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Record of Proceedings

Tacoma City Council Meeting: Tower Crane Code Ordinance, September 17, 2024

City Council — Tuesday, September 17, 2024
BodyTacoma, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, September 17, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

I'd like to call to order the city council meeting of September 17th, 2024.

0:08

Clerk, will you please call the roll?

0:10

Councilmember Bushnell?

0:11

Present.

0:12

Councilmember Daniels.

0:13

Here.

0:13

Councilmember Diaz.

0:15

Deputy Mayor Hines.

0:16

Councilmember Rumba?

0:17

Here.

0:18

Councilmember Sidalga?

0:19

Here.

0:19

Councilmember Scott?

0:20

Here.

0:21

Councilmember Walker?

0:23

Here.

0:23

Mayor Woodards?

0:24

Here.

0:26

All right.

0:26

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

0:34

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

0:44

Please stand for the flag salute and remain standing for a moment.

0:56

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:59

One nation under God.

1:28

Are there any agenda modifications this evening?

1:32

Seeing none.

1:36

Seeing none moving on to the consent agenda.

1:38

I move to adopt the consent agenda.

1:40

Second.

1:41

All right.

1:41

Any questions, comments, or corrections.

1:44

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

1:48

Aye.

1:49

All those opposed.

1:50

The consent agenda is declared adopted.

1:52

There are no proclamations, recognitions, presentations, or announcements.

1:56

Moving on to public comment this evening.

1:58

Under public comment, you can speak about motions, resolutions, and ordinances on tonight's agenda.

2:03

The forum is intended to give speakers the opportunity to share their viewpoints and feedback with the city council to aid in our decision making and is not meant to be a back and forth dialogue.

2:13

Your remarks should be directed to the city council and not to individual staff members.

2:18

If you want to speak under the public comment period, please press the raise your hand button near the bottom of your Zoom window or star nine on your phone now so we can see the number of people wishing to testify.

2:27

If you're speaking in person, please sign up at the back of the room if you have not done so already.

2:31

Your name or the last four digits of your phone number will be called out when it is your turn to speak.

2:36

Clerk, will you please read?

2:37

This is the time set aside for public comment.

2:39

Speakers are asked to identify the specific legislation they wish to address.

2:44

All right.

2:45

I don't see that anybody signed in tonight, and I don't have one.

2:51

Okay, there's only one thing on tonight's agenda.

2:57

Okay, while she's bringing it to me, it is Michelle Reich.

3:00

Michelle, do you want to come forward?

3:06

Michelle Reich.

3:07

I'm speaking to ordinance 28980.

3:11

The Tower Crane Code.

3:14

There's a lot of cranes and cranes.

3:17

And in Japan, cranes is a symbol of longevity, love, and long life.

3:23

Yeah, as cranes made for life.

3:26

Now, this uh code here, I believe it was enacted in Washington State uh primarily because of a severe accident in Seattle where a crane toppled and somebody was killed.

3:38

And so I believe uh this is the impetus for this, and safety is always important there.

3:45

And yeah, there's always safety things that are are meeted and neglected, and and this is to fill in the gaps uh with respect to cranes.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Code Enforcement█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Procedural█████████████████████████████30%
Public Safety████████████████████20%
Environmental Protection████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Tacoma City Council Meeting Summary

September 17, 2024 – 5:00 PM

The Tacoma City Council met on September 17, 2024, at 5:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting included adoption of the consent agenda, one public comment, a first reading of an ordinance to amend the municipal code for tower crane safety and clarify permit timelines, and committee reports. No votes were taken on the ordinance; it was set over for final reading.

Consent Calendar

  • Adopted unanimously: Minutes of the Landmarks Preservation Commission (June 28, July 12, July 26, August 23, 2023), Tacoma Creates Advisory Board (August 5, 2024), City Council study sessions (December 12 and 19, 2023), and payments totaling $48,226,231.47 (payroll: $22,603,883.52; payments: $25,622,347.95) for the period August 12–25, 2024.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Michelle Reich spoke on Ordinance 28980 (Tower Crane Code). She noted that cranes are symbols of longevity in Japan but can be dangerous, referencing a fatal Seattle crane collapse. She did not express explicit support or opposition but emphasized safety.

