OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Tacoma City Council Meeting - June 4, 2024

City Council — Tuesday, June 4, 2024
BodyTacoma, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, June 4, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:07

Excuse me, we're in a new place today.

0:09

I would like to call to order the city council meeting of June 4th, 2024.

0:14

Clerk, will you please call the roll?

0:15

Councilmember Blushnell.

0:17

Present.

0:17

Councilmember Daniels.

0:21

Councilmember Diaz.

0:24

Absent Deputy Mayor Hines.

0:26

Here.

0:27

Councilmember Rumba.

0:28

Here.

0:28

Councilmember Scott.

0:30

Here.

0:31

Councilmember Walker.

0:32

Here.

0:33

Mayor Woodards?

0:34

Here.

0:35

Please join me in listening to the land acknowledgement and flag salute led by Deputy Mayor Hines, followed by a moment of silence.

0:44

We gratefully honor and acknowledge that we rest on the traditional lands of the Piot people where they make their home and speak the Lachute seed language.

0:50

Please stand for the Pudge of Allegiance and remain standing for a moment of silence.

1:51

So forgive me as it will take a few minutes, a few minutes just to get used to this.

1:56

And thank you to TPU for allowing us to use your chambers while ours are being remodeled.

2:02

So with that, we have one modification to the agenda tonight to add in motion as the first item under regular agenda, directing the city manager to have staff initiate the process to accept applications for appointment to the city council for a term to expire December 31st, 2025.

2:20

Public comment will be taken on this motion under the public comment portion of the agenda.

2:25

Are there any modifications to the agenda this evening?

2:29

Seeing none, we will move to the consent agenda.

2:41

Second.

2:42

All right.

2:43

All those in favor of adopting the consent agenda, please signify by saying aye.

2:47

Aye.

2:48

All those opposed?

2:49

The ayes have it.

2:50

The motion is declared adopted.

2:51

Moving on to proclamations, recognitions, presentations, and announcements.

2:56

We have three ceremonials tonight.

2:58

For pothole Palooza Day's proclamation, I would like to invite Ray Bailey, Street Operations Division Manager of Public Works to the podium as I read this proclamation.

3:18

Yeah, that's good.

3:20

Whereas Tacoma is home to the three-eyed creature named Phil, who fills his days with his favorite activity, digging potholes in our streets with the help of our bountiful supply of liquid sunshine.

3:36

And whereas, while Phil loves his potholes, we believe they are unsightly and that they can damage car tires, create obstacles for kids outright their bikes, and make our city appear to be in disrepair.

3:50

And whereas the city's public works street operations division with assistance from community request through Tacoma First 311, is hot on fields on Phil's tail and works hard all year long to repair potholes.

4:06

Phil leaves in his wake.

4:08

And whereas our streets provide a vital transportation network for the dynamic economy and social activities of our community, and caring for our streets requires sustained investment to preserve and improve them.

4:23

And whereas Phil has been spotted in all five council districts, proper prompting a coordinated effort by city crews to repair defective payment pavement and showcase their citywide and showcase their work citywide.

4:39

Now therefore, I, Victoria R.

4:41

Woodards, Mayor of the City of Tacoma, on behalf of the City Council, do hereby proclaim this week, June 3rd through the 7th, 2024, as Pothole Palooza Day days in the City of Tacoma.

4:56

And we invite the community to cheer for our street operations division in their fight against Phil.

5:02

Learn more about the investments needed to keep our streets safe and smooth and help reporting any sightings of Phil and his potholes to the Tacoma First 311 system.

5:14

Ray, I'm gonna turn it over to you.

5:18

Mayor Woodards, uh Deputy Mayor Hines and members of the City Council.

5:22

My name is Ray Bailey of the Public Works Department.

5:24

On behalf of the department, specifically the staff of street operations, I want to thank you all for proclaiming uh the week of June 3rd is pothole Palooza week and allowing street operations to showcase the type of maintenance that we perform every day.

5:38

This week, street operations staff will be performing lane and intersection replacements in 10 locations on our terrible streets throughout the city with two projects being completed per council district.

5:49

Work will consist of removing the old deteriorated pavement, compacting the subgrade where necessary, and then placing brand new comp uh and placing and compacting brand new asphalt.

6:01

Staff has worked closely with our com media and communications partners and local businesses to spread the word about our projects, and we have notified the public by placing variable message signboards and reader boards as necessary.

6:13

Traffic control uh is consisting of a combination of street and lane closures, detours are in place, and crews are minimizing the impacts of traffic as much as possible.

