OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Tacoma City Council Study Session - February 3, 2026

City Council Study Session — Tuesday, February 3, 2026
BodyTacoma, Washington
SessionCity Council Study Session
DateTuesday, February 3, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:12:10

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

Good afternoon.

0:05

I'd like to call to order the city, council study session of February 3rd, 2026.

0:10

Clerk, will you please call the roll?

0:12

Deputy Mayor Bushnell.

0:13

Present.

0:14

Councilmember Diaz.

0:17

Here.

0:18

Councilmember Hines.

0:20

Councilmember Palmer.

0:21

Councilmember Rumba here.

0:23

Councilmember Sidalga?

0:24

Here.

0:24

Councilmember Scott.

0:26

Here.

0:26

Councilmember Walker.

0:27

Here.

0:28

Mayor Ibsen.

0:29

Here.

0:30

All right.

0:31

Well, um, study session materials were sent to you today at 1101 a.m.

0:35

We have a pretty meaty agenda today.

0:37

And um, you'll notice it's a little topsy turvy.

0:40

That's just because I have a speaking engagement with uh one of our sister cities.

0:43

So thank you for accommodating the uh a little bit of a different uh agenda here today.

0:47

So our first item is going to be an update on the city manager recruitment and uh recommendation from the OSAC committee on community panelists, uh, just to give you some context.

0:56

Uh we have a total of four panels for the um community um for the different stakeholders interviewing the finalists for the city manager position, um, two of which are going to be uh 10 person community panel uh groups that are representatives of different regions and different um different areas of specialization in the city.

1:15

Uh we have one that's uh employees, uh department heads, and the fourth is just us, the city council.

1:21

So um we decided in the interests of making sure that we had good representation as well as at the same time respecting the anonymity of people who were not selected and finding that right balance, uh, that the best way to do that was an open public meeting where we brought uh after consulting with the rest of our colleagues in the community, um, each member of the committee, four members uh brought five people, and we had a discussion about making sure that we had a good cross section there.

1:45

So you'll see in your materials, um, where it says City of Tacoma City Manager Recruitment, OSAC recommended community interview panelists.

1:53

Uh there is a list of under primary of the people that we selected.

1:57

Uh these were found to be a good representation of socioeconomic diversity, regional diversity throughout the city in terms of council districts, because you know we've had recurring issues with uh appointments to various boards and commissions of, for example, too much uh uh representation from from one neighborhood versus the other and not enough in other places, uh, and also good professional uh diversity as well in terms of people from uh different walks of life, like the nonprofit sector, uh foundations, organized labor, small and large employers, uh, and so forth.

2:28

So this this was the overall consensus.

2:30

We also um, because it was a pretty large list.

2:33

There are about 50 or 60 people total who applied.

2:36

Um we also identified an alternate list of people if one or more uh cannot in fact attend.

2:41

So uh this will be on tonight's agenda.

2:43

Um happy to answer any questions, and and Cheryl Biddleman from HR is also available if folks have questions on the internal process.

2:50

And if there are anyone uh any members of OSAC would like to chime in too, happy to accommodate that.

2:54

Uh are there any c uh questions or comments from the council on this topic?

2:59

Councilmember Palmer.

3:01

Thank you, Mayor.

3:02

Um I was just curious as far as um representation for like neighborhood councils.

3:09

I'm not familiar with all of the names on the list, so I don't know if if that is included in in some of these names.

3:16

Uh can I speak to neighborhood councils?

3:18

Uh I know that uh Mr.

3:18

Trevion Parrish was on the youth advisory uh committee.

3:22

If and forgive me if I'm not naming that committee properly.

3:25

Um I'm not quite sure.

3:27

I I know that we did talk about um representation from different neighborhoods.

3:31

Um Deputy Mayor looks like you want to say something.

3:34

Sure.

3:34

Uh thank you, Mayor.

3:35

Um, and thank you for the question.

3:37

Uh we do have um, so Andrea Hogue, who's on our alternate list, is uh on a chair of one of the neighborhood councils.

3:43

And um I can't recall, but I I know that there were some folks on the list as whole that were either associated, dual hatting with neighborhood councils and other things.

