. The board will hear the first reading of an ordinance to establish a TBD fund to be managed by the City’s Finance Director, and to transfer $4,098,489 to the Streets Special Revenue Fund to pay for costs associated with transportation improvements, bicycle/pedestrian, freight mobility, and transit enhancements.

Unanticipated Revenues

A matching ordinance on the agenda for this week’s regular City Council meeting would amend the City’s 2013-14 biennial budget to appropriate funds for “unanticipated expenditures and other budget adjustments.” Revenues and expenditures for the TBD were included in the General Fund’s 2013-2014 Adopted Budget. It has been determined the TBD activity must be accounted for in a separate special revenue fund. This ordinance moves $4,098,489 from the General Fund to the TBD Fund. Other Changes included in the ordinance would adjust the underestimated mental health sales tax numbers, moving $2,950,197 in additional revenues to fund additional mental health and chemical dependency outreach programs. Additionally, due to the recent increase in development activities, Permit Services is experiencing higher than anticipated revenues, $2,148,714 of which it would like to use to stabilize current business operations and adjust staffing levels accordingly. Unanticipated revenues are better budget news than unanticipated expenditures.

Utility Tax

Last week Council voted to put City of Tacoma Proposition 1 on the November ballot. The proposition would add a 2% tax on utility company earnings to fund street improvements in Tacoma. In a pretty quick follow-up, a resolution appears on this week’s agenda appointing individuals to “for” and “against” committees, which will prepare statements to appear in the voter’s pamphlet. Individuals recommended for both committees won’t be available until Tuesday’s 9 am special meeting of the Government Performance and Finance Committee. If you’re feeling like this whole thing is a little rushed, you’re not alone.

General Fund Reserve

A resolution on this week’s agenda would amend the City of Tacoma’s General Fund Reserve Policy to state that reserves should be maintained between 10% and 20% of projected annual expenditures. That would be an increase from the existing 5% to 15% requirement, following on the heels of recent budget discussions, and coming as the City is already beginning to look at its next biennium budget.

Proctor Garden Property LIne

Another resolution appearing this week would declare surplus approximately 2,190-square-feet of City-owned property in the area of North 21st and Proctor; and authorize the execution of purchase and sale agreements with property owners abutting the Proctor Community Garden in order to cure outstanding encroachments. The sale is being requested in conjunction with Metro Parks’ effort to replace the northern boundary fence on the garden and increase the number of plots by about 14. Existing neighbor’s fences encroach on the City-owned property by approximately eight feet, which the owners have agreed to purchase from the City.

Public Hearing: Sands Open Space

This week’s agenda includes the scheduled public hearing for the open space current use assessment application for the Sands property on South 82nd. Read more on the Sands property and the open space current use assessment tax incentive program from Exit133.

Tacoma Police Department Re-Accreditation: 

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies will be in Tacoma August 4 to examine all aspects of-the Tacoma Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operations and support services. National accreditation is a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence, which only 2% of police agencies nationwide possess. The Tacoma Police Department is the only law enforcement agency in Pierce County to attain or retain this distinction.

As part of the on-site assessment, employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments to the assessment team at a public information session on Monday, August 5, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Tacoma Police Headquarters 3701 South Pine Street - Room 1210.

Other Items

The Mayor will read a proclamation celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Lincoln High School.

A pair of resolutions on this week’s City Council meeting agenda would authorize two 10-year, interest-free loans from WSDOT. The loans for $823,227 and $250,000 with $280,807 and $120,110 matches respectively from the Tacoma Rail Fund, will partially finance track improvements and replacements.

We’ll hear the final reading of the ordinance introduced last week to implement changes to rates of pay and compensation for five represented positions.