6:23

We know that Phil continues to leave his work on this his mark on the streets of the city of Tacoma, and our crews will continue to chase him down, reducing his presence, and we need the community's help in tracking him down as well.

6:35

We ask that you continue to report potholes by contacting Tacoma First 311 Customer Support Center by dialing 311 if you're within the city limits, or dialing 253-591-5000 from outside the city, or you can use uh their website, city Tacoma.org forward slash Tacoma First 311.

6:54

Once again, I want to thank you all very much for your support, and I want to personally thank my staff, Street Operations, for their hard work and dedication to the city.

7:03

Great, thank you, Ray.

7:05

And I'd like to tag on to what you just said in thanking our our your your crew, our crew who's going out filling these potholes and trying to catch Phil.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████20%
Public Works██████████████████18%
Public Safety███████████11%
Public Comment█████████9%
Public Transportation████████8%
Labor Standards███████7%
Environmental Protection█████5%
Personnel Matters████4%
Veterans Affairs████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Tacoma City Council Meeting Summary - June 4, 2024

The Tacoma City Council met on June 4, 2024, in a changed location at the Tacoma Public Utilities building due to remodeling of council chambers. The meeting included proclamations, public comment, multiple resolutions, ordinance readings, and a community forum. Key actions included adopting the consent agenda, launching a City Council appointment process for District 4, approving a fatigue time pilot program for IBEW Local 483, and allocating $20,000 for the Pierce County Climate Conversation.

Consent Calendar

  • Adopted unanimously: Routine approvals including minutes from various boards, purchase resolutions for equipment (asphalt grinder, dump trucks, street overlay), contract increases for nuisance abatement and vehicle upfitting, acceptance of $9,087,961 in transportation grants, and payroll/payment approvals totaling $49,225,028.06.

Proclamations & Recognitions

  • Pothole Palooza Days (June 3–7, 2024): Proclaimed by Mayor Woodards. Ray Bailey (Public Works) highlighted 10 lane/intersection repairs (two per council district). Deputy Mayor Hines introduced a mascot, "Phil the Pothole," and performed a theme song he wrote with his children.
  • Ride Transit Month (June 2024): Proclaimed by Councilmember Walker. Mike Griffiths (Pierce Transit CEO) reported 6.8 million passenger trips in 2023, free youth transit passes, and the new Stream Community Line. Laura Swansarick (Downtown on the Go) urged transit expansion in upcoming comprehensive plan updates.
  • Gun Violence Awareness Month (June 2024) / Wear Orange Weekend (June 7–9): Proclaimed by Mayor Woodards. Shalisa Hayes (Alliance for Gun Responsibility) spoke about the need for prevention and community action, noting the city’s investments in youth programs and multi-agency partnerships.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Michelle Reich (in person): Commented on Gun Violence Awareness Month, expressing strong views as an NRA member and military veteran. She argued for criminal justice reform, education on firearm safety and respect, and emphasized the Second Amendment. She also linked gun violence to the national psyche around firearms exports.
  • Written comment received but not read aloud.

Discussion Items

  • City Council Appointment – District 4: Motion to direct staff to initiate application process for a council member to serve until December 31, 2025, due to a vacancy. Applications open June 6–24, 2024. Adopted unanimously.
  • Appointments to City Events and Recognitions Committee (Resolution 41440): Councilmember Daniels moved to appoint Delisa Hawking, Cicely Krosky, Tim Fairley, Jill Sparks, and Alex Damine. Adopted unanimously.
  • IBEW Local 483 Fatigue Time Pilot Program (Resolution 41441): Dylan Carlson (Labor Relations) presented a pilot program allowing non-operations employees called out for overtime between midnight and 4 a.m. to receive rest time paid at straight time (up to half a shift, max 5 hours). Effective through December 31, 2025. Adopted unanimously.
  • Pierce County Climate Conversation Funding (Resolution 41442): Councilmember Rumbaugh proposed $20,000 from council contingency funds to support inter-jurisdictional climate collaboration. He noted Tacoma’s leadership and that funding is one-time only. Co-sponsored by Councilmembers Walker and Diaz. Adopted unanimously.
  • Final Reading – Compensation Plan Update (Ordinance 28968): Implemented pay rates for employees represented by Professional and Technical Employees Local 17 and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. Passed unanimously (7-0-1, Councilmember Diaz absent).
  • First Reading – Defense of City Officers (Ordinance 28969): Steve Victor (City Attorney) explained amendments to align Tacoma’s code with state law regarding legal defense for officers and employees. Set over for final reading.
  • First Reading – LEAP Program Updates (Ordinance 28970): Deborah Trevorrow presented proposed changes to the Local Employment and Apprenticeship Training Program, including replacing “goals” with “requirements,” updating penalty structures (proposed $60 per unmet hour, up from $10), and strengthening enforcement. Set over for final reading after presentation and Q&A.
  • Amendment to Council Appointment Timeline: Motion to extend application deadline from June 20 to June 24, 2024. Adopted unanimously.