3:52

I can't recall if uh other folks that are in the primary list are currently sitting on neighboring council or not, but I can't recall off the top of my head, but that's certainly a consideration and partly why um we wanted to make sure with this such a large list that we had an alternate that did also include.

4:06

It's hard to try and get as many people with all the different diverse backgrounds out there onto uh limited list, so that was a good consideration.

4:14

Thank you.

4:15

And I actually do have a clarifying question myself.

4:17

Uh Cheryl, if you wouldn't mind uh coming up here real quick.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Homelessness████████████████████████████████32%
Personnel Matters██████████████14%
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Arts And Culture█████████████13%
Procedural███████7%
Public Safety████4%
Economic Development████4%
Immigration Detention Oversight███3%
Workforce Development███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Tacoma City Council Study Session - February 3, 2026

The study session covered the city manager recruitment, council rules and procedures, a Seahawks flag raising resolution, a letter to the federal delegation, an update on the homelessness strategy, and a department overview of Tacoma Venues & Events.

Consent Calendar

  • No consent calendar items were discussed.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made during this study session.

Discussion Items

  • City Manager Recruitment & Community Panelists: Mayor Ibsen presented the OSAC committee's recommended list of community interview panelists. The committee proposed two 10-person community panels, plus panels for employees and council. Discussion focused on ensuring diversity (socioeconomic, geographical, professional) and representation from youth, neighborhood councils, and LGBTQ+ communities. Councilmembers expressed preferences: Councilmember Rumbaugh suggested Matthew Wilson (ACSU Center) replace Troy Christensen; Councilmember Saldagie advocated promoting Andrea Hogue (South End neighborhood council chair) from alternate to primary; Mayor Ibsen favored Kimberly Keith (nonprofit, LGBTQ+ involvement). After debate, a consensus emerged: add Andrea Hogue as a 21st panelist, split into three groups of seven, and replace Troy Christensen with Matthew Wilson. The in-person requirement for panelists was affirmed. The final list will be confirmed via resolution at the regular meeting.
  • Council Rules & Procedures: Mayor Ibsen announced upcoming OSAC meetings (Feb 13 & 27) to review council rules, focusing on restructuring community forum periods to be more strategic, welcoming, and accessible. Councilmember Saldagie proposed holding forums in each council district. Deputy Mayor Bushnell supported a holistic review of meeting procedures. Councilmember Palmer suggested using social media to gather public input. Councilmember Hines asked members to email suggestions to OSAC.
  • Seahawks Commemorative Flag Raising: Council discussed a resolution to fly the Seahawks flag over the Tacoma Dome and other city facilities for the Super Bowl. The flag policy (Res. 41642) was adopted last year. Finding flags has been difficult due to demand. The resolution was placed on the regular meeting agenda for approval. Councilmembers expressed support with "Go Hawks."
  • Letter to Federal Delegation: A draft letter thanking the federal delegation for opposing a recent DHS funding bill and advocating for Tacoma's immigration needs was reviewed. Councilmember Rumbaugh requested adding a requirement for DHS to share information about where detained individuals are held. Councilmember Palmer suggested including support for state-level priorities such as a no-mask mandate. Staff will wordsmith the letter and bring amendments to the regular meeting.
  • Homelessness Strategy Update: Neighborhood & Community Services staff (Vicky McLaurin, Caleb Carbone, Javon Carlisle) presented an update. Key data: since 2022, 1,059 encampment removals (706 in no-camping zones); 1.7 million pounds of debris removed in 2025 (down from 1.9M in 2024). The HEAL team made 1,810 contacts (62% interested in services, 13% placed in shelter – 231 individuals). 311 requests declined in prohibited areas but increased in non-prohibited areas. Shelter capacity totals 860 beds (140 state-funded through June 2027, 720 city-funded). Discussion topics included the need for a clear definition of "low-barrier" shelter, the by-name list progress, workforce development (e.g., Fife jobs program), and the unified regional approach (URA). Councilmembers emphasized regional collaboration and the importance of housing. A follow-up committee discussion is set for February 12.
  • Tacoma Venues & Events Department Overview: Director Adam Cook presented 2025 results: 420+ events, 1M+ guests, $100M+ economic impact, $90,000 in grants to 26 community events, 970,000 lbs of food distributed. The department is largely self-sustaining (only 6% from general fund). Key initiatives: a Tacoma Venues Master Plan addressing $300M in capital needs over 15 years, FIFA World Cup 2026 fan zone, and a theater policy review. Councilmember Rumbaugh raised concerns about high labor costs for small arts organizations. Cook noted labor rates are set by IATSE and tied to the Seattle market, but rent structure changes are being explored.

