OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Tacoma City Council Meeting - July 28, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, July 28, 2026
BodyTacoma, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 28, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 27:01

Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

I'd like to call to order the city council meeting of July 28th, 2026.

0:06

Clerk, please call the roll.

0:08

Deputy Mayor Bushnell.

0:10

President.

0:10

Councilmember Diaz.

0:11

Here.

0:12

Councilmember Hines.

0:13

Here.

0:13

Councilmember Palmer.

0:14

Here.

0:15

Councilmember Ramba is absent.

0:17

Councilmember Sidalga?

0:18

Here.

0:18

Councilmember Scott.

0:21

Is absent.

0:22

Councilmember Walker is absent.

0:24

And Mayor Ibsen.

0:25

Here.

0:26

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

0:32

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

0:39

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

0:51

And it's the Republic for which it stands violation undervisible with liberty and justice for all the modifications to the agenda this evening.

1:19

Seeing none, we'll move on to the consent agenda.

1:21

Is there a motion?

1:22

I move to adopt a consent agenda including resolution number four one nine six nine.

1:27

Second.

1:28

Moving second, are there any questions, comments, or corrections?

1:31

Seeing none is in favor of adopting the consent agenda, please signify by saying aye.

1:35

Aye.

1:35

I'm supposed to say no.

1:36

Consent agenda is declared adopted.

1:38

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

1:41

Moving on to public comment.

1:44

Clerk, please read.

1:50

This is the time set aside for public comment.

1:52

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

1:56

All right.

1:57

Clerk, you're too fast.

1:58

Thank you.

1:59

Uh this 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.

2:07

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

2:11

And if you're attending virtually, then you can just uh click the raise hand or star nine.

2:15

We have one person who signed in in person, and that's Mr.

2:18

Tyler Daniels.

2:22

And if Mr.

2:23

Daniels, you can uh specify which item on tonight's agenda you're speaking to.

2:26

Clerk, before we start the time.

2:28

May I please acknowledge that I do not consent to being called Mr.

2:32

Tyler Daniels.

2:34

My name is Tyler Daniels.

2:36

Pardon, please proceed.

2:37

Thank you.

2:38

Um I am here, Tyler Daniels, PE, discussing resolution 41969 for the health services for the city of Tacoma.

2:50

This was not put through an RFP for general purposes.

2:54

This appears to be a standard business practice that's going with the flow of what has been done.

3:00

Um as an individual who has utilized this system since its conception in 2015.

3:07

It is not something that doesn't warrant going outside to look for other options.

3:14

So you're going to consent agenda, almost $800,000 to keep this system going that requires employees to take hours and hours and hours and hours and hours of either their private or their public time just to get a $20 income credit for their wellness credit each month.

3:38

And that is not something that we need to keep perpetuating.

3:42

We need to expand our requests for proposals from other businesses like myself and others who provide services in the wellness industry.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement██████████████████████████████30%
Personnel Matters█████████████13%
Procedural███████████11%
Transgender Rights██████████10%
Public Comment████████8%
Pending Litigation███████7%
Public Safety███████7%
Environmental Protection██████6%
Public Utility Board Stipends█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Tacoma City Council Meeting - July 28, 2026

The Tacoma City Council met on July 28, 2026, at 5:00 PM. The meeting included adoption of the consent agenda, several regular agenda items including settlements with Sound Transit and a TPU claim, appointments, resolutions on ballot initiatives, and first readings of rules amendments. Public comment was received. The council also heard city manager reports and a committee update.

Consent Calendar

  • Adopted the consent agenda including Resolution No. 41969 awarding a contract to Personify Health Inc. for City Wellness Platform services in the amount of $745,344.48 (plus taxes), budgeted from the Information Systems Fund, through December 31, 2029. The contract was awarded via direct negotiation.
  • Approved payroll and payments for June 29, 2026 to July 12, 2026 totaling $66,289,241.18 ($27,300,919.48 payroll + $38,988,321.70 payments).
  • Filed a communication letter from Council Member Diaz to The Herbal Gardens Management.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Tyler Daniels (PE) spoke in opposition to Resolution No. 41969, criticizing the lack of a competitive RFP process and describing the current wellness platform as outdated and burdensome to employees, requiring significant time for minimal benefit. He urged the city to seek other options.

