OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Tacoma City Council Special Meeting - August 8, 2025: Initiative Measure No. 2 and Labor Standards Task Force

City Council — Friday, August 8, 2025
BodyTacoma, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateFriday, August 8, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 26:49

Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

I'd like to call to order the city council special meeting of August 8th, 2025.

0:08

Clerk, will you please call the roll?

0:09

Councilmember Bushnell.

0:11

Present.

0:11

Deputy Mayor Daniels.

0:12

Here.

0:13

Councilmember Diaz.

0:17

Here.

0:18

Councilmember Hines.

0:20

Here.

0:21

Councilmember Rumba.

0:23

Here.

0:24

Councilmember Sidalgay?

0:25

Here.

0:26

Councilmember Scott?

0:27

Here.

0:27

Councilmember Walker.

0:29

Here.

0:30

Mayor Woodards.

0:32

Here.

0:33

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

0:37

We've received 31 comments.

0:40

Right.

0:41

And those comments are in our box at this time.

0:44

They have been emailed and I believe they're published online also.

0:47

Great.

0:47

Thank you very much.

0:48

All right.

0:49

So today we are here to take action on initiative measure number two as it is mandated within 30 days by our charter.

0:57

As I noted on Tuesday, we have two options per our charter.

1:01

Either to adopt the ordinance as is, either to adopt the initiative as is in an ordinance or reject it, which would require sending it to the voters.

1:11

Since we did not have an ordinance come forward before the materials were posted, we will only be considering the resolution to be submitted to the voters.

1:20

So item one, Clerk, will you please read Resolution 41733, a resolution calling for a special election on November 4th, 2025, providing for transmittal to the Pierce County Auditor as ex officio supervisor of elections of initiative measure number two for placement on the November 4th, 2025 special election ballot and directing the city clerk to transmit to the Pierce County Auditor a certified copy of this resolution?

1:53

I move to adopt resolution number 4173.

1:59

Second.

2:00

All right.

2:17

Thank you, Mayor.

2:19

Mayor, Deputy Mayor, members of City Council.

2:21

Steve Victor with the City Attorney's Office.

2:23

The reason that we call for a special election is that the general election by state law is limited to regular recurring topics.

2:35

So for example, council elections in odd years, you know, state and federal elections in even years.

2:43

Any topic that is not recurring regular is automatically by state law a special election.

2:51

So every ballot measure, uh whether it's an initiative or one the council puts on, is always a special election by state law.

2:59

And so when we uh adopt legislation uh referring something to the voters, it is always a special election it and city attorney and if there are any questions, please please um council.

3:12

If you have questions, let me know.

3:14

So I I'd never realized that is as long as I've been in politics, never realized that.

3:21

So does that mean like when the school district puts a bond or a levy on the November election or the park district, or even if we put the streets initiative on?

3:30

I'm just trying to get I'm trying to get really I want to really understand this.

3:34

Whenever that's on a November election, which a lot of times it has been, that's considered a special election.

3:40

That is, Mayor.

3:41

Um so the parks district, uh, school district, uh, any special district putting on an election or municipality uh that is not regular, that is not a political office, is technically under state law a special election, and so the legislation will call for that.

3:59

Councilmember Scott, thank you, Mayor.

4:01

Uh thank you, Steve, for that uh explanation.

4:05

Uh the other question I have just as a follow-up, and maybe this is why we didn't notice it was a special election type of thing.

4:11

Does it just show up on the regular ballot with everything else, even though it's still considered a special it it absolutely will be, but it'll be listed as you know in the voters' pamphlet and in the uh on the ballot as a special election, but it will be on the same ballot and the same voters pamphlet.

4:28

Thank you.

4:31

Never noticed there was a special election section on the ballot, just filled out my ballot.

4:37

All right.

4:38

Well, with that, um, we have this motion before us, and I just um want to offer an opportunity um for any council comments, either from those online or those here in person before we move to the question.

4:51

Are there any comments?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Labor Standards█████████████████████████████████████████████66%
Procedural███████████████22%
Public Engagement████████12%
Summary of Proceedings

Tacoma City Council Special Meeting - August 8, 2025

The Tacoma City Council held a special meeting on August 8, 2025, at 9:30 AM to consider a resolution placing Initiative Measure No. 2 on the November 4, 2025 special election ballot and to discuss a proposed Labor Standards Task Force. The council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution, though several members expressed deep concerns about the initiative's potential impacts. The council also discussed a proposal to create a 15-member task force to study labor standards, with a vote scheduled for the next regular meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • The city clerk reported receiving 31 written comments, which were distributed to the council and published online. No oral testimony was taken.