Key Outcomes

  • City Manager Panelists: Consensus to add Andrea Hogue, replace Troy Christensen with Matthew Wilson, and proceed with 21 panelists (three groups of seven). Resolution at regular meeting.
  • Seahawks Flag: Resolution placed on regular meeting agenda for approval.
  • Federal Letter: Staff to incorporate amendments and present final version at regular meeting.
  • Council Rules Review: OSAC to continue discussions on Feb 13 and 27; councilmembers to submit suggestions via email.
  • Homelessness Strategy: Further committee review on Feb 12; issue statements on Feb 26.
  • Procurement Resolutions: Councilmember Palmer requested postponement for due diligence; staff to investigate.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. I'd like to call to order the city, council study session of February 3rd, 2026. Clerk, will you please call the roll? Deputy Mayor Bushnell. Present. Councilmember Diaz. Here. Councilmember Hines. Councilmember Palmer. Councilmember Rumba here. Councilmember Sidalga? Here. Councilmember Scott. Here. Councilmember Walker. Here. Mayor Ibsen. Here. All right. Well, um, study session materials were sent to you today at 1101 a.m. We have a pretty meaty agenda today. And um, you'll notice it's a little topsy turvy. That's just because I have a speaking engagement with uh one of our sister cities. So thank you for accommodating the uh a little bit of a different uh agenda here today. So our first item is going to be an update on the city manager recruitment and uh recommendation from the OSAC committee on community panelists, uh, just to give you some context. Uh we have a total of four panels for the um community um for the different stakeholders interviewing the finalists for the city manager position, um, two of which are going to be uh 10 person community panel uh groups that are representatives of different regions and different um different areas of specialization in the city. Uh we have one that's uh employees, uh department heads, and the fourth is just us, the city council. So um we decided in the interests of making sure that we had good representation as well as at the same time respecting the anonymity of people who were not selected and finding that right balance, uh, that the best way to do that was an open public meeting where we brought uh after consulting with the rest of our colleagues in the community, um, each member of the committee, four members uh brought five people, and we had a discussion about making sure that we had a good cross section there. So you'll see in your materials, um, where it says City of Tacoma City Manager Recruitment, OSAC recommended community interview panelists. Uh there is a list of under primary of the people that we selected. Uh these were found to be a good representation of socioeconomic diversity, regional diversity throughout the city in terms of council districts, because you know we've had recurring issues with uh appointments to various boards and commissions of, for example, too much uh uh representation from from one neighborhood versus the other and not enough in other places, uh, and also good professional uh diversity as well in terms of people from uh different walks of life, like the nonprofit sector, uh foundations, organized labor, small and large employers, uh, and so forth. So this this was the overall consensus. We also um, because it was a pretty large list. There are about 50 or 60 people total who applied. Um we also identified an alternate list of people if one or more uh cannot in fact attend. So uh this will be on tonight's agenda. Um happy to answer any questions, and and Cheryl Biddleman from HR is also available if folks have questions on the internal process. And if there are anyone uh any members of OSAC would like to chime in too, happy to accommodate that. Uh are there any c uh questions or comments from the council on this topic? Councilmember Palmer. Thank you, Mayor. Um I was just curious as far as um representation for like neighborhood councils. I'm not familiar with all of the names on the list, so I don't know if if that is included in in some of these names. Uh can I speak to neighborhood councils? Uh I know that uh Mr. Trevion Parrish was on the youth advisory uh committee. If and forgive me if I'm not naming that committee properly. Um I'm not quite sure. I I know that we did talk about um representation from different neighborhoods. Um Deputy Mayor looks like you want to say something.

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