City of Tacoma Washington sent this bulletin at 04/16/2021 09:03 AM PDT
Introduction
Good Morning,
Spring is here, and as the weather improves, I am looking forward to spending more time outside in our beautiful city.
This Saturday morning, my family will help keep Tacoma beautiful by joining Litter Free 253’s Annual City-Wide Clean-Up event. This volunteer-organized event will be hosted across 27 locations in Tacoma – and you can join by signing up here or just by cleaning up your block with your neighbors.
I am incredibly thankful to all of the volunteers who organized this event! Not only does preventing and cleaning up litter keep Tacoma beautiful, but it also prevents litter from polluting our Puget Sound.
You can also check out more on Waste Free 253 to be more aware and responsible about personal waste prevention and reduction and stop litter before it starts!
The Mailbag!
Click the picture of me on the left to view the April edition of The Mailbag! - a video segment where I read a constituent letter and provide an answer.
This month's topic is on the "Home in Tacoma" project.
Catching Up With Council Member Hines
Affordable Housing Sales Tax
On March 30th, the City Council voted to approve a 1/10th of 1% sales tax increase in order to invest in affordable housing. While I take seriously the amount of taxes we ask our residents to pay, I supported this proposal because Tacoma desperately needs affordable housing. In talking with many of you about the TEMS 3 site, I mentioned that in addition to shelter for people experiencing homelessness, the City needs to establish a funding source to pay for more permanent affordable housing.
This was a missing piece in the City’s housing investment puzzle and it will allow us to attract even more resources. Recent projects funded and developed with City-administered federal funds have leveraged, on average, $16 for each dollar provided by the City.
Before joining Council, I served on the YWCA Board of Pierce County. During my time on the Board, one of the largest projects I saw come to fruition was Home at Last, 54 units of permanent and affordable housing for survivors of domestic violence. The YWCA received funding from multiple sources, including the City of Tacoma. It is projects like these and many others that the City can further invest in to address the severe shortage of affordable housing in the community.
As this tax is implemented, I am committed to making sure that these dollars are invested in projects that have clear benefits to our community, neighborhoods, and city.
Government Performance and Finance Committee
This past month, I was elected Chair of the Government Performance and Finance Committee. This Committee is responsible for a variety of topics including public utilities, government performance and accountability, financial management and policies, and strategic planning. As many of you know, I ran for City Council on a commitment to make sure the City delivers on the high quality core services residents expect from municipal government.
I am deeply honored to be chosen for this role by my colleagues and I am excited to lead the work of this Committee in the months ahead. You can find our agendas and follow our meetings here.
Washington State Legislature
This past week, I testified in both the House and Senate Transportation Committees on their proposedtransportation packages. Both packages have projects important to Tacoma. These projects include the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge, the Puyallup Avenue corridor near the Tacoma Dome Station, bicycle and pedestrian transportation connecting Tacoma with Puyallup, and improvements to Schuster Parkway – all of which appear in at least one of the packages.
In talking with many of you, I know that fixing the City’s infrastructure is a high priority. Along with potholes being a priority, I am committed to finding ways to make sure the City has the resources needed to ensure we can safely move around our city!
Scenes From the City of Destiny
Zoo Trek Authority
This past week, I visited Northwest Trek with my family and checked out Wild Drive! One of my Council duties is to serve on the Zoo Trek Authority which oversees the budget of the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium and Northwest Trek. We have been members for many years and serving on the Zoo Trek Authority has been a great way to be part of something I love and enjoy (and my son says it is the coolest of my responsibilities).
While the pandemic has kept me from all of the tours and animal encounters I would normally like, it was great to go for an official visit. Both Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium and Northwest Trek are open for socially distant animal encounters. I would encourage you to take a day and stop by one of these great community assets!
Resources for COVID-19
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.
*NEW* Rental and Utility Assistance: Pierce County and City of Tacoma residents struggling to pay rent or utilities due to impacts of COVID-19, can apply for assistance PierceCountyWA.gov/housinghelp
Washington State/Governor Jay Inslee COVID-19 Response: coronavirus.wa.gov
Please be sure to check out cityoftacoma.org for City updates and resources and, as always, please email me directly at john.hines@cityoftacoma.org and do not reply to this email. You can also call me at (253) 312-5620 if you have questions.
