Tacoma City Council Meeting - July 14, 2015
Mayor Strickland began the meeting by laying down the law for behavior in council chambers, warning the large crowd present for comment, largely on the minimum wage issue, that the standards are higher in this setting than they are on the street, and demanding that everyone remain respectful, even of those with differing opinions. The mayor also announced that comment on the minimum wage would be held off to the end of the meeting so that the rest of the agenda could be dealt with before what was certain to be a lengthy comment session.
CONSENT AGENDA
FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES
Ordinance No. 28306 An ordinance vacating the north 24 feet of the 19th Street West right-of-way, west of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad right-of-way and the terminus of City of Tacoma right-of-way, to Narrows Marina, LLC, for future improvements to pedestrian access ways and boat launch parking.
Ordinance No. 28307 An ordinance vacating a portion of South Stevens Street north of South 64th Street, for a private driveway entrance, garden and landscaping.
Both ordinances were sent over to a date to be determined for their final readings.
PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS/PRESENTATIONS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
The City of Tacoma Public Works Department was presented with an American Public Works Association accreditation plaque in honor of its recent accreditation for a high standard of practices. The accreditation recognizes the City's management practices, which were assessed as well above the standard needed to receive the recognition. It's a 4-year accreditation, so the work will continue, with a mid-term report and re-assessment at the end of the term.
At this point the resolution regarding the minimum wage ballot item was moved to the end of the agenda. Councilmember Ibsen also proposed two additional amendments, but his proposals failed to get support from anyone else on the council.
PUBLIC COMMENT
The majority of public comment, being on the topic of the proposal to offer the voters an alternative to the 15 Now proposal on the November ballot, was held off to the end of the meeting, but a few commenters had other issues to address.
We heard from one commenter with concerns about the boat launch at Narrows Marina, asking the council to consider safety issues there. We also heard from a couple speakers on the issue of the roads – one commenter expressed the opinion that the City should find the money to repair the roads without taxing the citizens. David Schroedel from the Chamber spoke to thank the council for putting together a “robust package” for addressing the problem of Tacoma’s roads, saying that the mayor’s proposal asks Tacoma residents if they’re really serious about fixing the roads. Another speaker commented on… we’re not really sure what, but she’s definitely passionate.
REGULAR AGENDA
APPOINTMENTS
Resolution No. 39234 A resolution appointing and reappointing individuals to the Planning Commission.
Councilmember Mello said the council had been fortunate in having a great group of candidates for the positions, including the three new appointments, and two reappointments included in this resolution. Thanks to all for their service.
PURCHASE RESOLUTIONS
Resolution No. 39235 A resolution awarding a contract to PPC Solutions, Inc., in the amount of $468,262.50, sales tax not applicable, budgeted from the Municipal Building Operations Fund and Urban Development Action Grant Fund, to provide uniformed security guard services for the Tacoma Municipal Complex, for an initial two-year period, with the option to renew for three additional one-year periods, for a projected contract total of $1,228,361.17.
The resolution was adopted without comment.
RESOLUTIONS
Resolution No. 39236 A resolution transmitting a ballot measure to the Pierce County Auditor to be placed on the ballot for the General Election on Tuesday, November 3, 2015, which reads:
CITY OF TACOMA PROPOSITION NO. 3
The Tacoma City Council adopted Resolution No. 39236 concerning levy rate and gross earnings tax increases for street improvements. If passed, Proposition No. 3 would authorize the City to increase the City’s regular property tax levy by $0.20 per $1,000 of assessed value for collection for ten years beginning in 2016, and levy an additional 1.5% earnings tax on natural gas, electric, and phone companies for ten years, beginning 2016, to fund street repair, maintenance and safety improvements for residential streets, arterials, and freight access, including resurfacing, pothole repair, pedestrian safety improvements, school crossing beacons, and sidewalk improvements.
Should this proposition be approved?
