Tacoma City Council Study Session – August 13, 2024

On August 13, 2024, the Tacoma City Council held a study session to discuss three major initiatives: the citywide website redesign, the South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District public hearing preparation, and the Community Safety Action Strategy update. The session also included a discussion of proposed letters to Pierce County officials regarding homeless services. No formal votes were taken during the study session; however, direction was provided to staff, and several items were slated for action during the regular council meeting later that evening.

Citywide Website Redesign Project Update

• The Media and Communications Office presented an update on the redesign of CityofTacoma.org, which has been in use since 2013. Key goals include improving navigation, mobile-first design, accessibility, transparency, and security.
• A vendor, SiteCrafting (a local Tacoma company), was selected. Since the May update, staff conducted usability testing and focus groups with 12 participants (one-on-one tests) and two focus groups with nine participants representing community groups. Community engagement was also held at One Tacoma visioning workshops.
• Usability testing achieved an 82% average task success rate and a satisfaction score of 6.45 out of 7, the highest SiteCrafting has ever reported.
• The new website will launch in spring 2025 under the new domain Tacoma.gov, which is more secure and authoritative. The old domain (cityoftacoma.org) will be retained indefinitely, and all email addresses will continue to work.
• Councilmembers asked about search engine optimization, AI integration for chatbots, integration with Legistar for resolutions and agendas, content archiving policies, and translation services. Staff noted that AI chatbot integration is not part of the current project but may be considered later. They also committed to improving search functionality and language access, working with the language access coordinator.

South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District Public Hearing Preparation

• Principal Planner Stephen Atkinson presented an overview of the proposed six-month extension of the moratorium on new underground storage tanks, metal recycling, and auto-wrecking facilities in the South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District. The public hearing was scheduled for that evening.
• The work plan includes reviewing high-impact uses, stormwater infiltration, impervious surface standards, tree canopy, and landscaping (focusing on the Tacoma Mall Regional Growth Center and South Tacoma Manufacturing Industrial Center). The scope has expanded due to community input and additional funding from the City Council.
• Tacoma Water’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) update will assess groundwater yield, climate change impacts, and impervious surface thresholds. A new USGS groundwater model is expected to inform the analysis.
• The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is conducting a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) with a community advisory group of nine members. A scoping survey will be released soon to prioritize up to three topics for study. The HIA will be completed by January 2025.
• Councilmembers discussed the importance of interjurisdictional coordination, especially regarding the broader aquifer recharge area that extends into Pierce County. Staff confirmed they will engage the county on this issue.
• The moratorium extension ordinance is scheduled for first reading on August 20 and final adoption on August 27. Preliminary recommendations for the groundwater code update are expected to come to the IPS Committee in November 2024.

Community Safety Action Strategy Update

• Chief Strategy Officer Jacques Colon and Strategic Initiatives Coordinator Gabe Moaalii presented the strategy, which aims to create a shared community definition of safety and align city actions with existing plans (e.g., Vision Zero, violent crime reduction plan, homelessness strategy).
• The strategy is built on extensive engagement: eight One Tacoma visioning workshops, partner convenings, over 20 staff listening sessions, an online idea board, and language ambassadors. A community survey revealed a 24-percentage-point gap in feeling unsafe between District 1 (30%) and District 5 (54%).
• The resulting community vision is organized around four themes: co-create healthy places and neighborhoods, invest in people and prevention, effective response with care, and promote healing and repair. Example actions include reducing traffic fatalities, supporting clean neighborhoods, coordinating youth resources, and developing alternative response programs (e.g., HOPE team, HEAL team, CSOs).
• Councilmembers requested clearer metrics, phasing (phase 1, 2, 3), budget alignment, and a more prominent role for business safety and violence prevention. Staff acknowledged that the strategy is a theory of change rather than a detailed operational plan, and that metric development will require further collaboration. The strategy is expected to be finalized and brought back for adoption before the end of 2024.

Letters to Pierce County Regarding Homeless Services

• Mayor Woodards introduced draft letters to the Pierce County Council and County Executive urging support for Ordinance No. 2024-45, which would amend the county’s land use code to streamline the permitting of non-congregate tiny home shelter sites in unincorporated areas.
• The Mayor noted that Tacoma currently provides over 80% of all sheltering in Pierce County, and that the absence of county-supported services in outlying areas places undue strain on city resources. The letters emphasize that keeping residents in their own communities leads to better outcomes.
• Councilmembers Diaz and Deputy Mayor Hines suggested minor wording changes to clarify that the city is not shirking responsibility and to focus the request on shelter provision rather than broader homelessness responsibility. The Mayor agreed to incorporate those edits before the letters are placed on the evening’s agenda for council approval.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken; the study session was informational.
• Staff will incorporate council feedback on the website redesign, groundwater work plan, and community safety strategy.
• The South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District moratorium extension will proceed to a public hearing and first reading that evening.
• The letters to Pierce County will be revised and presented for council approval at the regular meeting.
• Council appointments were circulated for review, with feedback due by noon the next day.