Tacoma City Council Meeting - December 18, 2012

CONSENT AGENDA

RESOLUTIONS

Resolution No. 38584 Approving the final plat of “Wapato Ridge”, a 14-lot single-family residential subdivision located at 1731 South 60th Street. (Lindie Lane, LLC.; File No. PLT2012-40000190867) [Dustin Lawrence, Senior Planner; Peter Huffman, Interim Director, Planning and Development Services]

Resolution No. 38585 Authorizing the execution of an interlocal agreement with the City of Fife to provide jail services for a ten-year term through December 31, 2022.[James Howatson, Captain; Don Ramsdell, Police Chief]

Resolution No. 38586 Authorizing the execution of an interlocal agreement with the City of Fife to utilize the City of Fife’s Electronic Home Monitoring Program services for a two-year term commencing on January 1, 2013 with the option to renew for additional successive one-year terms. [James Howatson, Captain; Don Ramsdell, Police Chief]

FINAL READING OF ORDINANCES

Ordinance No. 27579 Vacating a portion of South Alder Street, in the vicinity of South 8th Street, for construction of a single-family home. (Robert Sonneman; File No. 124.1243) [Rich Price, Real Estate Specialist; Dick McKinley, Director, Public Works]

Ordinance No. 28025 Vacating a portion of the alley right-of-way located between South Lawrence and South Alder Streets south of South 45th Street, to create a private drive. (Alder Street Apartments, LLC; File No. 124.1317) [Rich Price, Real Estate Specialist; Dick McKinley, Director, Public Works]

Ordinance No. 28116 (First and Final Reading) (Continued from the meeting of December 11, 2012) Approving and confirming the Assessment Roll for LID No. 3967 for the construction of sanitary sewer mains located within the Town of Ruston and the City of Tacoma to serve the Point Ruston development. [Ralph Rodriguez, L.I.D. Administrator; Phyllis Macleod, Hearing Examiner]

Ordinance No. 28117 (First and Final Reading) (Continued from the meeting of December 11, 2012) Approving and confirming the Assessment Roll for LID No. 5728 for the construction of 12-inch water mains located within the Town of Ruston and the City of Tacoma to serve the Point Ruston development. [Ralph Rodriguez, L.I.D. Administrator; Phyllis Macleod, Hearing Examiner]

Ordinance No. 28118 (First and Final Reading) (Continued from the meeting of December 11, 2012) Approving and confirming the Assessment Roll for LID No. 6980 for the installation of street lighting located within the Town of Ruston and the City of Tacoma to serve the Point Ruston development. [Ralph Rodriguez, L.I.D. Administrator; Phyllis Macleod, Hearing Examiner]

Ordinance No. 28119 (First and Final Reading) (Continued from the meeting of December 11, 2012) Approving and confirming the Assessment Roll for LID No. 7726 for the installation of underground primary electrical distribution, utilities, telephone, and cable TV lines located within the City of Tacoma to serve the Point Ruston development. [Ralph Rodriguez, L.I.D. Administrator; Phyllis Macleod, Hearing Examiner]

Ordinance No. 28120 (First and Final Reading) (Continued from the meeting of December 11, 2012) Approving and confirming the Assessment Roll for LID No. 7727 for the installation of underground primary electrical and distribution feeder systems located within the Town of Ruston in the Point Ruston neighborhood. [Ralph Rodriguez, L.I.D. Administrator; Phyllis Macleod, Hearing Examiner]

Ordinance No. 28121 (First and Final Reading) (Continued from the meeting of December 11, 2012) Approving and confirming the Assessment Roll for LID No. 8656 for the installation of concrete curbs and gutters, storm drain lines and stormwater catch basins, sidewalks, and a multiuse path and landscaping located within the Town of Ruston and the City of Tacoma in the Point Ruston neighborhood. [Ralph Rodriguez, L.I.D. Administrator; Phyllis Macleod, Hearing Examiner]

Ordinances 28116 throuth 28121 were once again deferred, this time moved to the January 8, 2013 meeting. The remainder of the consent agenda passed without comment.

PROCLAMATIONS, RECOGNITIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Council honored Senator Debbie Regala of the 27th Legislative District’s lifetime of public service, and wished her a long and happy retirement. Mayor Strickland thanked her for her service and sacrifice, and her efforts and accomplishments that have made Tacoma and Washington State a better place.
• In honor of the 100th anniversary of Brown and Haley candies in Tacoma, the Mayor proclaimed December 18, 2012 as Brown and Haley Roca Buttercrunch Day in the City of Tacoma, and encouraged residents of Tacoma and elsewhere to celebrate by enjoying the full family of buttercrunch candies. An interesting factoid: B&H makes 100% of its roca and mountain bar products in Tacoma – an average of 65,000 pounds of roca a day.
• The Human Rights Commission awarded its fourth quarter Human Rights Champion Award to Teri Wood, in recognition of her work to advance human rights in the City of Tacoma through her work with the Eastside Neighborhood Council; Pierce County AIDS Foundation; the Dometop Neighborhood Alliance; and as member, vice chair, and chair of the Human Rights Commission.

