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As the City Council heads into budget development season this fall, I am reflecting on the work we’ve done to date, and the work that we still need to get started. I’m committed to the work the City is doing to produce an anti-racist budget that will transform our systems in a way that supports our BIPOC community. This is our chance to invest in our city and move it forward while decisively saying that, in our city, Black lives matter. We know that the work of government moves slowly at times, but we will strive to move more quickly to realize our community's vision for change, and in doing so we will also make sure our community is involved in the process.
My number one priority as I arrived in city hall as a new Council Member was, and still is, to make the processes and work of government more accessible and understandable. COVID-19 has made that challenging, but I’m still committed to finding solutions that take advantage of the "new normal". Please let me know if you have particular issues you’d like to discuss, or questions you have about the work we’re doing. I want to be as accessible to you as possible, so please reach out to me at KWalker@cityoftacoma.org to share your concerns and questions. I look forward to connecting.
In service,
Kristina Walker
As we head into the 2020-2021 school year figuring out the "new normal", I, like many of you, am working on navigating the school plan for the fall and figuring out how we support online learning. In our house we have an incoming kindergartner and 3rd grader in Tacoma Public Schools, as well as a 9th grade English teacher in the Sumner School District, so we’re learning on both ends. A huge thank you to all of the educators in Tacoma and across the region who are working through new processes and tools to support and educate our youth. For more information on Tacoma Public Schools and back-to-school plans, visit tacomaschools.org/about/newsroom/backtoschool.
Thank you to those who filled out the budget survey and clearly told us that they’d like to see less money going to traditional policing and more to community services, particularly for our Black and Brown communities. As we navigate a $40 million budget shortfall, and move toward comprehensive systemic change, your input is more important than ever before and I am grateful for it. You’ll see first drafts of the budget in October, but I welcome your input any time at KWalker@cityoftacoma.org.
For more information on the 2021-2021 biennial budget development process, and updates on how you can get involved, please visit cityoftacoma.org/budgetdevelopment.
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In June 2020, the Tacoma City Council passed Resolution 40622. This resolution formally acknowledges that the City of Tacoma’s existing systems have not adequately served the needs of everyone in our community and, in particular, have not adequately served the needs of Black community members and other community members of color.
This work is ongoing and staff are updating Council on the progress of this work every Tuesday at Study Session. I encourage you to log on to listen to our conversation, as I’m continually impressed with the amount of work staff are able to put in and number of topics we cover. This is ongoing work and it is imperative that we work together, involving the community as much as we can. As we move forward with our transformation efforts, please let us know what you’d like to see.
For us, transformation means comprehensive change that fundamentally enhances and radically re-imagines the way we operate as an organization and, ultimately, the way we serve you.
Looking at policing as our first area of focus, we are currently working with 21st Century Policing Solutions to help us through this process. I’m eager to begin this work and engage with our community and our police department as we re-imagine community safety together. We are also investing immediately in body-worn cameras for police officers, delivering on a commitment that was made to this community long ago.
For more information on what the City of Tacoma is doing to achieve comprehensive change, and updates on how you can get involved, please visit cityoftacoma.org/transform.
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