Tacoma City Council Meeting for July 13th, 2010

Last night’s meeting was a relatively quiet event. Nobody came up for public comment. The longest discussions revolved around bond interest rates … and that’s about it. Here are our notes:

CONSENT AGENDA

Resolution No. 38066 sets Tuesday, July 27, 2010, at approximately 5:30 p.m., as the date for a public hearing by the City Council to consider amendments to the Land Use Regulatory Code related to modifying enforcement, penalty provisions, and processes.

PROCLAMATIONS
Reward Outstanding Achievement through Recommendation (ROAR) Awards are a part of the City’s Safe & Clean Initiative. The ROAR Volunteer Committe recognized the St. Joe’s Neighorhood Cleanup Group and Edison Cares for their work in the community.

PUBLIC COMMENT
Nobody came forward to speak during public comment tonight.

REGULAR AGENDA

APPOINTMENTS
Resolution No. 38067 appoints and reappoints individuals to serve on the Human Rights Commission.

RESOLUTIONS
Purchase Resolution No. 38068 awards contracts to:

1. RailWorks Track Systems, Inc., on its bid of $719,905.00, budgeted from the Tacoma Rail Mountain Division Fund, for on-call track work and maintenance on the Mountain Division Line, for the period of August 1, 2010 through July 31, 2012; and
2. Wm. Dickson Co., in the amount of $80,000.00, for a cumulative total of $834,290.54, budgeted from the Surface Water Utility Fund, to increase the contract for additional work on the South 23rd Street Surface Water Treatment Retrofit Project.

Resolution No. 38069 approves the sale of Electric System Revenue Bonds, Series 2010A, 2010B, and 2010C, in the principal amount not to exceed $240,000,000, for capital improvements and extensions of the existing electric system for 2011-2012 and certain 2009-2010 capital projects. There was a fairly long discussion of the details around this bond sale. If you’re interested, listen in on the archived audio of the meeting.

Resolution No. 38070 authorizes the execution of Amendment No.259 to the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority (TCRA) Agreement authorizing the TCRA to administer $451,333 of 2010 HOME Investment Partnership funding allocated to the Tacoma/Lakewood Consortium for Lakewood’s HOME housing programs.

Resolution No. 38071 authorizes the execution of Amendment No.260 to the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority (TCRA) Agreement authorizing the TCRA to loan $918,300 in Community Development Block Grants funds and $1,498,696 in HOME Investment Partnership funds for TCRA housing improvement programs and for housing development organizations that provide emergency shelter, special needs, and homeownership programs.

Resolution No. 38072 authorizes the execution of Addendum A to the Collective Bargaining Agreement with Teamsters Local 313, which consists of approximately 130 budgeted, full-time positions, and provides for wage increases to reflect the 70th percentile of the market retroactive to January 4, 2010, and the addition of an application of rate for employees in the classification of Biosolids Distribution Operator when assigned as a Transfer Driver.

FINAL READING OF ORDINANCES
Ordinance No. 27894 vacates a portion of East I Street lying approximately 300 feet south of the southwest corner of the intersection of East I Street and East 40th Street, for landscaping purposes.

Ordinance No. 27898 grants a non-exclusive telecommunications franchise to the Port of Tacoma, to construct, operate, and maintain a telecommunications system within the City of Tacoma rights-of-way.

FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES
Ordinance No. 27902 providing for the issuance and sale of Water System Revenue Bonds in the principal amount not to exceed $120,000,000, to finance or refinance costs of capital improvements to the water system and to refund or defease a portion of the Water System Revenue Bonds, 2001.

Ordinance No. 27903 providing for the issuance and sale of the City’s Regional Water Supply System Revenue Bond, 2010, in the principal amount not to exceed $55,000,000, to construct a portion of the Filtration Treatment Project for the Second Supply Project.

Ordinance No. 27904 amending Chapter 8.30A of the Municipal Code, relating to chronic public nuisances, to add additional levels of business license suspension to the chronic nuisance process, update the appeal process, and make language consistent with other sections of the Code. This code is primarily used by the police department. For example, changes add fireworks, firearms, noises, animal control, recycling, and hazardous waste sections. It adds that both the property owner and the person in charge are responsible.

Ordinance No. 27905 amending Chapter 6B.70 of the Municipal Code, relating to entertainment and dancing establishments where alcohol is served, to exempt commissioned law enforcement officers, or any person possessing a valid security guard license issued under chapter 18.170 RCW, from the requirements of the security personnel license, and to exempt establishments with a building occupancy of less than 100 persons from the Fire Marshal reporting requirements.

Ordinance No. 27906 amending Chapter 1.12 of the Municipal Code, relating to the Compensation Plan, to implement rates of pay and compensation for employees represented by Teamsters Local 313, which consists of approximately 130 budgeted, full-time positions.

Ordinance No. 27907 amending Title 2 of the Municipal Code, entitled “Buildings” by repealing and reenacting Chapter 2.04 to update the Electrical Code to comply with current laws and administrative rules, including a $10 fee to cover the cost of permit cancellations.

CITIZENS’ FORUM

• Karen Patjens and Bob Akens came forward to bring up the labor dispute at Bates Technical College and show that it matters to Tacoma.
• Adam Hoyt, Curtis Chafen, and Jake Carlton came forward as members of Jobs With Justice to further discuss the Bates labor dispute.

That’s it for this week.