Yes………….. [ ]
No…………… [ ]
This resolution puts two items on the ballot this November to fix the $800 million problem of the condition of Tacoma’s roads. In introducing the matter, Mayor Strickland gave a reminder that the City of Tacoma’s total annual budget is just $200 million, making it nowhere near enough to fix the roads, even if all other business was suspended.
The mayor laid out the recent history of the issue, including the various ways Tacoma residents had expressed their desire to see their roads fixed as a top priority, and the various task forces that have looked into ways to fund the project. Strickland told the audience that Tacoma spends about what other cities of its size does overall, but significantly less on maintaining its roads – a situation which has been going on for many years.
The mayor also talked about what has been done so far to fund repairs, including the creation of a Transportation Benefit District and the creation of a $20 car tab fee, and the dedication of funds from utilities.
The mayor’s proposal earlier this year would have raised $500 million for road work - $50 million per year for 10 years, or about $15 per household per month. The proposal would be “pay as you go,” so as to not incur further debt for the City, and would sunset at the end of the 10-year period, and would have to be renewed every 10 years to continue.
The proposal included in this resolution looks a lot like that one, but pared down to make it more palatable to voters. Instead of a 0.2% sales tax increase, the proposal is for a 0.1% increase. A 2% tax on utility earnings was cut to 1.5%. In addition the package includes a property tax increase of $0.20 per 1,000 square feet. Between those three items, the estimate is that the average household will pay in the neighborhood of $7.50 per month in increased taxes, generating $175 million to go toward Tacoma’s roads. In addition, the City will be contributing $3 million per year, for a total of $205 million over the 10-year term.
The majority of funds raised - $155 million – will go to residential street repairs and maintenance. Another $30 million would go to arterial streets and freight access, and the last $20 million would go to walking and bicycle infrastructure. The City also expects to be able to win matching grant funds from the federal government, conservatively estimated somewhere around $120 million.
Because of the way the law is written, the proposal needs to be broken up into two separate ballot measures for the November ballot:
City of Tacoma Proposition 3 will propose the property tax and gross earnings tax on Tacoma utilities
Transportation Benefit District Proposition 4 will propose the sales tax increase
Adding up all those funding sources, if the voters approve the mayor’s full proposal, $325 million would be generated for repairs to Tacoma streets. The expectation is that those funds would rebuild and maintain up to 70% of the city’s residential streets. Funding would be dedicated to the Transportation Master Plan, which is still being developed. The average cost per household would be about $7.50 per month. The plan would be “pay as you go,” not incurring more municipal debt, and would sunset after a decade.
A pair of amendments were introduced to increase transparency and accountability. The first added a requirement for an annual progress report to help the public understand what work was being done with their additional tax dollars. Mayor Strickland said that the amendment will ensure accountability, but reminded everyone that State law requires the City to spend the funds on what they say they’re going to spend them on.
The second amendment directs the City Manager to establish new and separate funds for all revenue generated, in order to make clear that funds raised are spent exclusively on road repairs, as stated.
Because there were substantive changes to the resolution, public comment was taken.
The commenter who already expressed his feeling that the council should find the money without taxing the citizens described the amendments aimed at transparency and accountability as a “sneaky” attempt that is not a guarantee that the taxpayers know how every nickel and dime raised would be spent. Another repeat commenter shared her thoughts, which included referring to roads as “the abomination of desolation,” and other such colorful descriptors as she urged the council to do what’s good and what’s right.
A third commenter asked the council to keep in mind impacts on low- and fixed-income residents, and made what seems like a good point about making forward-looking accountability a priority by making public the order of upcoming projects funded by the increases.
The amended resolution was adopted, so it looks like you’ll get to vote on it this fall.
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At this point the regular council meeting was suspended for a meeting of the Transportation Benefit District Governing Board, which, conveniently enough, is also made up of the nine members of the Tacoma City Council.