Discussion Items

  • Resolution No. 41733 – Special Election for Initiative Measure No. 2: The council considered a resolution calling for a special election on November 4, 2025, to place Initiative Measure No. 2 on the ballot. City Attorney Steve Victor explained that state law requires any ballot measure not related to regular recurring elections (like council or state/federal elections) to be designated a special election. The measure would appear on the same ballot as the general election but be listed as a special election. Mayor Woodards and Councilmember Hines voiced concerns about the initiative's legal complexities, potential negative impacts on local employers (including the city and nonprofits), and lack of stakeholder input. Both emphasized they share goals of fair wages and safe workplaces but worried about unintended consequences. The mayor stated she would vote yes only because the city charter mandates action within 30 days. No other council members spoke in opposition.
  • Briefing: Tacoma Labor Standards Task Force: Mayor Woodards presented a proposal to establish a 15-member task force appointed by the council, with each councilmember selecting one member from their district and the mayor appointing the remaining seven members and two alternates to represent business, labor, community organizations, and other perspectives. The task force would examine labor standards (including those in Initiative No. 2) and recommend policy improvements. The proposal includes $50,000 from council contingency funds for facilitation, with a target timeline of six months. Councilmembers expressed support, with some requesting flexibility in the appointment deadline. Councilmember Diaz raised concerns about the readiness of the proposal, including the selection process for a facilitator and the lack of a formal deadline. Discussion will continue, with a vote on the proposal expected at the next regular meeting on August 12, 2025.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution No. 41733 adopted unanimously (all council members present voted aye; none opposed). The resolution directs the city clerk to transmit a certified copy to the Pierce County Auditor to place Initiative Measure No. 2 on the November 4, 2025 special election ballot. The mayor and Councilmember Hines expressed serious reservations but voted in favor due to charter obligations.
  • The Labor Standards Task Force proposal will be brought forward as a resolution at the August 12, 2025 regular council meeting, with potential amendments based on council feedback.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call to order the city council special meeting of August 8th, 2025. Clerk, will you please call the roll? Councilmember Bushnell. Present. Deputy Mayor Daniels. Here. Councilmember Diaz. Here. Councilmember Hines. Here. Councilmember Rumba. Here. Councilmember Sidalgay? Here. Councilmember Scott? Here. Councilmember Walker. Here. Mayor Woodards. Here. Clerk, have we received any written public comment for today's special meeting? We've received 31 comments. Right. And those comments are in our box at this time. They have been emailed and I believe they're published online also. Great. Thank you very much. All right. So today we are here to take action on initiative measure number two as it is mandated within 30 days by our charter. As I noted on Tuesday, we have two options per our charter. Either to adopt the ordinance as is, either to adopt the initiative as is in an ordinance or reject it, which would require sending it to the voters. Since we did not have an ordinance come forward before the materials were posted, we will only be considering the resolution to be submitted to the voters. So item one, Clerk, will you please read Resolution 41733, a resolution calling for a special election on November 4th, 2025, providing for transmittal to the Pierce County Auditor as ex officio supervisor of elections of initiative measure number two for placement on the November 4th, 2025 special election ballot and directing the city clerk to transmit to the Pierce County Auditor a certified copy of this resolution? I move to adopt resolution number 4173. Second. All right. Thank you, Mayor. Mayor, Deputy Mayor, members of City Council. Steve Victor with the City Attorney's Office. The reason that we call for a special election is that the general election by state law is limited to regular recurring topics. So for example, council elections in odd years, you know, state and federal elections in even years. Any topic that is not recurring regular is automatically by state law a special election. So every ballot measure, uh whether it's an initiative or one the council puts on, is always a special election by state law. And so when we uh adopt legislation uh referring something to the voters, it is always a special election it and city attorney and if there are any questions, please please um council. If you have questions, let me know. So I I'd never realized that is as long as I've been in politics, never realized that. So does that mean like when the school district puts a bond or a levy on the November election or the park district, or even if we put the streets initiative on? I'm just trying to get I'm trying to get really I want to really understand this. Whenever that's on a November election, which a lot of times it has been, that's considered a special election. That is, Mayor.

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