Discussion Items

  • First Reading of Ordinance 28980 – Tower Crane Code
    • Chris Seaman, Engineering Manager, presented the ordinance. He explained two state-house bill requirements: (1) by January 1, 2025, cities must adopt policies to close streets and notify the public during tower crane assembly/disassembly; (2) clarify that new permit timelines for land-use permits do not apply to building, mechanical, plumbing, and site development permits. The ordinance also adds a fee code for tower crane permits (time and materials).
    • Councilmember Walker noted the item was reviewed by the Infrastructure, Planning, and Sustainability (IPS) Committee and stated it is an adoption of state code, uncomplicated but important.
    • Councilmember Rumbaugh asked about city liability. Seaman responded that the city’s responsibility is limited to facilitating right-of-way closure and notification within the work zone, with input from L&I and the crane operator. The developer bears the cost of closure and notification.
    • Councilmember Bushnell confirmed that the developer pays for the closure and notification.
    • The ordinance was set over for final reading at the next meeting.

Committee Reports

  • Infrastructure, Planning, and Sustainability Committee (Councilmember Walker, Chair) reported on three meetings:
    • August 14: Interviews for Transportation Commission vacancies; public works presented timeline for a streets initiative ballot measure.
    • August 28: Recommendations for updating Title II (tower cranes); discussion of two proposed charter amendments, with ongoing stakeholder consultation and a commitment to report back by year-end.
    • September 11: Environmental Services and Planning presented updates on the new municipal stormwater permit and anticipated stormwater manual changes, including new tree canopy requirements. The committee also considered a proposal from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians to add honorary roadway signs in Lushootseed along 28 roadways within the tribal boundary; the committee unanimously moved it forward to the full council.
    • Next IPS meeting: September 25, 2025, at 4:30 PM.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda adopted unanimously.
  • Ordinance 28980 (Tower Crane Code) received first reading; no vote taken. Set over for final reading on September 24, 2024.
  • No other business or votes.
  • Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call to order the city council meeting of September 17th, 2024. Clerk, will you please call the roll? Councilmember Bushnell? Present. Councilmember Daniels. Here. Councilmember Diaz. Deputy Mayor Hines. Councilmember Rumba? Here. Councilmember Sidalga? Here. Councilmember Scott? Here. Councilmember Walker? Here. Mayor Woodards? Here. All right. Please join me in listening to the land acknowledgement and flag salute led by Councilmember Sidalga, followed by a moment of silence. We gratefully honor and acknowledge that we rest on the traditional lands of the Piala people where they make their home and speak the Lusutsi language. Please stand for the flag salute and remain standing for a moment. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. Are there any agenda modifications this evening? Seeing none. Seeing none moving on to the consent agenda. I move to adopt the consent agenda. Second. All right. Any questions, comments, or corrections. All those in favor of adopting the consent agenda, please signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed. The consent agenda is declared adopted. There are no proclamations, recognitions, presentations, or announcements. Moving on to public comment this evening. Under public comment, you can speak about motions, resolutions, and ordinances on tonight's agenda. The forum is intended to give speakers the opportunity to share their viewpoints and feedback with the city council to aid in our decision making and is not meant to be a back and forth dialogue. Your remarks should be directed to the city council and not to individual staff members. If you want to speak under the public comment period, please press the raise your hand button near the bottom of your Zoom window or star nine on your phone now so we can see the number of people wishing to testify. If you're speaking in person, please sign up at the back of the room if you have not done so already. Your name or the last four digits of your phone number will be called out when it is your turn to speak. Clerk, will you please read? This is the time set aside for public comment. Speakers are asked to identify the specific legislation they wish to address. All right. I don't see that anybody signed in tonight, and I don't have one. Okay, there's only one thing on tonight's agenda. Okay, while she's bringing it to me, it is Michelle Reich.

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