City of Tacoma Transportation Benefit District Governing Board Agenda
PUBLIC COMMENT
Whitney Brady, candidate for the District 3 seat on the Tacoma City Council voiced concern for the disproportionate impact of the increase in sales tax on low-income residents, and stated his opposition to the proposition.
REGULAR AGENDA
RESOLUTIONS
Resolution No. TBD 008 A resolution transmitting a ballot measure to the Pierce County Auditor to be placed on the ballot for the General Election on Tuesday, November 3, 2015, which reads:
GOVERNING BOARD OF THE TACOMA TRANSPORTATION BENEFIT DISTRICT
PROPOSITION NO. 4
The Board of the City of Tacoma Transportation Benefit District adopted Resolution No. TBD 008 concerning a sales and use tax to fund street improvements. If passed, Proposition No. 4 would authorize a sales and use tax of one tenth of one percent (0.001) to be collected from all taxable retail sales within the District in accordance with RCW 82.14.0455 beginning in 2016 for ten years for the purpose of funding maintenance, preservation and improvement for residential streets, arterials, freight access, bike and pedestrian mobility projects as identified in the City’s Comprehensive Transportation Improvement Program.
Should this proposition be approved?
Yes. . . . . . . . . . . [ ]
No . . . . . . . . . . . [ ]
This resolution addresses the other part of the proposal discussed in the earlier resolution placing Proposition 3 on the ballot. Proposition 4 covers the sales tax increase portion of the mayor’s proposal, which is projected to raise approximately $4.5 million per year over 10 years. As with the first resolution, this resolution was also amended to add the same accountability and transparency measures – an annual report and dedicated and restricted funds. The amended resolution was adopted, so you'll be seeing this one in November too.
COMMENTS OF THE TRANSPORTATION BENEFIT DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD
The board agreed to delegate the process appointment of individuals to For and Against committees to the Council Government Performance and Finance Committee, which does all the other appointments of For and Against committees for ballot items.
ADJOURNMENT
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We now return you to your regularly-scheduled meeting.
FINAL READING OF ORDINANCES
Ordinance No. 28305 An ordinance amending Chapter 12.10 of the Municipal Code, relating to Water - Regulations and Rates, to revise rates with RockTenn CP, LLC.
The ordinance was adopted without comment.
PUBLIC COMMENT (minimum wage)
More than 40 people spoke on the proposal to offer the voters the chance to vote on an alternative to the 15 Now proposal. More than half weighed in asking the council to reconsider its support for the proposal to lift the minimum wage in the city to $12 an hour over time. Some asked that the council let the 15 Now proposal go ahead without a counter proposal, but many spoke in support of the other option that would have eventually raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour over a longer horizon, especially for smaller businesses. These speakers shared their varied reasons for opposing the $12 option. We heard from many who told the council personal stories about the struggle that minimum wage workers face in making ends meet, and arguments that $15 isn't too much to ask of businesses. Also well-represented were the voices of business owners in Tacoma, who shared their own stories of what they do to make it financially, and how they expect the proposals to impact them. Some said they would have to close, others said they might make it by some combination of raising prices, cutting hours, and laying off employees.
There was a lot of passion on both sides, and comment went on for quite a while. When it was done, the council discussed the resolution in question and made their decision...
Resolution No. 39237 A resolution transmitting a ballot measure to the Pierce County Auditor to be placed on the ballot for the General Election on Tuesday, November 3, 2015, which reads:
CITY OF TACOMA INITIATIVE MEASURE NO. 1B
Concerns Establishing a Minimum Wage In The City Of Tacoma As an alternative, the City Council has proposed Initiative Measure No. 1B
The Tacoma City Council adopted Resolution No. 39237 concerning establishing a minimum wage. If passed by the voters, Initiative 1B would require employers to pay a minimum hourly wage to employees aged sixteen (16) and over performing work in Tacoma of not less than $10.35 per hour beginning February 2016, $11.15 beginning January 2017, and $12.00 beginning January 2018, adjusted annually thereafter based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as calculated and used by the State of Washington at that time, and requiring that an impact assessment be conducted in 2018 and every two years thereafter.
