Tacoma City Council Meeting - Sept 1st, 2009

This week’s Tacoma City Council meeting had two primary areas of interest that caught our attention: education and open space. There was a split vote on Tacoma 360. There was the purchase of 8 acres of prime North End real estate for open space. What else? Here are our notes:

PROCLAMATIONS, RECOGNITIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mayor Baarsma proclaimed September 19, 2009 as POW/MIA Day and presented the proclamation to Mr. Joseph Zelazny, Chair of the Veterans Memorial Committee.

Mayor Baarsma then recognized Chief Ron Stephen and the Fire Department for obtaining accreditation from the Commission of Fire Accreditation International. Only 135 of the the countries 30,000 fire departments have received this designation.

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

RESOLUTIONS
Resolution No. 37855 authorizes the execution of an interlocal agreement with Metro Parks Tacoma and Tacoma School District No. 10, allowing for the creation and operation of Tacoma 360. The goal of Tacoma 360 is to advocate for and create conditions for greater collaboration around the needs of families and kids. There were speeches by every councilmember about their vision of what Tacoma 360 means. That said, councilmembers Manthou and Lonergan voted against the resolution by stating that the creation of a new organization will only cause confusion. The resolution passed 5 to 2.

Purchase Resolution No. 37860 awards contracts to:

1. Donovan Excavating Inc., on its bid of $890,954.75 for construction of a soil preload at the Tacoma Landfill.
2. Accrete Construction, LLC dba BPCI, in the amount of $900,000 for the construction and installation of ADA compliance upgrades in City-owned facilities.

Resolution No. 37861 declares surplus a ten-foot strip of Tacoma Power property located along 180th Street East at the Canyon Substation; and authorizing the execution of a Quit Claim Deed, granting and conveying the surplus property to Pierce County Public Works and Utility Department as a predevelopment condition for approval of a necessary building permit.

Resolution No. 37862 authorizes the execution of an Assignment of Contract Rights and Agreement and a Stewardship Agreement and Restrictive Covenant with Pierce County related to the acquisition of an approximate 8-acre parcel within Mason Gulch for open space conservation purposes; executing a Statutory Warranty Deed with the owners of the property to acquire such parcel; and executing a Deed and Agreement relating to Development Rights limiting further development on the 1-acre residential parcel. The City would pay $76k of the $955k purchase price from its Open Space Fund. The balance of the money would be paid by the County’s Conservation Future dollars.

Resolution No. 37863 authorizes the execution of an agreement with Catholic Community Services of Northwest Washington, in the amount of $290,609, and with Pierce County Housing Authority, in the amount of $248,077, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, budgeted from the Community and Economic Development Special Revenue Fund, for Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing services for the period of September 1, 2009 through July 27, 2012.

Resolution No. 37864 authorizes the execution of an agreement with the University of Washington Tacoma, in the amount of $205,549, budgeted from the Surface Water Fund, together with providing $146,185 of in-kind sampling and lab work services, for the purpose of developing key scientific elements to support a long-term surface water management plan for the Wapato Watershed.

FINAL READING OF ORDINANCES
Ordinance No. 27831 authorizes Tacoma Rail to issue a new switching tariff to cover freight rates on the Mountain Division, effective September 1, 2009.

Ordinance No. 27832 amends Chapter 1.12 of the Municipal Code, relating to the Compensation Plan, to implement rates of pay and compensation negotiated with the United Transportation Union, Yardmasters Unit, which consists of four budgeted,
full-time positions, effective July 1, 2007 through December 31, 2011.

Done. A few days late, but here nonetheless.