City of Tacoma Washington sent this bulletin at 01/13/2022 08:07 AM PST
Introduction
Good morning and happy New Year!
In these early days of 2022, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on 2021. Having earned my Certificate of Municipal Leadership from the Association of Washington Cities, and having been elected chair of the City’s Government Performance and Finance Committee, 2021 was a busy but deeply fulfilling year for me on the City Council. We worked on many important issues in Tacoma last year and, as your Council Member, I am proud of what we were able to accomplish together.
I am excited for the year ahead, and the chance to work with many of you, as we continue working on our shared goals of moving Tacoma forward and transforming it into the city we envision it is destined to be.
Housing
Changes to the Multi-Family Property Tax Exemption
As regular readers of my monthly newsletter, you will know that much of this past year I have been working on changes to the Multi-Family Property Tax Exemption (MFTE) program in Tacoma. Some of the changes that were adopted by the Council included expanding the 12- and 20-year MFTE, and lowering the income threshold from 80 percent to 70 percent of the median family income. I was also proud that the original ordinance that was proposed by At-Large Council Member Kristina Walker and I to eliminate the eight-year MFTE in very high opportunity mixed-use centers also passed.
This work was the product of more than nine months of effort and collaboration. This package of changes will do more to support the construction of affordable housing in Tacoma than any other policy change in years. In my mind, this was a great example of policy making that involved multiple perspectives, including the development community, to find a policy that was the right fit for Tacoma.
Home in Tacoma
Along with my work on the MFTE, Home in Tacoma was another large win for our city this year. As I have said before, we have the bulk of our work ahead of us in Phase 2. I was proud that my proposed amendments in the West End and along North Union Avenue, that were developed based on extensive conversations with many of you, were adopted.
Even with that, I know that the issues many of you have discussed with me including design standards, impacts on our roads, sewers and tree canopy, parking and home ownership are still on everyone’s minds. As I said at our December 7, 2021 Council meeting, what we must do in the next phase is help our community imagine what a better Tacoma looks like, and I am looking forward to the year ahead for engagement, discussion, and working together!
The 6th and Orchard Micro-Shelters
In 2020, one of the issues that I worked on the most was supporting the Tacoma Emergency Micro-Shelter (TEMS) at 6th Avenue and Orchard Street. The biggest highlight from 2021 was a visit by Gov. Jay Inslee to the site. It was almost a year ago that I talked to many of you about the site as it was proposed. I am happy that, in the past year, many of the concerns we discussed have not come to pass as we welcomed the village into our neighborhood. It was great to discuss with Gov. Inslee the success of the TEMS and how this model can be replicated in more places across our state. While I look forward to a day when we no longer need shelters in Tacoma, I remain supportive of the City’s efforts to develop additional shelter and affordable housing options, and am proud of the accomplishments we have made this year.
Affordable Housing Sales Tax
With all of the work done on housing at the end of 2021 with Home in Tacoma and the MFTE, I do not want to forget to highlight the City Council voting 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.
This was a missing piece in the City’s housing investment puzzle and it will allow us to attract even more resources. The MFTE will not produce housing for those most in need in our community, but this sales tax will. In the years ahead, 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.
Budget and Finance
This past year, 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. I have enjoyed serving in this role and look forward to the year ahead which will involve developing our biennial (two-year) budget and setting utility rates.
Reserve Policy
One item I was happy to champion was an update to our City’s reserve policy to make sure we were saving funds to prepare for financial downturns and potential crises. This year included $13 million to our new Emergency Reserve Fund. The updates to the policy better outline under what circumstances reserves should be used and how to replenish those funds. I think it is important that we remain good stewards of public funds and so far our City has been. This policy will ensure we always have the resources and facilities needed to deliver the high quality, public services you expect.
Budget Updates
This past November, the Council made some budget adjustments to include some new programs and to invest in current services. Some of the items I worked to include were continued funding to keep Tidy-Up Tacoma going in 2022, support for new investments in police department recruitment and retention bonuses, and funding to complete the Neighborhood Plan for the Proctor Mixed-Use Center.
These are in addition to some of the earlier updates I supported when we received our funds from the American Rescue Plan, including retaining the fire engine that was slated to be lost and getting rid of furloughs at the library that were scheduled this year. Again, I am looking forward to 2022 as we develop our budget for 2023-2024.
Keeping Tacoma Beautiful
As many of you noticed, there has been an ongoing theme to my newsletters that goes by many names: litter, trash, waste, garbage, etc. Our waste stream - how things go from our homes to the treatment plant, landfill or recycled into new products - is a passion of mine. As we look at the future of our community, how we manage our waste is how we manage the legacy we leave our future generations in Tacoma.
Tidy-Up Tacoma
I was deeply impressed by the work of our community through Litter Free 253. This is why I was happy to support Tidy-Up Tacoma and look forward to supporting it again in the years ahead. Long term, I am looking forward to more opportunities to keep our city clean.
Our community is surrounded by so much natural beauty. As we find more ways to do our part as residents and as a city, I look forward to making sure we keep Tacoma beautiful.
Thoughts for 2022
While I am proud of the work I was able to do in partnership with all of you in 2021, I am not taking a victory lap any time soon. There are important issues we have ahead of us as a community like public safety and crime, housing and homelessness, education and economic development and I am excited to serve Tacoma in these historic times.
As I have often said, I am a life-long Tacoma resident and I look forward to building the city many of us have imagined. I think about my children and the children I work with in my other job for Tacoma Public Schools. We owe them our best efforts to make sure we are realizing Tacoma’s tremendous potential. I am looking forward to the year ahead, and I hope I can count on many of you to roll up your sleeves, stand with me, and continue making Tacoma better together!
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.