PUBLIC COMMENT
The majority of public comment this week came from members of the public thanking the council members who brought forward Resolution 38596, which supports an amendment to the United States Constitution to regulate corporate political spending and campaign financing.

REGULAR AGENDA

RESOLUTIONS
Resolution No. 38574 (Continued from the meeting November 27, 2012) Authorizing the execution of a Multi-Family Housing 12-Year Limited Property Tax Exemption Agreement with SNR Northwest Properties, LLC, for the development of six market-rate multi-family rental housing units, located at 4549 South Puget Sound Avenue in the Tacoma Mall Mixed-Use Center. [James Colburn, Associate Planner; Ricardo Noguera, Director, Community and Economic Development]

The project is to build six new market rate and affordable housing units on a currently vacant lot near the Tacoma Mall. The tax incentive is designed to encourage development that will generate greater tax revenue in the long run, and raise property values. The land itself will continue to generate tax revue during the 12 years that the new construction improvements qualify for the tax exemption.

Purchase Resolution No. 38587 Awarding contracts to:

1. Print NW, in the amount of $7,864,488.39, plus sales tax, budgeted from various departmental funds, for on-call printing and binding services for an initial three-year term with the option to renew for two additional one-year terms, for a projected contract total of $13,107,480.65 – Specification No. CT12-0526F [Kathy Katterhagen, Procurement and Payables Manager; Steve Call, Interim Director, Finance];
2. Pease & Sons, Inc., on its bid of $1,124,080.00, plus a 20 percent contingency, for a cumulative total of $1,348,896.00, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Surface Water Fund, for construction of the Flett Creek Pump Station Upgrade Project – Specification No. PW12-0541F [John O’Loughlin, Science and Engineering Division Manager; Michael P. Slevin III, P.E., Interim Director, Environmental Services];
3. IPL Inc., in the amount of $3,227,862.42, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Solid Waste Fund, to increase and extend the contract for 30-, 60-, and 90-gallon plastic containers, for a cumulative total of $5,709,278.53; and Toter Inc., in the amount of $945,221.76, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Solid Waste Fund, to increase and extend the contract for 45-gallon plastic containers, for a cumulative total of $1,094,153.76 – Specification No. PW11-0195F [Gary Kato, Acting Division Manager, Solid Waste Management; Michael P. Slevin III, P.E., Interim Director, Environmental Services]; and
4. Tacoma Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau, in the amount of $325,000.00, sales tax not applicable, budgeted from the Convention Center Operation Fund, for marketing and promotion services to support destination and tourism development for the City for an initial one-year term, with the option to renew for one additional one-year term for a projected contract total of $650,000.00 – Direct Negotiation [Jon Houg, Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center; Kim Bedier, Director, Public Assembly Facilities].

In order to be in compliance with a requirement of a storefront presence in Tacoma, Print NW will open a shop in the city. The purchases of garbage bins comes as public works ramps up to implement every-other-week garbage pick-up across Tacoma. The 45-gallon bins are a new size, introduced to replace the existing 20-gallon bins, which are currently the smallest available, so we will still have the same number of options, but the smallest will now be 30 gallons. Councilmember Boe recused himself from the vote to avoid any potential for the appearance of a conflict of interest on item 2.

Resolution No. 38588 Approving the General Government Fee Schedule for special and miscellaneous services to include charges to the public for various departmental services. [Doris Sorum, City Clerk; Elizabeth Pauli, City Attorney]

The fees for services here are those not otherwise accounted for in the TMC. This set of amendments includes changes to reflect departmental changes that came out of this year’s budget process, to remove obsolete line items, and to modify the event permitting structure.

Resolution No. 38589 Authorizing the defeasance of certain outstanding Electric System Revenue Bonds, 2005 Series A, 2005 Series B, and Series 2007. [Bill Berry, Rates, Planning, and Analysis Manager; Ted Coates, Superintendent, Tacoma Power]

This item would authorize TPU to use its reserves to pay off bonds in 2013 and 2014, resulting in lower rate increases – a 2.4% rate increase – and stabilized rates for the next couple years.

