Tacoma City Business Preview - Week of May 7, 2013

Public Hearing: Comprehensive Plan Amendment City staff and Council have been working on the 2013 annual amendment to the Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Regulatory Code. On the consent agenda this week is a resolution that would set Tuesday, May 21, as the date for a public hearing by the City Council on the proposed amendments, as recommended by the Planning Commission.

Proposed amendments for 2013 include changes to the Growth Strategy and Development Concept, Generalized Land Use, Transportation, and Shoreline related elements of the Comprehensive Plan, among others. Main subjects addressed include: drive-through facilities, platting and subdivision, signs, adoption and amendment procedures for Comprehensive Plan and land use actions (e.g., moratoria, interim zoning and areawide rezones), land use designations, and Countywide Planning Policies. Find more details on the City website.

Annual Action Plan

Earlier this year the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority and the Human Services Commission reviewed applications for funding from community agencies applying for Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnership, and Emergency Solutions grant funding. TCRA and the Commission heard presentations and assessed the historic performance of applying agencies, and considered alignment with the needs of the community. Agencies with successful applications will be allocated funding.

Federal notification of the City’s annual allocation of those grants has been delayed, but work on an annual action plan has moved ahead based on an estimated 5% reduction in each allocation. A resolution on this week’s agenda would authorize submittal of Tacoma’s 2013-2014 Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for funding various agencies. The 2013-2014 Annual Action Plan combines the submission of applications for the three categories of grants totaling more than $3.5 million. Council is requested to make its funding decisions for submittal to HUD no later than May 7.

Citizen Committee/Board/Commission Changes

Late last year Council requested that staff review Tacoma’s committees, boards, and commissions to better understand their roles and responsibilities, outputs, and connections to policy process and staff resources. The goal of the review was to ensure that the committees, boards, and commissions meet Council needs, have the tools to perform effectively and efficiently in the context of resources and limitations, and have opportunities to connect with Council. Two recommendations coming out of the review were for the implementation of term limits and the inclusion of youth participants on certain commissions.

A resolution on this week’s agenda would support those recommendations, setting term limits at 10 consecutive years; adding two-year youth positions for those between the ages of 16 and 18 to the Human Services Commission, Tacoma Arts Commission, Tacoma Area Commission on Disabilities, and Sustainable Tacoma Commission; and revising the age requirement for participation on all committees, boards, and commissions to 16 years to encourage youth participation in City government.

Another resolution on this week’s agenda proposes some procedural changes to transition the appointments process from the Appointments Committee to the Standing Committees to better align City Boards and Commissions to City Council priorities. These changes would implement staff recommendations again coming out of the recent review of citizen committees, boards, and commissions. The resolution would revise the Council Standing Committee Process Manual to include the functions and purpose of the Council Standing Committees; add a section defining the committees’ specified legislative oversight and guidance responsibilities related to policies, programs, concepts, and initiatives; add a list of citizen committees, boards, and commissions; and address inconsistencies and minor errors in the document.

Transportation Commission

Another change coming out of that review of committees, boards, and commissions will be the creation of a Transportation Commission to advise Council on transportation-related issues, with a focus on the community’s long-term vision for mobility options throughout Tacoma. The Transportation Commission would advise on matters including short-term and long-range transportation planning; compliance with local, regional, and federal transportation regulations; bike, pedestrian, and mass transit-related planning; and parking and capital improvement plans. The 11-member commission would be made up of nine Council-appointed citizens, representing a range of perspectives and expertise, and coming from the five Council districts, along with two non-voting members appointed by the City Manager.

One or more staff-appointed Technical Advisory Groups would also provide specific technical expertise to the Commission on various transportation policy issues, including due diligence screening and research of policy recommendations as input for decisions to be made by the commission. The recommendation is that the Commission have the current Parking Advisory Task Force serve as the Parking TAG and the current Bicycle & Pedestrian Action Committee serve as the Bicycle & Pedestrian TAG.

