Tacoma City Council Study Session: May 5, 2026 - Climate, Enforcement, Preservation, and Immigration
Tacoma City Council Study Session - May 5, 2026
The Tacoma City Council held a study session on May 5, 2026, covering a range of topics including the 2025 Climate Action Plan progress report, expansion of automated enforcement cameras, an update on historic preservation, and two council action items related to immigration. The session also included proclamations for National Red Dress Day, City of Destiny Awards Day, and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, before moving into an executive session.
2025 Climate Action Plan Progress Report
- Jacques Cologne, Center for Strategic Priorities Director, and Christy Lynette, Office of Environmental Policy and Sustainability, presented the annual progress report. They highlighted that Tacoma is on track to meet its 2030 net-zero emissions goal, with transportation remaining the largest source of emissions. Key successes included over 400 e-bike rebates distributed, 200 air purifiers given to vulnerable communities, and a 20% reduction in city facility emissions. The city's tree canopy increased by 1% citywide, with 2-4% increases in high-heat neighborhoods. Councilmembers praised the data-driven approach and asked about adjustments to indicators as 2030 approaches. No action was taken; the report was received.
Automated Enforcement Camera Expansion
- Public Works staff (Kerry Wilhelm, Curtis King Solver, Eric Husby) presented plans to expand speed cameras following 2024 state law changes. The first phase will install eight cameras at five locations: South Sprague Avenue, Pacific Avenue, State Route 509 near Sandbar, Norpoint Way, and Portland Avenue at South 52nd Street School Zone. The selection was data-driven, focusing on corridors with the highest numbers of fatal and serious injury crashes. Councilmembers expressed broad support, noting that behavioral change is the goal, and revenue will be reinvested into traffic safety improvements. A purchase resolution will be brought to council in a few weeks. Key statistics: 88% of ticketed drivers do not re-offend, and less than 5% of citations go to residents in the immediate zip code.
Historic Preservation Update
- Historic Preservation Officer Reuben McKnight and Coordinator Susan Johnson presented the annual report. The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved 28 design review projects, 4 new landmark designations, and nearly $13 million in property tax incentives in the past year. Notable achievements include the Black History Survey, new community heritage register, and code updates aligning preservation with housing and equity goals. Councilmembers asked about the design review process, deconstruction policies, and outreach to underrepresented communities. The presentation also highlighted Preservation Month events, including the May 21 awards ceremony at Fort Nisqually. No action was taken.
Ordinance on Unauthorized Use of Public Property for Civil Immigration Enforcement
- Councilmember Diaz introduced Ordinance No. 41905, which prohibits the use of city-owned property for civil immigration enforcement without city consent, and establishes a civil enforcement mechanism. The ordinance is a follow-up to Resolution 41817 passed in December 2025. Councilmember Diaz emphasized that the ordinance does not apply to federal agencies assisting with natural disasters, but is specifically targeted at ICE and CBP operations. The ordinance had its first reading on May 5, with a second reading and potential vote scheduled for May 12. Councilmembers expressed strong support, with several co-sponsoring.
Resolution Reaffirming Tacoma's Commitment to Immigrants and Refugees
- Councilmember Sidalga presented Resolution 41905, which reaffirms the city's support for immigrants and refugees, condemns overzealous federal enforcement, and calls on state and federal leaders to strengthen protections. Councilmember Diaz offered two amendments: adding a whereas clause referencing the recent legal action against the GEO Group at the Northwest ICE Processing Center, and revising Section 6 to request Governor Ferguson to review state agency compliance with the Keep Washington Working Act. The resolution was scheduled for a vote on May 5. Councilmembers expressed unanimous support, with several co-sponsoring.
Resolution on High Investment Corridors
- Councilmember Scott presented a council consideration request (CCR) for a resolution to address community safety on high-investment corridors, such as the MLK corridor in Hilltop. The resolution would direct staff to develop a cross-departmental approach to tackle environmental safety issues (graffiti, litter, poor lighting) within 30-, 60-, and 90-day timelines. The goal is to ensure that public and private investments in these corridors are not undermined by perceptions of unsafety. Councilmembers expressed support and noted the need to prioritize and manage capacity. The resolution is expected to go to a vote on May 12.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken on the climate, enforcement, or preservation items; they were presented for discussion.
- Ordinance 41905 (immigration enforcement) was introduced for first reading; second reading and vote scheduled for May 12.
- Resolution 41905 (immigrant and refugee commitment) was amended and scheduled for a vote on May 5.
- Resolution on high investment corridors is expected to be voted on May 12.
- Council entered executive session for up to 40 minutes to discuss potential litigation.
Meeting Transcript
I'd like to call to order the city council study session of May 5th, 2026. Clerk, please call the roll. Deputy Mayor Bushnell. President. Councilmember Diaz? Here. Councilmember Heinz. Councilmember Palmer. Councilmember Rumba. Here. Councilmember Sidalgay. Here. Councilmember Scott. Councilmember Walker. Mayor Ibsen. Here. Welcome. Our first agenda item is our 2025 Climate Action Plan Progress Report. I'd like to call on the Center for Strategic Priorities Director, Jacques Cologne to begin the presentation. Welcome. Thank you, Mayor, and good afternoon. Uh Mayor, Deputy Mayor Bushnell and members of Council. We come to you today with an update on our climate action plan. But before we jump into the actual progress, I do want to take a step back and mention a couple of things. The first of which is the fact that right now across our city, the impacts of climate change are already being felt. In fact, just last week a new fence had to be put up on Rust and Way by Cummings Park because sea level rise has been undercutting the sidewalk there, forcing infrastructure collapse. And so we're already seeing the impacts very much real and presently in our community. In addition, we're seeing extreme heat days increase in our city, and we know from studies that the urban heat island effect that we have in our city can produce as much as a 14-degree difference between neighborhoods. So even those extreme heat days that feel hot in some neighborhoods, they may even feel hotter in other neighborhoods, depending on what kind of tree canopy they have and other factors like that. And then finally, wildfire smoke is also continuing to get worse, and we're having more days of it. And this is particularly important for our vulnerable populations like children with asthma, people that might be susceptible to heart attacks, like the elderly, or folks that are living outside. So these impacts are very clear and present. And those risks will continue to increase. One of the things that we hear in the climate world is that this is probably going to be the coolest year that we will ever experience again. And so these are the impacts that we will not only see this year, but what we will continue to see becoming greater risks in future years as well. I do want to say though that the city continues to lead on these efforts through the climate action plan and all of the actions within it. We also see that reflected in the values of the city. You all are aware that we recently passed a new 10-year strategic plan, Tacoma 2035, and this work is reflected not just in the goal area of climate and environment, but also in the values of the city as represented by resilience. Understanding that for us to be effective in leading the city forward, we also have to make sure that we are building a city that is resilient to these climate impacts over time. So thank you for sharing that. And with that, um pass it to Christy Lynette, who leads our Office of Environmental Policy and Sustainability to talk you through our progress report. Christie. Next slide, please. So what I'm going to do today is um really just briefly again reminder of what the climate action plan is, and then talk about some of the highlights of our our 2030 indicators, our targets and progress, uh walk through some success stories from last year, and then briefly um mention some next steps. Next slide. Great, all right. So uh as a reminder, the city of Tacoma's had a climate action plan for almost 20 years. We're currently working on our third plan that was originally adopted in 2021. Uh, for many of you, you might remember that we uh had an update last summer where we um updated the actions. We have now short-term actions, so actions that we're measuring and hoping to complete between 2025, 26, 27, and that's what I'll mainly be focused on today.
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