Resolution No. 38590 Authorizing the execution of a 30-year Operating and Option to Purchase Agreement between Tacoma Rail Mountain Division and Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad for an approximately 30-mile segment of rail line between the towns of Eatonville and Morton. [Alan Matheson, Roadmaster; Dale King, Superintendent, Tacoma Rail]

The 30-year agreement will allow the currently operating Mount Rainier Scenic trains to continue operating, while reducing maintenance costs for Tacoma Rail on that portion of the rail line. Councilmember Boe recused himself to avoid any potential of the appearance of conflict of interest.

Resolution No. 38591 Declaring surplus approximately 6,550 square feet of City-owned property located at 5514 North 48th Street; and authorizing the conveyance of said property to Lewis and Carol Mann, in the amount of $60,400. [Troy Stevens, Senior Real Estate Specialist; Dick McKinley, Director, Public Works]

The property in question has been classified as tier three property in the City’s new classification system for selling City-owned property. This resolution authorizes the sale of City-owned property to the nearby owners, who have been maintaining the land, and are interested in purchasing it at or near its assessed value.

*Resolution No. 38592 Authorizing the submittal of a grant application to the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board, in the amount of $150,000, to fund infrastructure improvements at 301 East 11th Street. [Ian Munce, Acting Manager, Long-Range Planning; Ricardo Noguera, Director, Community and Economic Development]

A substitute ordinance passed, authorizing the application for a low-interest loan of up to $300,000 from the CERB to fund the improvements, which it would work on with the business. If the City is awarded the loan, it will come back to Council for an okay on the specific terms. The hope here is to attract the business to a location with funding for what improvements to curbs, gutters, sidewalks, etc, which would otherwise be an added burden for a developer.

Plans are for a building that will house a distillery, along with a restaurant facing onto the Foss Waterway. The planning department believes that the project could be considered mixed-use (industrial/production and restaurant), and so is in keeping with the zoning for that section of waterfront development. Deputy Mayor Lonergan pointed out that both the CERB and the business are interested in agressive timelines, and if the site is chosen and funded, the project should come online in a shorter time frame than some other projects we hear about, and should bring a good return on investment for both Tacoma and the State.

Resolution No. 38593 Authorizing the execution of Amendment No. 268 to the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority (TCRA) Agreement, approving TCRA’s 2013-2014 Administrative and Operating Budget. [Martha Anderson, Assistant Director; Ricardo Noguera, Director, Community and Economic Development]

The TCRA is a public development authority, which has acted as a conduit for funds given to the City for housing, community development, etc. since its establishment in 1973. The TCRA receives money from CDBGs, and other federal and state programs, and uses them to fund several loan programs, including home repair and rehabilitation loans, down payment assistance, affordable housing, and economic development. All funding comes from loan repayments and grants; there are no general fund dollars involved.

Resolution No. 38594 Approving the recommendations of the Human Services Commission to allocate funds in the amount of $5,873,000, budgeted from the General Fund and the Mental Health Fund, for local human services programs; and authorizing the re-appropriation of $200,000 from the General Fund to support gang prevention/intervention services, for a total of $6,073,000 in delegate agency funding in 2013-2014. [Stacey Gillette, Contract Specialist; Tansy Hayward, Assistant City Manager/Interim Director, Human Rights and Human Services]

The funding recommendations distribute Human Services funding in three categories – 40% goes to programs that prepare children and youth for success, 10% goes to programs that increase employability and self-sufficiency for adults, and 50% goes to programs that meet the basic needs of Tacoma residents. The next round of funding will include a third category of programs that provide mental health and chemical dependency related services, funded with the money collected from the mental health sales tax passed earlier this year. The process was different this year than previous cycles, having shifted to funding programs mostly based on a competitive process – this biennium 72% of the funds went through a competitive process, compared to 40% in the last round. Council considered funding for gang prevention and intervention programs separately, with Councilmember Woodards recusing herself from that portion of the vote, due to the potential of the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Resolution No. 38595 Approving the 2013-2014 Community Mobilization and Economic Development Services Funding recommendations; and authorizing the allocation of $325,200 from the General Fund for economic development and community mobilization services. [Carol Wolfe, Program and Development Specialist; Ricardo Noguera, Director, Community and Economic Development]

These funding recommendations also moved to competitive processes for the first time, mirroring the human services processes in considering how programs meet priority needs, evaluating the quality of services and performance, and other considerations.

Resolution No. 38596 Supporting an amendment to the United States Constitution to regulate corporate political spending and campaign financing. [Council Member Lauren Walker]

This issue sparked the most conversation of the evening, with all council members expressing concern for the current system. The sponsoring council members worked with a group of citizens requesting a stand on principle, demanding a change in campaign financing. Councilmember Fey and others defended the appropriateness of the City Council taking a stand on the issue, as it came from constituents, and local government provides the greatest access to citizens.