City Events & Recognition Committee

Also coming out of the review of committees, boards, and commissions is the establishment of a City Events and Recognition Committee for the purpose of planning and fundraising for City-hosted observation and recognition events such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration and the City of Destiny Awards. The Committee would serve as an advisory and action committee for the City on matters pertaining to City-hosted events and special recognition programs and be responsible for planning, reviewing, and evaluating events. The Committee would be expected to engage the broader Tacoma community in fundraising efforts and the solicitation of corporate and private sponsorships to leverage funds for the events. The nine-member committee would consist of residents from each of Tacoma’s five Council Districts, and represent a range of perspectives and expertise focused on the City’s commitment to celebrate civic engagement and special observances

A resolution on this week’s agenda would create that committee, along with one or more staff-appointed subcommittees to provide additional assistance in the planning and implementation of various events. The existing Citizens Recognition Committee would become the City Volunteer Appreciation Events sub-committee.

Rules of Procedure

A final resolution on this week’s agenda would make some changes to the Rules of Procedure for the Council.

 

• Expanding Council telephonic participation to include Council and Special meetings using the rules currently in place for study sessions and committee meetings;

 

• Allowing flexibility to allow more than two proclamations to be presented at a Council meeting

 

• Removing the Appointments Committee effective after July 1, 2013;

 

• Correcting inconsistencies and minor errors.

Final Readings

Council is also scheduled to hear the final readings of all five ordinances that got first readings at last week’s City Council meeting). Those ordinances would make changes to the City’s LEAP program, implement pay changes for non-represented City employees, amend Tacoma’s building code to better protect historic structures, remove references to the City’s Parking Advisory Task Force to allow for creation of the Transportation Commission, and amend the 2013-14 budget to account for appropriations from the last biennium budget, including $500,000 to begin work on a transportation master plan for Tacoma.

Sewer Pipe Replacement

The one item on this week’s purchase resolution would award a contract for $1,343,699 budgeted from the Surface Water Fund for the rehabilitation of 28,400 linear feet of 8-inch to 21-inch diameter stormwater sewer pipes using Cured-In-Place pipe technology, as part of the Stormwater Sewer Rehabilitation Project. This is another in the long list of projects to replace Tacoma’s crumbling water management infrastructure. The bid for this project came in 31% below the pre-bid estimate.

Point Defiance Charrette

Metro Parks is in the process of updating the Program Plan for Point Defiance Park and further developing past suggestions from the public for programs and activities. They’re looking for more input on what the public thinks will best enhance the experience and honor the character of Point Defiance. The public will have a chance to learn about preliminary plans, provide input on interest areas within the park, and participate in a survey at a charrette scheduled for today (Tuesday, May 7th) from 3 to 5 p.m. or at a later session from 6 to 8 p.m. Invite your friends. Admission is free, but RSVPs are requested to hold your space. More details and RSVP online at www.metroparkstacoma.org.

City of Destiny Awards

The 2013 City of Destiny Awards will be presented this Tuesday, May 7, at 7 p.m., in the Stadium High School Auditorium. This is the 27th annual event to honor Tacoma’s top volunteers. This year’s recipients are:

 

• Youth Leadership – May Luu

 

• Youth Service – Tatiana Mason

 

• Youth Group – Zoo Guides

 

• Adult Leadership – Adria Farber

 

• Adult Sustained Service – Donna Buck

 

• Environmental Sustainability – Lincoln Tree Farm Counselors

 

• Employee Group or Union Group Award – Intemational Association of Machinists District 751

 

• Neighborhood Group – The Zina Linnik Project

 

• Community Partnership – Dr. Gordy Klatt and The Tacoma Relay for Life Volunteers

Dome30

In honor of the Tacoma Dome’s 30 year anniversary, “Dome30” will be a year-long celebration with a series of celebratory activities through April 2014. Residents will be asked to share their fondest memories of the Dome, either at dome30@tacomadome.org, or by visiting a video booth the next time they attend an event at the Dome. The interior of the Dome will be transformed into a living time line, highlighted with recollections, photos, and Dome memorabilia. What’s your fondest Tacoma Dome memory?

Other Items

First on the agenda for this week’s City Council study session is a legislative update. Second on the agenda is a summary of the City’s Round 3 Safe, Clean and Attractive Teams.

The Mayor will proclaim the month of May 2013 as “Puget Sound Starts Here Month.”