Tacoma City Council Meeting - November 29, 2011

Every once in a while we get one of those truly epic City Council sessions.  Last night was one of those nights. 

We had it all.  Planning issues.  Job creation.  Environmental and quality of life concerns.  Oodles of public comment.  Questions of our collective vision for Tacoma’s future development.  And more SMP amendments than you can shake a stick at.  Oh, and then there was the conversation about City Manager candidates… 

PROCLAMATIONS, RECOGNITIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Nothing to proclaim, recognize, present, or announce.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Public comment went on for over two hours, with nearly 40 individual commenters.  Not surprisingly, the majority of comment focused on the Shoreline Master Program up for a vote, and the proposed amendments.  The Port, labor, and the Chamber of Commerce were all well represented, and made a variety of points in favor of preserving Port and industrial uses on the waterfront.  Job creation and “fairness” to existing businesses were the key talking points.  Other commenters expressed support for the realization of the complete Dome to Defiance vision. 

Details aside, at the core of the different perspectives seems to be a basic question of what Tacoma’s future is.  Both defenders of industrial uses, and those supporting limitations on such uses referenced the future as an argument in favor of their respective positions.  The challenge lies in the space between visions that claim the Port as the future foundation of solid economic growth in Tacoma, and those who see the walkable waterfront as a key factor in attracting other businesses.  The two aren’t mutually exclusive by any means, but you wouldn’t know it to listen to some of the commenters.

REGULAR AGENDA

RESOLUTIONS

Purchase Resolution No. 38368 Awards a contract to:  ABB, Inc., in the amount of $365,000, plus sales tax, budgeted from the Wastewater Fund, for maintenance and spare parts for the computerized operating system of the Central and North End Wastewater Treatment Plants, from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2014 – Sole Source.

Resolution No. 38369 Designates the J.M. Hendrickson Homestead, located at 1239 East 54th Street, as a city landmark and placing said property on the Tacoma Register of Historic Places.

Resolution No. 38370 Approves the 2012-2013 biennial Funding Priorities Statement for the Annual Action Plan of the City’s Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development.

This resolution gives direction for Community and Economic Development Block Grants funds, which have seen fairly drastic cuts in recent years.  The funding priorities include 50% for housing and 15% for human services.  No provisions were included for emergency shelter services, as the federal government has recently restructured those services into emergency services grants.  Staff will review the changes and draft a priorities statement amendment.

Resolution No. 38371 Authorizes the acquisition of 11 parcels, totaling approximately 3.5 acres, of undeveloped tax title properties from Pierce County, in the amount of $10,582, for open space conservation and management purposes.

Elliot Barnett fron the Community and Economic Development Department explained that these properties, all adjacent to existing City-owned land are currently available at a drastically reduced price (less than 10% of assessed value), and therefore seemed like a wise investment.

Resolutions 38872 through 38376 deal with elements of the SMP.

Resolution No. 38372 Adopts the Shoreline Inventory and Characterization Report establishing the City’s baseline ecological and land use conditions.

Resolution No. 38373 Adopts the Shoreline Restoration Plan, an implementation element of the Shoreline Master Program, establishing goals, policies, and potential actions for the restoration of impaired shoreline ecological functions.

Resolution No. 38374 Adopts the Public Access Alternatives Plan, an implementation element of the Shoreline Master Program, identifying existing and planned public access projects and implementation strategies for enhancing public recreation within the shoreline.

Resolution No. 38375 Adopts the Thea Foss Waterway Design Guidelines to replace the design elements of the Thea Foss Waterway Design and Development Plan, and establish design guidelines and procedures applicable to the S-8 Thea Foss Waterway Shoreline District.

Resolution No. 38376 Adopts the Cumulative Impacts Analysis, which fulfills the requirements of the Washington Administrative Code by evaluating the potential cumulative impacts on ecological functions of reasonably foreseeable development in the shoreline.

Resolution No. 38377 Authorizes the execution of a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 483, Clerical Unit, which covers approximately 197.2 budgeted, full-time equivalent positions, and provides in part for zero wage increases in both 2011 and 2012, a market-based increase in 2013, and a Consumer Price Index-based increase in 2014, effective January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2014.

Resolution No. 38378 Authorizes the execution of a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 483, Supervisors’ Unit, which covers approximately 10 budgeted, full-time equivalent positions, and provides in part for zero wage increases in both 2011 and 2012, a market-based increase in 2013, and a Consumer Price Index-based increase in 2014, effective January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2014.

Resolution No. 38379 Authorizes the execution of a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Professional and Technical Employees, Local 17, which covers approximately 269.5 budgeted, full-time equivalent positions, and provides in part for zero wage increases in both 2011 and 2012, a market-based increase in 2013, and a Consumer Price Index-based increase in 2014, effective January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2014.

FINAL READING OF ORDINANCES

The moment you’ve all been waiting for; drum roll, please…

Ordinance No. 28034 (Including eight proposed amendments, pages 421 to 424) Adopting the Shoreline Master Program, which amends the Comprehensive Plan and the Land Use Regulatory Code, establishes both new and modified environmental designations and zoning classifications, amends zoning district boundaries, and reclassifies certain properties to the new and revised shoreline zoning districts.

The amendments are listed with their exact (though less than poetic) wording on the City’s SMP updates page, and last week The News Tribune summarized most of them.

Amendments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10 were adopted.  Amendment 7 was voted down, and Councilmember Boe withdrew Amendment 8, saying it was moot.  With those additions, the ordinance passed.  But stay tuned, and stay involved; you haven’t heard the end of public comment on waterfront issues.

Substitute Ordinance No. 28036 Amending Chapter 1.24 of the Municipal Code, relating to the Personnel Rules, to add a new Section 1.24.880 Leave Without Pay.

FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES

Ordinance No. 28038 Authorizing Tacoma Rail to reissue switching tariff TMBL 8807 and to adjust freight rates based on cost of service changes, generating an additional $570,000 of revenue, effective January 1, 2012.

Ordinance No. 28039 Adopting the Six-Year Comprehensive Transportation Program for amended year 2011 and 2012-2017. 

Ordinance No. 28040 Modifying the 2011-2012 Biennial Budget to appropriate funds for additional contractual obligations, transfers, and other budget adjustments; authorizing interfund transfers and contributions; and accepting, depositing, and appropriating miscellaneous donations, contributions, and/or fees.

Ordinance No. 28041 Amending Chapter 1.12 of the Municipal Code, relating to the Compensation Plan, to add a new Section 1.12.265 Leave Without Pay.

COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS OF THE CITY COUNCIL

Government Performance and Finance Committee

CITY MANAGER SEARCH

Seven candidates selected from the field of initial applicants were individually discussed and voted on by the Council.  Here they are:

Candidates moving forward:
Ray Arellano – Current Interim City Manager
T.C. Broadnax – Assistant City Manager, San Antonio, Texas
Andrew Neiditz – City Manager, Lakewood, Washington
Frederick Russell – City Administrator, Augusta, Georgia
Craig Malin – City Administrator, Davenport, Iowa

Candidates considered, but not moving on:
Donald Krupp – County Administrator, Thurston County, Washington
Marianna Marysheva-Martinez – Interim Town Manager, Mammoth Lakes, California

Candidates selected to move on will face the next round of interviews next week. 

What did we tell you?  Epic.