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Record of Proceedings

Tacoma City Council Meeting - February 4, 2025: Settlement, Appointments, Water Protection Moratorium

City Council — Tuesday, February 4, 2025
BodyTacoma, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, February 4, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Hines is who I have not touched yet.

0:04

I would like to call to order the city council meeting of February 4th, 2025.

0:09

Clerk, will you please call the roll?

0:11

Councilmember Bushnell.

0:13

Present.

0:13

Deputy Mayor Daniels.

0:14

Here.

0:15

Councilmember Diaz.

0:16

Here.

0:17

Councilmember Heinz.

0:18

Here.

0:18

Councilmember Rumba.

0:20

Here.

0:20

Councilmember Sadalga?

0:22

Here.

0:22

Councilmember Scott.

0:23

Here.

0:23

Councilmember Walker.

0:25

Here.

0:25

Mayor Woodards.

0:27

Here.

0:28

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

0:35

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

0:42

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

0:54

And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice call.

1:35

Agenda modifications.

1:36

Are there any modifications to the agenda this evening?

1:39

Seeing none, we will move on to the consent agenda.

1:46

I move to adopt the consent agenda, including resolutions numbers 41612 and 41613.

1:54

Are there any questions, comments, or corrections?

1:56

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

2:01

Aye.

2:01

All those opposed, the consent agenda is declared adopted.

2:05

There are no proclamations, recognition, or presentations or announcements this evening.

2:10

Moving on to public comment.

2:12

On tonight's agenda, there will be two opportunities for people to comment.

2:15

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

2:20

Under the public hearing, you can speak about extending the existing moratorium on certain uses within the South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District.

2:29

These forms are 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.

2:39

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

2:44

If you want to speak under the public comment period, 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 this evening.

2:56

If you are not speaking in person, please sign up at if you are speaking in person.

3:00

I'm sorry, please sign up at the back of the room if you have not done so already.

3:03

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

3:08

Public comment.

3:09

Clerk, will you please read?

3:10

This is a time set aside for public comment.

3:12

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

3:18

All right.

3:18

I would like to remind everyone to please keep your comments relevant, respectful, focused, and on topic.

3:24

We strive to provide a comment period where people can feel respected while sharing a wide variety of viewpoints and acknowledge that we all may hear um we all may hear comments that conflict with our individual values.

3:36

But to ensure all speakers can express their First Amendment constitutional right, we ask that you refrain from clapping, cheering, booing, or otherwise being disruptive.

3:45

You will have two minutes to make your remarks.

3:48

Please be mindful of the time frame.

3:49

And as always, you are not required to use all of your time to make your point.

3:53

If you cannot remain on topic, you will be given two warnings.

3:56

If you remain off topic, we will have to move on and we'll end your time.

3:59

Clerk, have we received any written public comment for tonight's meeting?

4:03

We have not.

4:04

All right.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management█████████████████████████████████████37%
Public Comment████████████████████20%
Procedural██████████████14%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████9%
Public Engagement████████8%
Pending Litigation█████5%
Public Works████4%
Community Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Tacoma City Council Meeting - February 4, 2025

The Tacoma City Council met on February 4, 2025, to address a consent agenda, regular agenda items including a legal settlement and appointments to committees for a special election proposition, and held a public hearing on extending a moratorium on certain uses within the South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District. The meeting began at 5:00 PM and adjourned after the public hearing.

Consent Calendar

  • Resolution No. 41612: Approved an increase to the contract with McKinstry Co., LLC, in the amount of $164,434.00 for maintenance services at the Tacoma Dome and Greater Tacoma Convention Center, for a cumulative total of $653,449.84, plus taxes.
  • Resolution No. 41613: Awarded a contract to SphereCommerce, LLC, in the amount of $600,000 for credit card processing gateway services, with renewals totaling a projected $1,500,000, plus taxes.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • On Regular Agenda Items: Larry urged the council to be cautious when passing ordinances that follow new federal regulations or state paid sick leave rules, cautioning against giving in to demands without careful review. He specifically referenced Ordinance No. 29018 (paid sick leave compliance).
  • On Public Hearing (South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District Moratorium Extension):
    • Esther Day expressed full support for extending the moratorium, emphasizing the need to protect the aquifer that supplies 40% of Tacoma's water, noting glacier loss and recent drought.
    • Yvonne McCarty wholeheartedly supported the six-month moratorium extension but also urged the city to apply similar protections to Northeast Tacoma, which she said was omitted from the Tideflats sub-area plan.
    • Teresa Evans spoke generally in favor of keeping water clean and healthy, referencing Leech Creek.
    • Larry Vigary stated the moratorium plan looked good and thanked staff.
    • Michelle Reich opposed locating a megawarehouse in the groundwater protection district, citing long-term environmental pollution, noise from diesel trucks, and negative impacts on quality of life. He supported the moratorium and urged the council to exclude megawarehouses from the area.

