Tacoma City Council Meeting - February 5, 2013

This week’s City Council meeting wasn’t exactly a thrill-a-minute kind of meeting, but we did get some more insight into how the impending switch to every-other-week garbage pick-up fits into the bigger plan for solid waste in Tacoma.  Oh, and a resolution added to the agenda expresses Council support for Tacoma Schools Proposition 1.

PROCLAMATIONS, RECOGNITIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Mayor proclaimed the week of February 11 through 15, 2013 as “Murray Morgan Bridge Week.”  After 10 years of work by the Save Our Bridge group (apparently including a “hat party” to kick off the effort, which we would love to see pictures of), and nearly two years of construction to rehabilitate the bridge, it reopened on February 1.  There will be a celebration during Murray Morgan Bridge Week, including a 5k fun run/walk on Thursday, February 14, and a rededication ceremony on the 15th.
• The Mayor also proclaimed the month of February 2013 as as “African American History Month” in the City of Tacoma.  2013 marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of the emancipation proclamation, and the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s March on Washington and his “I Have a Dream” speech.  The Mayor encouraged all Tacomans to observe the month by reflecting on the past successes, challenges, and contributions of African Americans in our community, and encouraged everyone to look to the future so that we can live up to the ideals of freedom, equality, and justice.

PUBLIC COMMENT

A representative from the Tacoma Coalition on Disabilities commended the City on its work on the Murray Morgan Bridge project, calling the project a good example of the ways in which the City has been working to keep accessibility in mind in its projects.  Ken Paulson also came forward to remind the Council, in light of the money going towards domestic violence services, that another nonprofit, Violent Crime Victim Services helps the survivors of a violent crime deal with the aftermath of losing a loved one.  Mr. Paulson also mentioned a stalking protection order bill at the state level, and a show, “Stalked,” about his daughter, Jennifer Paulson’s murder three years ago, that will be on channel 271 this week. 

REGULAR AGENDA

RESOLUTIONS

Purchase Resolution No. 38616 Awarding a contract to:

Asphalt Equipment & Service Co., in the amount of $389,713.79, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Solid Waste Fund, for equipment to enable the City’s asphalt plant to incorporate recycled asphalt pavement and recycled asphalt shingles into the asphalt mix – Specification No. ES12-0692F. [John O’Loughlin, Science and Engineering Division Manager; Michael P. Slevin III, P.E., Interim Director, Environmental Services]

The City expects to realize cost savings of between 5 and 10% per ton on asphalt materials by replacing purchased materials with those produced by recycling old asphalt pavement and shingles.  WSDOT has deemed the material produced through this recycling process to be suitable for their projects, and it has been shown to perform similarly to traditional asphalt mixes.

Resolution No. 38617 Authorizing the allocation of $2,511,798, budgeted from the General Fund, and $487,267, budgeted from the Mental Health Fund, for a total of $2,999,065, for human services programs from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2014; and authorizing the execution of agreements with:

• Catholic Community Services of Western Washington, in the amount of $719,574;
• Northwest Leadership Foundation, in the amount of $205,100;
• Peace Community Center, in the amount of $226,000;
• Pierce County AIDS Foundation, in the amount of $262,603;
• The Rescue Mission, in the amount of $427,500;
• Shared Housing Services, in the amount of $264,664;
• Tacoma Community House, in the amount of $392,224;
• Tacoma Urban League, in the amount of $296,740; and
• Washington Women’s Employment and Education, in the amount of $204,660.

[Kelly Crouch, Contracting and Planning Auditor; Tansy Hayward, Director, Neighborhood and Community Services]

The Council considered the funding for the Tacoma Urban League separately, with Councilmember Woodards recusing herself from that item to avoid any potential appearance of conflict of interest.  All items passed.

Resolution No. 38618 Authorizing the execution of an agreement with the Crystal Judson Family Justice Center, in the amount of $335,000, budgeted from the Mental Health Fund, for domestic violence services from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013. [Kelly Crouch, Contracting and Planning Auditor; Tansy Hayward, Director, Neighborhood and Community Services]

In recognition of the value of preserving domestic violence victim services funding, the City made the decision to preserve funding for existing programs (including the Crystal Judson center, the YWCA, and a KWA program) as non-competitive grants for one year, and to have those programs participate in a committee to review the domestic violence services system.

ADDED TO THE AGENDA: Resolution 38619 Expressing Council support for, and urging Tacoma voters to approve Tacoma School District No. 10, Proposition No. 1 at the February 12, 2013 special election. 

_The proposition would authorize the District to replace or renovate 14 deteriorating schools across Tacoma by issuing $500,000,000 in general obligation bonds, repaid by property taxes.  The improvements to Tacoma schools would include improved learning environments; health, safety, security, and technology upgrades; earthquake safety and roof repairs; alarm/sprinkler systems; energy-efficient heating/lighting; electrical/plumbing; and improved playgrounds, playfields, and athletic facilities.  According to the “Statement For” in the Voters’ Pamphlet, the cost to the average homeowner would be $58.24 annually.  There was no Statement Against submitted

Councilmember Campbell noted that, like much of Tacoma’s infrastructure, our schools are aging, and many do not provide quality learning environments.  Campbell went on to observe that when it comes to recruiting, growing, and retaining a quality workforce in Tacoma, it’s important to have a strong public school system.  Mayor Strickland noted that these capital improvements would also provide a boost to the construction sector.

FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES

Ordinance No. 28128 Amending Chapter 12.08 of the Municipal Code, relating to wastewater and surface water management, to adjust rates and charges for services provided by the Wastewater and Surface Water Utilities for the years 2013 and 2014. [Michael P. Slevin III, P.E., Interim Director, Environmental Services]

The Environmental Services department has been working with the Environmental Services Commission on a rate plan for this biennium.  The department has identified ways to improve efficiency in operations, and identified rates necessary to maintain services.  Increases in this rate plan are 6% for surface water, 4.8% for wastewater, and 0% for solid waste thru 2014.  The 0% increase for solid waste is possible because of the switch to every-other-week pickup.  The average residential customer will see their rates go up from $42.94 per month for wastewater, and an increase of about $1 per month for each year of the current biennium for surface water.

Surface water rates are assessed across the board based on lot size, and the type of development on that lot.  An acre in the Port will pay a higher rate than an acre of residential development.  Going forward, staff is considering the possibility of a savings benefit for customers implementing low impact development practices such as rain gardens and cisterns, which reduce their impact on the overall need for surface water management.

Ordinance No. 28129 Amending Chapter 12.09 of the Municipal Code, relating to solid waste management, to adjust rates and charges for services provided by the Solid Waste Utility for the years 2013 and 2014. [Michael P. Slevin III, P.E., Interim Director, Environmental Services]

As discussed yesterday, Tacoma’s transition to every-other-week garbage pick-up will be implemented in a phased approach, beginning in March.  Rates will stay the same, and customers’ can sizes will be automatically doubled, with the option to downsize (or “right-size”) cans, and save a few bucks, for those not filling what they’ve got.  What that means is that, if you’ve got a 30-gallon can now (the most common size can in Tacoma), you will get a 60-gallon can, that is picked up every other week, offset from the weeks of your yard waste pickups.  Your rate will remain stable at $36.55 a month for the biennium.  Customers with 60 and 90-gallon cans will see some changes as a result of the phased transition to volume-based rates.

The move to every-other-week pick-up is expected to ultimately generate about $1.2 million in savings per year.  Moving to the bi-weekly pick-up schedule will allow for a 0% rate increase, and the possibility of lowered bills for households that are able to downsize their cans.  Staff had responses to some commonly voiced concerns.  Regarding can size: you will automatically see an increase.  Regarding public health, smell, and pest concerns: these were considered both in the pilot program, and in other bi-weekly pick-up programs in the area, and have been determined not to be an issue.  The pilot program included the hot summer months, and did not identify smell or public health concerns as problems.  Commercial rates, including those for multi-family properties, will remain unchanged, as will their pick-up schedules. 

All of these changes are in line with Tacoma’s strategic plan for solid waste management.  That plan sets a goal of ultimately diverting 70% of the city’s waste stream from landfills.  The bigger picture here is that, with the closure of Tacoma’s landfill, and the eventual closure of the Graham landfill, rates for disposing of our waste are only going to be going up.  It’s unlikely that another landfill will open up on the western side of the state, in which case, in about 30 to 40 years Tacoma would be shipping its trash to eastern Washington – not a cheap proposition.  With all this in mind, the plan is to continue to incentivize recycling and other options that decrease Tacoma’s waste stream.

In comparing Tacoma’s rates to other cities, staff and council both commented on the other services included in Tacoma’s solid waste management.  You may or may not be aware, for instance, that your solid waste bill includes unlimited recycling, up to two yard waste bins, and two “Call-2-Haul” appointments for large items every year at no additional cost.  Customers with questions about the City’s low-income rate program should call the customer service number listed on their bill to see if they qualify.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

None this week.

REPORTS BY THE CITY MANAGER

No comment.

COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS OF THE CITY COUNCIL

Neighborhoods and Housing Committee – Councilmember Walker reported on the work of the committee, mainly focused on Department of Corrections offender housing this time around. 

• A report on proactive code enforcement.
• Potential state legislation regarding DOC offender housing
• An update on coordination between the City and State DOC regarding offender housing.
• An additional report is scheduled for March.

The Committee also received a briefing on the five year review of the City’s Neighborhood Council program.  There will be an opportunity for public input coming up.  The next meeting will be a joint meeting with the Public Safety, Human Services and Education Committee to discuss the joint action plan.

Councilmember Ibsen reported that he recently attended a grand opening for Coordinated Care, which has brought 100 jobs to downtown Tacoma.  Ibsen also reminded us that “Shift Change,” a locally produced movie about worker-owned businesses will be showing at the Grand on February 6, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., both with discussions to follow. 

Councilmember Boe made a few announcements:

• The Tacoma Opera will be performing its winter opera this weekend – La tragédie de Carmen – not your parents’ Carmen.
• The Pacific Avenue Streetscape project is progressing on the east side of Pacific between 9th and 13th – come down and support the businesses there.
• There will be a special Downtown Merchant Group session this Thursday morning designed to help businesses thrive during construction.
• The next public meeting on the Pac Ave project is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. February 20 at the Pita Pit on Pacific.
• Boe also noted, in light of earlier comments regarding accessibility in the Murray Morgan Bridge project, that he has received positive feedback on how the City is maintaining accessibility during construction on Pacific as well.

Councilmember Campbell reminded us that the Tacoma Sister Cities International Film Festival will be kicking off at the Blue Mouse this Thursday with a film from Kitakyushu, Japan called “What the Snow Brings.”  The movie starts at 7:00, but the cultural even begins at 6:15.  Doors open at 6:00.

ADJOURNMENT

So, there you have it.  ‘Til next week.

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