Discussion Items

  • Motion to authorize settlement with Sound Transit (Item 4): Approved to authorize execution of a settlement agreement between the City and Sound Transit resolving all claims related to the D-to-M Street Track and Signal project and the Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension project, consistent with Sound Transit Board action on July 23, 2026.
  • Motion to authorize settlement of TPU Claim W-045-24 (Item 5): Approved to settle claims by Evelyn and Jose Castellar for damage to their home in Federal Way, WA from a broken water main on September 24, 2024. The Tacoma Department of Public Utilities will pay $977,865.51, with total amount paid of $1,465,689.74. A friendly amendment corrected the amount from "million" to "thousand."
  • Appointment to Tacoma Housing Authority Board (Item 6): Resolution No. 41970 was adopted appointing Nate Lauver, Secretary-Treasurer of the Pierce County Central Labor Council, to the Board of Commissioners.
  • Appointment of committees for Initiative Measure No. 1 (Item 7): Resolution No. 41971 was adopted as amended, appointing three members to the "For" committee (Kashana Curtis, William Hanwald, Tyrone Ty Moore) and three to the "Against" committee (Ben Lackey, Mark Melzness, and Michael Mira added by amendment) for the Safe Homes for All initiative on the November 3, 2026 special election ballot.
  • Resolution opposing state initiatives (Item 8): Resolution No. 41972 was adopted expressing opposition to Initiative Measure IL26-001 (parental rights in schools) and IL26-638 (athletics participation), citing risks to student safety and privacy. Tacoma became the first city in the state to take such a position.
  • First reading of resolution amending Rule 8 (Item 9): Resolution No. 41973, allowing organizations to request presentations at council meetings and directing creation of an online application, was introduced. Second reading set for August 4, 2026.
  • First reading of resolution amending various council rules (Item 10): Resolution No. 41974, including technical updates and a proposed addition requiring advance reporting of out-of-state city-sponsored travel, was introduced. Second reading set for August 4, 2026.
  • Final reading of ordinance on small works roster (Item 11): Ordinance No. 29115 was passed unanimously (7-0) amending Titles 1 and 10 of the Municipal Code to allow the city to leverage the statewide Small Works Roster for public works contracts.
  • City Manager Reports: Announced a planning commission public hearing on off-street parking code (August 5), a participatory budgeting idea collection event for District 5 (July 29), and the addition of the city's first fully electric garbage truck to the solid waste fleet. In response to council questions, the city manager estimated the potential fiscal impact of the Safe Homes for All initiative at $8-10 million per year, requiring offsets from police, fire, and libraries.
  • Committee Report: Councilmember Scott reported on the Community Vitality and Safety Committee meetings of July 9 and July 23, including briefings on regional homelessness coordination, rental housing code enforcement, and interviews for the Tacoma Area Commission on Disabilities. Next meeting is August 13.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda adopted (unanimous voice vote).
  • Settlement with Sound Transit authorized (unanimous).
  • Settlement of TPU claim authorized with friendly amendment (unanimous).
  • Resolution No. 41970 adopted appointing Nate Lauver to Tacoma Housing Authority board (unanimous).
  • Resolution No. 41971 adopted as amended appointing for and against committees for Initiative Measure No. 1 (unanimous).
  • Resolution No. 41972 adopted opposing IL26-001 and IL26-638 (unanimous).
  • Ordinance No. 29115 passed (7-0 vote: ayes from Bushnell, Diaz, Hines, Palmer, Sidalga, Scott, Ibsen; absent: Rumbaugh, Walker).
  • First readings of Resolution No. 41973 and 41974 set over for second reading on August 4, 2026.
  • Councilmembers Rumbaugh and Walker excused from the meeting.
  • Meeting adjourned at approximately 6:30 PM.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call to order the city council meeting of July 28th, 2026. Clerk, please call the roll. Deputy Mayor Bushnell. President. Councilmember Diaz. Here. Councilmember Hines. Here. Councilmember Palmer. Here. Councilmember Ramba is absent. Councilmember Sidalga? Here. Councilmember Scott. Is absent. Councilmember Walker is absent. And Mayor Ibsen. Here. Please join me in listening to the land acknowledgement and flag salute led by Councilmember Heinz, followed by a moment of silence. We gratefully honor and acknowledge that we rest in the traditional lands of the Piala people where they make their home and speak the Lishu language. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for a moment of silence. And it's the Republic for which it stands violation undervisible with liberty and justice for all the modifications to the agenda this evening. Seeing none, we'll move on to the consent agenda. Is there a motion? I move to adopt a consent agenda including resolution number four one nine six nine. Second. Moving second, are there any questions, comments, or corrections? Seeing none is in favor of adopting the consent agenda, please signify by saying aye. Aye. I'm supposed to say no. Consent agenda is declared adopted. There are no proclamations, recognitions, presentations, or announcements. Moving on to public comment. Clerk, 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. Clerk, you're too fast. Thank you. Uh this 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. Your remarks should be directed to the entire city council or not individual members or staff members. And if you're attending virtually, then you can just uh click the raise hand or star nine. We have one person who signed in in person, and that's Mr. Tyler Daniels. And if Mr. Daniels, you can uh specify which item on tonight's agenda you're speaking to. Clerk, before we start the time. May I please acknowledge that I do not consent to being called Mr. Tyler Daniels. My name is Tyler Daniels.

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