Tacoma City Business Preview - Week of May 12, 2015
Historic Preservation
At this week's City Council Study Session the council will hear an annual update on Historic Preservation Program Annual Update on Historic Preservation program activities in 2014, and what they have planned for 2015.
Also at study session Councilmember Walker will share a Council Consideration Request to provide $50,000 from the Council Contingency Fund and have the City Manager direct the Historic Preservation Office staff to manage a competitive process which would award funding to programs and projects that educate the public about Tacoma's rich history and heritage.
Minimum Wage Task Force
Following last week's creation of the Tacoma Minimum Wage Task Force, this week the council is scheduled to hear a resolution authorizing the use of $30,000 of Council Contingency Funds for the services of a facilitator to work with the task force.
Prairie Line Trail
The City has been working with BNSF for several years now to assemble the property for the Prairie Line Trail. Last year the City acquired a portion of the property it wanted for the linear park running from the Brewery District, through the UW Tacoma campus, to the Foss waterfront esplanade. The property acquired then was a narrower strip at some points, specifically the stretch that lies between the United Way/Children's Museum building and the Tacoma Art Museum.
Now BNSF has agreed to sell the remainder of the property to the City, for $302,400 paid for from 2015-2016 REET funds. BNSF will donate the remaining $757,700 of the $1,057,700 at which the land is valued. A resolution on this week's agenda authorizes the purchase.
Rules of Procedure
Last week we wrote that the city council would be discussing changes to its Rules of Procedure. This week we see at least one proposed change - a resolution scheduled for a first reading would amend the Rules to change the time for city council study session from noon on Tuesdays to 10 a.m., and to remove language related to consulting with the Committee of the Whole.
The change in study session time is intended to allow more time for the Council to meet with staff and constituents and to attend functions in the community that often fall on Tuesdays.
The change to Committee of the Whole will cancel those meetings indefinitely, but not to completely discontinue them - at least not yet. Things that would normally be discussed at CotW would be moved to study session meetings to allow for greater transparency and more efficient use of council time. A special CotW could then be scheduled if needed.
Weyerhaeuser Park
A resolution on this week's agenda would approve the naming of the park at the southwest end of the Foss - 1955, 2101, and 2119 Dock Street - right next to the newly-constructed Henry apartments as “George H. Weyerhaeuser Jr. Park" in honor of the longtime Tacoman's civic leadership and significant contributions to Tacoma, particularly his work around the Foss Waterway.
Citizens' Forum
It's that time again: if there's a matter over which the city council has jurisdiction that you have opinion on, this is your chance to tell them (and us about it). Who wants to go first?
Other Items
An ordinance on this week's consent agenda confirms a recalculated Final Assessment Roll for a Local Improvement District No. for the cost of installing street lights along South 69th Street and Proctor Street.
The week of May 17 through 23, 2015 will be proclaimed as National Public Works Week.
Appointments will be made to the Human Rights Commission and the Human Services Commission.
One purchase resolution appears on this week's regular council meeting agenda, authorizing a $50,000 increase for additional local improvement district enhancements and construction work to complete roadway improvements.