City of Tacoma Washington sent this bulletin at 08/30/2022 09:50 AM PDT
Introduction
Good morning,
As summer is coming to a close and the return of the school year is on the horizon, it has been a busy month in our city. It was great seeing many of you out at National Night Out, Proctor Arts Fest, and the many other summer events that have returned to our neighborhoods. Right now, the Hines family is getting ready for back to school (starting kindergarten and fourth grade), visiting our local parks, and taking in the final few Rainier games of the season.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me to share your thoughts and concerns. I also invite you to tune in to the City Council’s noon Study Sessions or 5 PM Council Meetings on Tuesdays via TV Tacoma, Facebook LIVE, or ZOOM. Access details are available at cityoftacoma.org/councilmeetings.
The Council has some important decisions in the next few months, most importantly developing the two-year City budget. I look forward to working closely with Council Member Diaz during the year ahead. Also, as a citywide representative, Council Member Diaz represents all Tacoma residents, including all of you in District 1!
As one of the initial sponsors of the “Twenty is Plenty” campaign in Tacoma, I was happy to support this reduction as I have heard from residents from across our district that are concerned about speeding and reckless driving. At the same time, as I said during the Council meeting, I also recognize that lowering the residential speed limit is just the first step to making our streets safer. Many of our arterial streets, such as Orchard Street, will require infrastructure changes to change driver behavior.
Automated speed enforcement cameras are another way to change driver behavior. That is why I have been working on the expanded use of speed enforcement cameras in our city, including testifying at the state legislature. Due to the work of the City of Tacoma and other cities concerned about pedestrian safety in our state, we were given expanded authority to use automated speed enforcement cameras along our major arterials, in school zones, and along school walking routes. I am hopeful this can provide some enforcement along our arterials and school zones where pedestrians are at risk.
Beyond enforcement, we will need to continue to find ways to make our roads and sidewalks safer for everyone. Whether you are walking, riding a bike, pushing a stroller, or in a wheelchair, you should feel safe moving about on our roads. I would encourage you to learn more about Vision Zero here.
Homelessness
Over the past year, I have been hearing from many of you with concerns about homelessness. These concerns have been both about how we are providing services to the people experiencing homelessness in our community and the impacts of larger encampments we are seeing in parts of our city. Over the past several months, I have been talking to many residents about policies to try and address both of these concerns.
As I wrote in previous months, I think that as we set up safe places for people experiencing homelessness – whether a tiny home village (like the one by my house), or a hotel, or a safe campsite – we do our best to ensure that the negative impacts of encampments don’t follow these individuals and that we are supporting these individuals during this challenging period of their lives. In the weeks ahead, I look forward to working with my colleagues as we develop policy that can begin to achieve this.
In many of these frequent conversations, no one is happy with the status quo or current conditions of our unhoused population in Tacoma. I look forward to the future discussion of how we continue to partner new shelter with the removal of encampments near those sites and helping facilitate next steps for Tacoma’s most vulnerable residents.
Government Performance and Finance Update
This month, I have been working on multiple topics through the Government Performance and Finance Committee (GPFC).
ADU Accelerator
At the August 16 Committee meeting, we began our series of discussions on looking at updating the City’s policies regarding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADUs). This work will look at the financing and permitting of ADUs and DADUs and supporting homeowners interested in adding these to their properties. You can watch that first discussion here and I encourage you to check out our next meeting on September 6.
Utility Rates
Also at our August 16 meeting, GPFC received a presentation on the 2023-2024 Environmental Services Proposed Budget and Rate Revenues. Throughout the year, GPFC has been receiving updates on our utilities and reviewing the process to develop our utility rates. Later next month we will get an update from Tacoma Public Utilities on their proposed budget and rates.
Our utility rates have a direct impact on our residents and throughout this year, I have been working with GPFC to better understand how we determine our rates. With the impacts of inflation and supply chain issues, repairing, replacing, and maintaining our utility infrastructure is more of a challenge than ever. Utility costs are a critical part of housing expenses and trying to keep rates as affordable as possible is a priority of mine.
Looking ahead at the next year, I am excited that we are looking at expanding the Bill Credit Assistance Plan (BCAP) in the years ahead. We have many residents that struggle to pay their utility bills and the expanded BCAP will help make sure fewer of our residents have to worry about not only how to keep the lights on but water running, and trash picked up. You can learn more about BCAP here.
Public Art
Along with some of the other boards and committees I am part of, as many of you know I am also the City Council liaison for the Tacoma Arts Commission. Long-time readers of this newsletter will know that I am very proud of the special place the arts have in Tacoma. What you may not know is that the city has an extensive art collection (which you can learn more about here).
From that collection, I was able to select a piece of art from former District 1 artist William Turner to display in my office while I’m serving the City of Tacoma. I met Bill and his wife Josie in 2019 and, like many of you, I was deeply saddened by his passing this past December. I am very happy that I can continue share his work “The Visitor” with visitors to my office to honor his artistic legacy in Tacoma.
Catching Up With Council Member Hines
With the nicer weather and summer break, I have been taking advantage of getting out and seeing more of the city.
South Sound 911
This month, I visited South Sound 911 at the new unified, regional 911 communications center in Tacoma with District 2 Council Member Sarah Rumbaugh. South Sound 911’s new home brought most of its operations together and serves communities and first responders countywide. We were able to meet many of the men and women who answer emergency calls in our region and how to get people the help that they need.
With public safety being one of my priorities, it was great to learn more about how South Sound 911 fits into our broader approach to safety in our community.
Jefferson and Hood Street Surface Water Interceptor
This past month, I was able to visit the Jefferson and Hood Street Surface Water Interceptor project. This project is a marvel of engineering, going under the Tacoma Link, I-705, and the railroad tracks on its way to the Thea Foss with a new outfall. Construction crews working for the City of Tacoma reached a large milestone in July 2022 with the successful completion of their third and final tunnel drive under the light rail tracks at Pacific Avenue.
This stormwater improvement project is an important part of the underground network of pipes that help reduce flooding in and around the downtown area. While much of this work will be invisible, it was exciting to see how much is happening beneath our feet.
Cushman Hydroelectric Project
I also traveled out to the Olympic Peninsula to visit the Cushman Hydro Project. Built in the 1920s and 1930s, these dams (on Lake Cushman and Lake Kokanee) have been delivering power to Tacoma - all the way to Cushman Substation in District 1 - for almost a century.
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.
