City of Tacoma Washington sent this bulletin at 12/07/2020 09:55 AM PST
Introduction
Good Morning,
While many of you may not look forward to the shorter days of winter, I have always looked forward to this time of year. Snow days, fireside reading, and time with my family are all things I look forward to this month. Also, the Seahawks letting Russ cook always helps!
The City Council recently approved the biennial budget. While there were some difficult decisions about fire engines and utility rates, overall I was happy with the budget. Some things that I wanted to highlight that were included in the budget:
Additional funding for the Tacoma Public Library to avoid loss of staff
A Neighborhood Planning Program to create master plans for our neighborhood centers like Proctor
A new Behavioral Health Unit in the Fire Department to respond to calls involving people experiencing mental health crises
Start-up funding for a new Office of Community Safety
In the weeks ahead, one area I am committed to is keeping all of our fire engines online. This was a critical issue and I heard from many of you about how vital these services are. We are currently working to find funding so that all engines remain in service beyond April and for the next two years. You can read more about our approved budget here.
Scenes From the City of Destiny
Shop Local and Support Local Businesses
While there are many places I like to shop in our city, my family and I love the shops in the Proctor District. In the weeks ahead, I hope you will join me in supporting our local businesses during this holiday season. If you are interested in finding other local businesses to support, please check out our new Celebrate Tacoma online database! Celebrate Tacoma is an interactive database designed to encourage support of local businesses and can be accessed from any internet-connected device. If you would like to add your business to the map, you can do that here.
2020 Annual Amendments to the Comprehensive Plan
The City Council will be voting on the height change to the View Sensitive Overlay District that was put forth by the West Slope Neighborhood Coalition. I have heard from many of you about this, so I wanted to be sure to share that December 8 will be the City Council Final Reading on annual amendments to the comprehensive plan. You can join and share your thoughts during the public comment portion of the meeting or submit comments to the City Clerk.
Tacoma Public Library to Go!
As a former library trustee, book lover, and lifelong Tacoma Public Library patron, I am enjoying TPL to Go. This is a great way to find a book to dive into. If you are looking for a few book recommendations, all available at your public library, here are the top 5 books I read this year:
This evening, the City of Tacoma invites the community to meet the Tacoma Police Chief finalists. Information to participate can be found here. The Council will also be talking with the Police Chief finalists at our December 8 Study Session which airs and streams live. Details to listen in and view he agenda are here.
The Tacoma City Council is looking for applicants to fill the following four positions on the Community’s Police Advisory Committee: one youth position (age 16-18) and two at-large positions.
The Community’s Police Advisory Committee (CPAC) is an advisory panel to the City Council as it pertains to Tacoma Police Department policy. The Committee is responsible for conducting policy review, reviewing trends in complaint investigation and statistical reports, and engaging in community outreach.
As always I would also be interested to hear your thoughts on this process, so please reach out to me at john.hines@cityoftacoma.org. We have received many inquiries on this topic and, while I may not be able to respond to each person individually, know that what you share with me will be taken under thoughtful consideration and help inform the policy decisions I make.
Home In Tacoma Project
The City has launched the Home In Tacoma Project to gain community insight in updating Tacoma’s housing growth policies and zoning. The effort will focus on how Tacoma can build more housing types like duplexes, small multifamily dwellings, accessory dwellings and cottage style homes as well as promote affordability and reduce displacement in rapidly growing areas. Before Tacoma’s Planning Commission makes recommendations to the City Council in 2021, they would like your participation.
How to Participate:
Share your views on housing—complete the Housing Choice Survey through the end of January 2021.
The challenges we are facing in Tacoma with COVID-19 are unprecedented, but I want to let you know that we are taking important steps to address it in our community. We are working hard to support residents, families and businesses as we continue to address this public health crisis.
Washington State/Governor Jay Inslee COVID-19 Response: coronavirus.wa.gov
Please be sure to check out cityoftacoma.org for updates and further resources and, as always, please email me at john.hines@cityoftacoma.org or call me at (253) 312-5620 if you have questions.