Council members who voted against the resolution expressed a variety of objections. Deputy Mayor Lonergan explained his reservations, including his understanding of the legal status of corporations, and how they are to be treated by the law, and his view that “a lot of things in here just don’t make sense.” Councilmember Boe explained that he would be voting no, because he sees no nexus to City of Tacoma governance; the City Council should look to matters over which it has jurisdiction, and make changes at the local level. Boe pointed out that nowhere does the resolution mention changes in Tacoma. Several council members made the point that removing corporate money from the political system means removing it across the board, not just from points of view we disagree with.

After all was said and done, the resolution passed, but just barely – five to four, with Boe, Campbell, Lonergan, and Strickland voting against, and Fey, Ibsen, Mello, Walker, and Woodards voting for. As was pointed out by both sides, this is only a beginning step, and does not mark any real change in campaign financing. The question now will be where (or whether) we go from here.

It may be worth your time to listen to the council members explain their positions. Find it online in the City of Tacoma’s meeting archives.

Resolution No. 38597 Directing the City Manager to execute agreements with Metropolitan Parks District of Tacoma, in the amount of $100,000, for the SPARX middle-school-based youth development program from January 1, 2013 through June 30, 2013; the Korean Women’s Association, in the amount of $25,000, for case management services for 2013 through 2014; and the DASH Center for the Arts, in the amount of $25,000, for the Inspiring Artists Program for 2013 through 2014, for a total of $150,000, budgeted from the Council Contingency Fund. [Council Member Victoria Woodards]

An amendment was made to change the time period for funding the KWA and DASH programs from “2013 through 2014” to “a transition period thru 2013.” This funding is meant to help keep these programs operating for an interim period, while they seek other funding sources.

FINAL READING OF ORDINANCES

Ordinance No. 28122 Adopting the Six-Year Comprehensive Transportation Improvement Program for amended year 2012 and 2013-2018. [Kurtis Kingsolver, Assistant Director/City Engineer; Dick McKinley, Director, Public Works]

The item passed without Council comment.

FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES

Ordinance No. 28123 Amending Chapter 1.12 of the Municipal Code, relating to the Compensation Plan, to implement 2013 rates of pay and compensation for employees represented by the Teamsters Local 313; Tacoma Firefighters Union, Local 31;Tacoma
Police Union, Local 6, I.U.P.A.; Tacoma Police Management Association, Local 26, I.U.P.A; and Professional Public Safety Management Association. First readin of ordinance – human resources director for city of Tacoma

This ordinance would make changes to the compensation plan to implement collective bargaining agreements for the named represented groups. The agreements include wage increases for Tacoma solid waste workers, firefighters, police officers, and police and fire management. The final reading will be at the January 8, 2013 meeting.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Councilmember Boe moved to reconsider the vote to excuse Councilmember Fey from the December 12 meeting, if Fey could explain where he was. It sounds like he was celebrating his recent victory with a trip to Haleakala on Maui. The Council voted to excuse his absence.

REPORTS BY THE CITY MANAGER
City Manager Broadnax thanked the special assistant for the fourth quarter.

COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS OF THE CITY COUNCIL

Public Safety, Human Services, and Education Committee – Councilmember Woodards reported on the work of the committee:

• A do pass for changes in the harbor code relating to the no wake zone.
• Community services funding recommendations.
• A do pass for the interloacal agreements with the City of Fife for jail services.
• A do pass for a contract with the Humane Society of Tacoma and Pierce County for its services.
• A presentation on the IF Project, an intervention program working with at risk youth.
  At the next meeting, the committee will hear a presentation on the Pierce County Health Department’s gap analysis on mental health services.

The bulk of other Council comments focused on Councilmember Fey’s impending departure. After intentionally mispronouncing his name as “Fay” for the entire meeting, Fey’s colleagues wished him well, and reflected on their time together on the dais. Fey was presented with a proclamation listing his accomplishments while with the City of Tacoma, a plaque, a photograph, a life-size cut out of Tina Fey, a pair of flip flops, a Lone Ranger mask, and a poem titled My Short-tenure with Council Member Jake Fey written by Councilmember Boe for the occasion. And as to the correct pronunciation, Councilmember Campbell demonstrated that (according to Siri, font of all knowledge), the correct pronunciation is Jake “Fay.”

And with that, the Mayor and Council wished the citizens of Tacoma a happy, safe, and joyous holiday and new year, and reminded us that we won’t have the pleasure of another Council meeting until January 8, 2013.

ADJOURNMENT

… and to all a good night.

For more on items on this week’s agenda, see our City business preview for the week.