Community Forum

  • Angel (online): Raised concerns about outdated, contradictory municipal codes (e.g., yard equipment storage) and requested a comprehensive review. Also urged tree preservation.
  • April Smith (District 5): Highlighted the South End Neighborhood Council’s work, including a successful Hosmer Resource Fair, grants for murals and a wildflower meadow, and urged inclusion of neighborhood councils in the city charter.
  • Michelle Reich (in person): Displayed a 1916 map of Ottoman Palestine and argued that the current conflict is about land, not religion, blaming Britain and France for partition.
  • Jackie Jones Hook and Carissa Burge (Buffalo Soldiers Museum): Invited council to a Labor Day festival (September 2, 2024) at Cheney Stadium, featuring an active-duty Army vs. Air Force softball game, family activities, and free back-to-school supplies. Requested city support.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda adopted.
  • Three proclamations adopted.
  • City Council appointment process initiated for District 4 (applications June 6–24).
  • Resolution 41440 (committee appointments) adopted.
  • Resolution 41441 (IBEW fatigue pilot) adopted.
  • Resolution 41442 ($20,000 climate conversation) adopted.
  • Ordinance 28968 (compensation plan) passed 7-0-1.
  • Ordinances 28969 and 28970 set for final reading June 11.
  • Appointment timeline amended (deadline extended to June 24).
  • Councilmember Diaz excused from the meeting.
  • Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

Excuse me, we're in a new place today. I would like to call to order the city council meeting of June 4th, 2024. Clerk, will you please call the roll? Councilmember Blushnell. Present. Councilmember Daniels. Councilmember Diaz. Absent Deputy Mayor Hines. Here. Councilmember Rumba. Here. Councilmember Scott. Here. Councilmember Walker. Here. Mayor Woodards? Here. Please join me in listening to the land acknowledgement and flag salute led by Deputy Mayor Hines, followed by a moment of silence. We gratefully honor and acknowledge that we rest on the traditional lands of the Piot people where they make their home and speak the Lachute seed language. Please stand for the Pudge of Allegiance and remain standing for a moment of silence. So forgive me as it will take a few minutes, a few minutes just to get used to this. And thank you to TPU for allowing us to use your chambers while ours are being remodeled. So with that, we have one modification to the agenda tonight to add in motion as the first item under regular agenda, directing the city manager to have staff initiate the process to accept applications for appointment to the city council for a term to expire December 31st, 2025. Public comment will be taken on this motion under the public comment portion of the agenda. Are there any modifications to the agenda this evening? Seeing none, we will move to the consent agenda. Second. All right. All those in favor of adopting the consent agenda, please signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed? The ayes have it. The motion is declared adopted. Moving on to proclamations, recognitions, presentations, and announcements. We have three ceremonials tonight. For pothole Palooza Day's proclamation, I would like to invite Ray Bailey, Street Operations Division Manager of Public Works to the podium as I read this proclamation. Yeah, that's good. Whereas Tacoma is home to the three-eyed creature named Phil, who fills his days with his favorite activity, digging potholes in our streets with the help of our bountiful supply of liquid sunshine. And whereas, while Phil loves his potholes, we believe they are unsightly and that they can damage car tires, create obstacles for kids outright their bikes, and make our city appear to be in disrepair. And whereas the city's public works street operations division with assistance from community request through Tacoma First 311, is hot on fields on Phil's tail and works hard all year long to repair potholes. Phil leaves in his wake. And whereas our streets provide a vital transportation network for the dynamic economy and social activities of our community, and caring for our streets requires sustained investment to preserve and improve them. And whereas Phil has been spotted in all five council districts, proper prompting a coordinated effort by city crews to repair defective payment pavement and showcase their citywide and showcase their work citywide. Now therefore, I, Victoria R. Woodards, Mayor of the City of Tacoma, on behalf of the City Council, do hereby proclaim this week, June 3rd through the 7th, 2024, as Pothole Palooza Day days in the City of Tacoma. And we invite the community to cheer for our street operations division in their fight against Phil. Learn more about the investments needed to keep our streets safe and smooth and help reporting any sightings of Phil and his potholes to the Tacoma First 311 system. Ray, I'm gonna turn it over to you. Mayor Woodards, uh Deputy Mayor Hines and members of the City Council. My name is Ray Bailey of the Public Works Department.

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