Discussion Items

  • Settlement Approval (Item 6): The council authorized a full and final settlement of $119,440.24 in the matter of Ronald White v. City of Tacoma (Pierce County Cause No. 23-2-07873-5), related to a single-vehicle incident on May 28, 2020. Motion passed unanimously.
  • Appointments to Proposition 1 Committees (Resolution No. 41614): For the April 22, 2025 special election on Proposition 1 (concerning utility taxes and property tax levy for street improvements), the council appointed the following to prepare voters' pamphlet statements:
    • For committee: Mary Crest Castro, Anthony Johnson, Nathaniel Lauver Senior.
    • Against committee: Stephen Cook, Delisa Ovado, Larry Vigary.
    • Councilmember Rumbaugh noted she did not support the against committee appointees and voted no on the resolution, but the resolution passed with the majority in favor.
  • Purchase Resolution - Sewer Pipe Rehabilitation (Resolution No. 41615): Awarded a contract to Insituform Technologies, LLC, for $2,828,013.00 (plus 10% contingency) to rehabilitate approximately 5.7 miles of wastewater sewer pipes. Total projected contract $3,110,814.30. Passed unanimously.
  • Purchase Resolution - Schuster Parkway Elevated Trail (Resolution No. 41616): Awarded a contract to KPG Psomas Inc., for $2,849,909.74 for professional engineering design services for the Schuster Parkway elevated trail, with a two-year initial term and renewal options. Passed unanimously.
  • First Final Reading Ordinances:
    • Ordinance No. 29017: Amended the Compensation Plan for employees in three union units (IAM Local 282, PT&E Local 17, IBEW Local 483). Passed unanimously by roll call vote (9-0).
    • Ordinance No. 29018: Amended the Compensation Plan to comply with Washington State’s Paid Sick Leave law, retroactive to January 1, 2025. Passed unanimously by roll call vote (9-0).
  • Public Hearing and Presentation on South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District Moratorium Extension (Item 12):
    • Senior Planner Maryam Moeinian presented a proposal to extend the existing moratorium on new or expanded underground storage tanks, metal recycling, and auto-wrecking facilities within the South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District for an additional six months. The presentation covered the district's purpose (established 1988 to protect aquifer), existing moratorium history, updated work plan for code update, extensive outreach efforts (50+ meetings, spotlight events, advisory groups), and a tentative schedule: first reading of extension ordinance on February 11, final reading on February 25, with a goal to adopt the new code by September 2025. The current moratorium expires March 20, 2025.
    • Council members had no questions (having heard the same presentation at a prior study session).
    • Public testimony was taken (summarized above). The public hearing was closed.

Key Outcomes

  • The consent agenda (resolutions 41612 and 41613) was adopted unanimously.
  • The claim settlement of $119,440.24 was authorized unanimously.
  • Resolution 41614 (appointments to Proposition 1 committees) was adopted with a 8-1 vote (Councilmember Rumbaugh dissenting).
  • Resolution 41615 (sewer pipe rehabilitation contract) was adopted unanimously.
  • Resolution 41616 (Schuster Parkway trail design contract) was adopted unanimously.
  • Ordinance 29017 (compensation plan amendments) passed unanimously (9-0).
  • Ordinance 29018 (paid sick leave compliance) passed unanimously (9-0).
  • The public hearing on the moratorium extension was held; the council will consider first reading of the extension ordinance on February 11, 2025.

Meeting Transcript

Hines is who I have not touched yet. I would like to call to order the city council meeting of February 4th, 2025. Clerk, will you please call the roll? Councilmember Bushnell. Present. Deputy Mayor Daniels. Here. Councilmember Diaz. Here. Councilmember Heinz. Here. Councilmember Rumba. Here. Councilmember Sadalga? Here. Councilmember Scott. Here. Councilmember Walker. Here. Mayor Woodards. Here. Please join me in listening to the land acknowledgement and flag salute led by Councilmember Walker, followed by a moment of silence. We gratefully honor and acknowledge that we rest on the traditional lands of the Puellet people where they make their home and speak the Lachutsi language. Please stand for the flag salute and remain standing for a moment of silence. And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice call. Agenda modifications. Are there any modifications to the agenda this evening? Seeing none, we will move on to the consent agenda. I move to adopt the consent agenda, including resolutions numbers 41612 and 41613. Are there 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, recognition, or presentations or announcements this evening. Moving on to public comment. On tonight's agenda, there will be two opportunities for people to comment. Under the public comment, you can speak about motions, resolutions, and ordinances on tonight's agenda. Under the public hearing, you can speak about extending the existing moratorium on certain uses within the South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District. These forms are 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, 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 this evening. If you are not speaking in person, please sign up at if you are speaking in person. I'm sorry, 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. Public comment. Clerk, will you please read? This is a time set aside for public comment. Speakers are asked to identify the specific legislation they wish to address. All right. I would like to remind everyone to please keep your comments relevant, respectful, focused, and on topic.

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