Should either of these measures be enacted into law?
Yes……… [ ]
No………. [ ]
Regardless of whether you voted yes or no above, if one of these measures is enacted, which one should it be?
Measure No. 1…………… [ ]
Or
Measure No. 1B…………. [ ]
This proposal comes as the result of the work of the Tacoma Minimum Wage Task Force. The Task Force agreed among themselves that an increase in the minimum wage in Tacoma should be phased in, and that any change should be kept as simple as possible. There wasn’t consensus on one unified proposal, but they did narrow it down to two – one getting support of 9 of the 15 task force members, and the other getting the support of the other 6.
- Proposal A would have increased the minimum wage to $15 an hour, phased in through 2020 for large businesses, and through 2024 for small businesses.
- Proposal B, which the council ultimately went with, would increase the wage to $12 an hour by 2019 for all businesses.
With the adoption of this resolution, Proposal B will appear on the ballot in November as an alternative to the 15 Now proposal. The two items appear together as a result of state law, so it may look a little confusing to the average voter.
Deputy Mayor Boe was the only vote against the proposal, a stand he explained, saying that he doesn’t believe that this council is responsible for wage inequality. Boe further explained that he doesn’t believe that the facts and numbers point strongly enough to this as the solution, and that he worries about the unintended consequences of raising the minimum wage for the city. Despite Boe’s no vote, the resolution was adopted, so in November you will get to choose between a minimum wage increase to $15 in January, to $12 by 2019, or no increase at all.
CITIZENS’ FORUM
Just in case you didn’t get enough public comment throughout this meeting, there was one more opportunity – Citizens’ Forum – and as usual, it was a bit of a mixed bag. We heard about the passing of a dedicated member of the New Tacoma Neighborhood Council; both the citizen who shared the news and Councilmember Campbell had very nice things to say about her service and civic contributions.
We also heard concerns about offering services to families who were having children removed by DSHS, and about the treatment of black officers in the Tacoma Police Department, although the speaker couldn’t name a particular officer or situation to support this last claim.
Mitchell Shook from Advanced Stream returned to share his support for keeping Click! as a public utility. Mr. Shook described some recent developments, and directed anyone interested to stickwithclick.com for more.
A resident of the Proctor neighborhood spoke about a new group called “For Proctor” formed to oppose development in the mixed-use center over 45 feet.
Another citizen wanted the council to see what they can do about coordination between its various departments and utilities when it comes to projects requiring tree trimming.
And we were treated to one more colorful stream of consciousness from our regular commenter, taking Proctor as her jumping-off point this time around, saying that it’s ruined, pretty much (“once I saw the roundabout go in, I knew the mob was there; once the mob was there, I knew we were ruined…”). Also, the council is serving satan.
A final speaker raised the issue of an upcoming public hearing on two proposed mental health hospitals – one from an alliance between Franciscan and Multicare, and one from an out of the area private provider with some dubious past practices. He urged everyone to attend the hearing, to be informed on the matter, and to support the local alliance’s proposal.
COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Councilmember Campbell reminded us that the new Eastside Farmers’ Market continues every Wednesday in Family Investment Park in Salishan from noon to 4 p.m.
Councilmember Walker announced two neighborhood cleanups in her district this weekend and next weekend. Find all of the upcoming neighborhood cleanups on the City’s website at cityoftacoma.org/cleanup.
Councilmember Ibsen announced a partnership between the City and Metro Parks that will have Metro Parks managing the Mason Gulch, addressing concerns over invasive species, views, and public safety. There will be a town hall on the issue on Thursday, July 30 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at UPS in the rotunda.
Mayor Strickland announced that she would be testifying in favor of the Franciscan/Multicare mental health facility, which the alliance would site at Allenmore.
Councilmember Lonergan was absent from this week's meeting.
ADJOURNMENT