Tacoma City Council Meeting for October 19, 2010

The Tacoma City Council found itself with a packed house this week. The council chambers were filled Tuesday with people out in support of legalized medical marijuana.

The issue of safe, legal access to medical cannabis has been a hot one in Tacoma since a series of busts on local medical marijuana dispensaries this summer. The city’s tax and licensing department also sent cease-and-desist letters to nine dispensaries last week.

No agenda items were related to marijuana, however, so the attendees were unable to participate in the public comment period. Mayor Marilyn Strickland began the meeting with this information, telling the audience “I want to share something with you.”

The City of Tacoma fully supports safe and legal access to medical cannabis for patients with legitimate medical need. It is not our intent to deprive patients of what they need, Strickland said, adding that the council had added the issue to its list of legislative priorities for this year.

She said the council believes the community will be best served if the state refines its current policy. Enforcement will be suspended on the nine dispensaries until the end of the next legislative session next spring. This was met with cheers and applause.

CONSENT AGENDA

RESOLUTIONS
Resolution No. 38126 authorized the execution of an interlocal agreement with the Port of Tacoma, in the amount of $670,000, of which the City’s portion is $180,000, budgeted from the Fire Miscellaneous Special Revenue Fund.

PROCLAMATIONS, RECOGNITIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mayor Strickland read a proclamation designating October 2010 as Race and Pedagogy Month in honor of the Race and Pedagogy Initiative at the University of Puget Sound.

The City of Tacoma’s Disability Advocate of the Year award was presented to outgoing executive director of the Tacoma Coalition for Individuals with Disabilities. Chris Ensor and Pierce County Association of the Blind President Lori Allison of Former mayor Bill Baarsma also spoke about TACID’s partnership with the City of Tacoma.

RULE SUSPENSION TO CONSIDER
Purchase Resolution No. 38128 awarded contracts to:

1. American Medical Response Ambulance Services, Inc., on its score of 885.6, to provide private ambulance emergency response and transport services within the Tacoma Fire Department service area – Specification No. FD10-0508F; (Continued from the meeting of October 12,2010.)
2. Sprint Solutions, Inc., dba Sprint, in the amount of $600,000 for Tacoma Public Utilities and $900,000 for General Government, for a combined total of $1,500,000, plus sales tax, for a cumulative contract total of $4,900,000, budgeted from various departmental funds, to increase the contract for cell phone airtime, wireless data services, and related equipment purchases through October 9, 2011 – Washington State Contract No. T07-MST-0685;
3. Verizon Wireless, Inc., in the amount of $345,000 for Tacoma Public Utilities and $105,000 for General Government, for a combined total of $450,000, plus sales tax, for a cumulative contract total of $1,350,000, budgeted from various departmental funds, to increase the contract for cell phone airtime, wireless data services, and related equipment purchases through October 9, 2011 – Washington State Contract No. T07-MST-071; and
4. Northwest Cascade, Inc., in the amount of $550,000, plus sales tax, for a cumulative total of $2,281,010, budgeted from the Streets Special Revenue Fund, for additional project work on South Tacoma Way from Pine to South 38th Streets – Specification No. PW07-0856F.

PUBLIC HEARINGS AND APPEALS (Will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m.)
Rural/Metro of Greater Seattle, appealed the decision of the Contracts and Awards Board to award American Medical Response Ambulance Services, Inc. the bid of private ambulance emergency response and transport services within
the Tacoma Fire Department service area. (Continued from the meeting of October 12, 2010.)

This was the third meeting featuring this decision. The last one ended in a tie.

The council voted 5-4 to reject all current proposals and submit a new request for proposals.

PUBLIC COMMENT RELATING TO AMBULANCE CONTRACTS

• A Rural/Metro employee spoke about the support he’s received from the “Rural/Metro” family.

• Robert “The Traveller” Hill suggested the ambulance bid proposal issue be suspended indefinitely.

• Another Rural/Metro employee thanked the council for their vote to accept new proposals.

• An AMR regional CEO thanked the council for their attention to the process.

• A third Rural/Metro employee spoke up about the families that would be affected if the contract was awarded to AMR.

Councilmember Ryan Mello said it is important to keep integrity and transparency in the public bid process, as with any time public money is being spent.

The council then voted to remove the ambulance bid item from the agenda.

REGULAR PUBLIC COMMENT

• Robert “The Traveller” Hill suggested having a citizen’s forum at every council meeting, rather than just the first of the month. He also reminded the council that people arrested simply for misdemeanors do not have to give fingerprints and photographs. He reiterated one of his common points, that city wage increases be frozen.

REGULAR AGENDA

APPOINTMENTS
Resolution No. 38127 reappointed Rich Hultz to the Board of Building Appeals for a term to expire September 11, 2015.

RESOLUTIONS
Resolution No. 38129 authorized the execution of an amendment to the agreement with Pierce County, in the amount of $10,875,256, for jail service rates through 2012.

Resolution No. 38130 authorized the use of up to $50,000 from the Council Contingency Fund, to perform a gang assessment.

FINAL READING OF ORDINANCES
Ordinance No. 27936 amended Chapter 1.23 of the Municipal Code to clarify the jurisdiction and authority of the Hearing Examiner regarding the Minimum Building and Structures Code appeals.

Ordinance No. 27937 amended Chapter 1.12 of the Municipal Code, relating to the Compensation Plan, to implement rates of pay and compensation for employees represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 483, Clerical Unit, which covers 204 budgeted, full-time positions.

COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS OF THE CITY COUNCIL

The Government Performance and Finance Committee recommended the ordinance to increase the employee and employer compensation rate by 1 percent in 2011 and 2012, and approving the SAP technical migration manager contract and integrated manager contract.

The committee also recommended the annual gross revenue of the B&O contract and eliminating the “cabaret tax.” Both of these ordinances should come before the full council in November.

The citizens’ forum was rescheduled from Nov. 2 to Nov. 9 to allow people the chance to get out and vote.