Tacoma City Council Meeting - January 8, 2013

This first City Council meeting of 2013 had a few items of interest – most notable being the resolution on negotiations between Click! and Fisher Communications.  The Council looks a little different from the last meeting, with Jake Fey gone to Olympia, and Councilmember Campbell stepping in to take over the Deputy Mayor position from Councilmember Lonergan.

CONSENT AGENDA

FINAL READING OF ORDINANCES

Ordinance No. 28116 (First and Final Reading)  (Continued from the meeting of December 18, 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 18, 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 18, 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 18, 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 18, 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 18, 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]

These ordinances, carried over from the last meeting in December (and the meeting before that) were added to the agenda, then continued to the meeting of January 15, 2013.

PROCLAMATIONS, RECOGNITIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

• After many years, Tacoma’s Third Thursday Art Walk is being replaced by the Third Thursday Art Mingle.  In honor of this change, Mayor Strickland proclaimed every third Thursday in 2013 to be Tacoma’s 3rd Thursday Art Mingle in the City of Tacoma.  Art Mingles kick-off on January 17.

• The American Heart Association presented an award to the City of Tacoma, thanking the City and its employees for their support.  The City was the top company fundraiser for a third consecutive year, with over $50,000 raised for the Heart Association.  The City was also named a Platinum Fit Friendly Workplace for 2012 for efforts to improve employee health and encourage habits that prevent heart disease.

PUBLIC COMMENT
One commenter spoke on the topic of the proposed resolution encouraging Fisher Communications to return to the bargaining table with Click!.  The speaker voiced the opinion that Fisher is making unfair demands, and that the communications company’s attempt to “grossly overcharge” the citizens of Tacoma is “unjust, unfair, and we won’t stand for it.”

REGULAR AGENDA

APPOINTMENTS

Resolution No. 38598 Appointing and reappointing individuals to the Landmarks Preservation Commission.  [Mayor Marilyn Strickland]

Several individuals were appointed to the commission.

Resolution No. 38599 Appointing Council Members to various local, state, regional, and national committees, boards, and commissions. [Mayor Marilyn Strickland]

With the departure of Jake Fey, there were some positions to be filled by other council members.

Resolution No. 38600 Electing Council Member Marty Campbell as Deputy Mayor to serve a one-year term through December 31, 2013. [Mayor Marilyn Strickland]

Every calendar year, the honor of deputy Mayorship rotates to a new council member.  Mayor Strickland presented Councilmember Lonergan with a plaque for his service as deputy mayor, and thanked him.  The Mayor then presented Councilmember Campbell with his Deputy Mayor nameplate.

RESOLUTIONS

Purchase Resolution No. 38601 Awarding contracts to:

1. Valley Freightliner, Inc., in the amount of $236,128.40, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Wastewater Fund with partial contribution from the Fleet Services Capital Fund, for one Freightliner cab and chassis with hook lift swap loader – King County Contract No. 1327-09 [Jeff Jenkins, Facilities Management Division Manager; Dick McKinley, Director, Public Works]; and
2. Western Peterbilt, Inc., in the amount of $720,000.00, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Solid Waste Fund, for a cumulative total of $900,000.00, to increase the contract for repair services and related parts for vehicles and equipment on an as-needed basis – Specification No. GF11-0539F. [Jeff Jenkins, Facilities Management Division Manager; Dick McKinley, Director, Public Works]

The purchase resolution passed without comment.

Resolution No. 38602 Expressing the City Council’s support of Click! Network and encouraging Fisher Communications to re-engage with Click! Network to resolve stalled negotiations for carriage of KOMO and other services to Click! Customers.

The resolution added to the agenda asks Fisher to return to good faith negotiations with Click!, and to quickly resolve the sticking point over fee increases for six channels that have been absent from Click! customers’ televisions since New Year’s.  Click! stopped broadcasting KOMO and five other channels after negotiations failed to reach an agreement on renewal of the public cable company’s rebroadcast agreement with Fisher.  Fisher turned down the 6% increase offered by Click!  According to the resolution, rates proposed by Fisher represent a 300% cumulative increase since 2009.  The resolution states that Click! hasn’t heard from Fisher since December 31, and that the absence of ABC programming hurts cable television competition in Tacoma, passed unanimously. 

FINAL 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. [Joy St. Germain, Director, Human Resources]

The ordinance passed without comment.

FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES

Ordinance No. 28124 Authorizing the execution of a ten-year non-exclusive telecommunications franchise agreement with Zayo Group, LLC, to construct, operate, and repair a telecommunications system throughout the city.  [Jeff Lueders, Cable Communications and Franchise Services Manager;  T.C. Broadnax, City Manager]

The ordinance requests the renewal of the telecommunications franchise, and sets forth conditions for that agreement.

Ordinance No. 28125 Amending Chapter 6B.165 of the Municipal Code, relating to provisional rental licenses, to require a provisional rental license for derelict buildings, align the rights of appeal with Titles 2 and 6 of the Municipal Code, remove the word “substantially” from determining when a property meets the conditions of a license, require completion of the City’s Crime Free Housing Landlord training, reflect organizational changes in the City, and allow for a Certificate of Complaint to be filed; and adding Section 6B.165.085 to address first-time offenders. [Danielle Larson, Tax and License Division Manager; Steve Call, Interim Director, Finance]

Feedback received since the January 2012 implementation of the regulations led to the proposed amendments, which align language, add derelict buildings, and add new sections dealing with repeat and first time offenders.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

None.

CITIZENS’ FORUM

A commenter who is becoming a regular at Citizens’ Forums returned this month to continue his argument for judicial fairness.  A second commenter spoke about King County Race and Social Justice Initiatives that critically examine practices and processes that create systemic inequalities.

REPORTS BY THE CITY MANAGER

None.

COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS OF THE CITY COUNCIL

Councilmember Ibsen reported that the Pagoda at Point Defiance grand reopening) will be this Saturday.  The community celebration will include the opportunity to make paper cranes.

Mayor Strickland announced that interviews of the seven candidates to take Jake Fey’s District 2 council seat will take place at 12 noon next Tuesday, January 15 during study session.  That session will be broadcast on TV Tacoma.

Councilmember Mello was absent this week.

ADJOURNMENT

So, there you have it.  A new year with a new Council meeting.  What issues will it bring?

For more on the items on this resolution, take a look at our Tacoma City business preview for the week.