Tacoma City Council Meeting for June 15th, 2010

Tonight’s Tacoma City Council meeting had several good things in it. Mobility Master Plan! Urban Forestry Policy! A first reading on street vendor rule changes. So, here are our notes:

C O N S E N T A G E N D A

RESOLUTIONS
Resolution No. 38049 authorizes the execution of an Interlocal Agreement with Pierce County for the purpose of ratifying and approving an amendment to the Countywide Planning Policies for Pierce County that address affordable housing.

FIRST 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.

PROCLAMATIONS
Mayor Strickland (via Deputy Mayor Fey) proclaimed June 21st, 2010 as Tacoma Trauma Trust 10th Anniversary Day in the City of Tacoma and presented the proclamation to Multicare.

PUBLIC COMMENT

• Mike Price came forward to speak about Resolution No. 27892 and specifically the Urban Forestry Policy. He suggested changes to several portions of the policy.
• Andrew Austin came forward representation the Transportation Choices Coalition and reiterated the coalitions strong support of the Mobility Master Plan and Urban Forestry Policy.
• Robert Hill came forward to speak against two items and for one. We won’t go into details …

R E G U L A R A G E N D A

RESOLUTIONS
Purchase Resolution No. 38050 awards contracts to:

1. Pease Construction, Inc., on its bid of $399,992.00, budgeted from the Streets Special Revenue Fund, for the rehabilitation of the historic Spanish Steps;
2. J.E. Dunn Construction Company, on its bid of $15,942,498.00, including sales tax, plus a 10 percent contingency, for a cumulative total of
   $17,536,747.80, budgeted from the 2006 Bond Construction Fund, for the Solid Waste Management Recovery and Transfer Center; and
3. AustinCina Architects, Inc., in the amount of $732,825.00, sales tax not applicable, for a cumulative total of $931,325.00, budgeted from the
   Capital Projects-REET Fund, to increase and extend the contract for two additional one-year periods, for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance
   upgrades in City-owned facilities.

Resolution No. 38051 amends the Complete Streets Design Guidelines by adding the supplemental Mobility Master Plan Pedestrian and Bicycle Design Guidelines as recommended by the Planning Commission.

Resolution No. 38052 authorizes the execution of a Consent Decree with the United States Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency, in the amount of $224,684, to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act, which occurred between October 2004 and August 2007 at the Tacoma Landfill.

Resolution No. 38053 authorizes the submittal of an application to the United States Department of Justice for a $496,463 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant to support various crime reduction and prevention efforts; and authorizing the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding with Pierce County for the equal distribution of the funds between both jurisdictions.

FINAL READING OF ORDINANCES
Ordinance No. 27889 (Continued from the meeting of June 8, 2010) provides for the issuance and sale of the City’s Electric System Revenue Bonds, Series 2010, in the aggregate principal amount not to exceed $240,000,000 to finance capital improvements and to allow for the option of refunding or defeasing a portion of the City’s Electric System Revenue and Refunding Bonds, 2001 Series A; and amending, supplementing and restating ordinance No. 23514.

Ordinance No. 27890 amends Title 2 of the Municipal Code, entitled “Buildings,” by repealing and reenacting various chapters to implement the 2009 International Building, Residential, Existing Building, and Mechanical Codes, the 2009 Uniform Plumbing Code, and the 2009 Washington State Energy Code; and deleting Chapter 2.03 in its entirety.

Ordinance No. 27891 amends Chapter 3.02 of the Municipal Code, relating to the Fire Prevention Code, to adopt the 2009 International Fire Code, along with state and local amendments, which regulate hazards to life and property from fire and explosion arising from storage, handling, and use of hazardous substances, materials, and devices, and from conditions hazardous to life and property in the use or occupancy of buildings or premises in the City.

Amended Ordinance No. 27892 amends the Comprehensive Plan by:

• adding a new element to be known as the Urban Forest Policy Element;
• revising the Transportation Element by amending the existing sections and adding a new section to be known as the Mobility Master Plan, updating the Unfunded Project List, and improving consistency with state transportation plans; and
• revising the Growth Strategy and Development Concept Element regarding the boundary of the South 56th and South Tacoma Way Mixed-Use Center and the intensity and zoning relationship chart, and to reduce the intensity classification from Medium to Single-Family for certain properties in the vicinity of South 54th Street and South Birmingham Street.

Ordinance No. 27893 amends Title 13 of the Municipal Code, entitled “Land Use Regulatory Code,” by:

• increasing the height limit in the Commercial Industrial Mixed-Use zoning district with the use of a height bonus program;
• removing certain properties in the vicinity of South 54th Street and South Birmingham Street from the South 56th and South Tacoma Way
  Mixed-Use Center and the associated multi-family Residential Target Area and rezoning them to the Residential Special Review District;
• allowing electric vehicle recharging and battery exchange stations generally in the same manner as gas stations and auto repair facilities; and
• changing various code sections to address inconsistencies, correct minor errors, and improve the effectiveness and clarity of the land use regulations.

FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES
Ordinance No. 27895 amending Chapter 1.12 of the Municipal Code, relating to the Compensation Plan, to implement rates of pay and compensation for employees represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, which consists of 23 budgeted, full-time positions, effective July 1, 2010.

Ordinance No. 27896 creating a new fund in the treasury of the City of Tacoma to be known and designated as the “Traffic Enforcement, Engineering, and Education Fund,” effective for the 2011-2012 Budget.

Ordinance No. 27897 (Added this evening) amending Chapter 6b.180 of the Tacoma Municipal Code to add merchandise sales of arts and crafts of original creation; updating the license application requirements for a sidewalk vendor, extending the license term to 12 months, adding in an additional location at Tollefson Plaza for all licensed vendors, adding in sidewalk vending unit restrictions, and clarifying license revocation or denial reasons.

That’s it for tonight.