Good morning,

While it seems like fall has started a little later this year, it has so far been a good season for the Hines family. The changing colors, a surprisingly successful Seahawks’ season, visits to the pumpkin patch, great community events and Halloween parties have all made this a busy October.

Hopefully, I will see some of you out at Proctor Treats (look for the big ketchup bottle) and I hope you will stop by the Proctor Neighborhood Planning booth.

Also, I wouldn’t be a good former high school civics teacher without reminding you to be sure to vote by November 8. There are many important items on the ballot this year, so make sure you weigh in! More information about voting, including where to drop off your ballot, can be found here.  

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.

Addressing Encampments

This past month, the City Council passed Second Amended Substitute Ordinance 28831, which prohibits camping within in a 10-block radius around temporary shelters in Tacoma and Aspen Court, as well as all public property within 200 feet of Tacoma’s mapped rivers, waterways, creeks, streams, and shorelines. Homelessness continues to be the most common issue I hear about from residents of our city and, while this ordinance will not end homelessness, I do believe it will address the health and safety impacts of encampments.

As I said in my letter to the News Tribune and in my comments at Council, no one is happy with the status quo and this camping ordinance is just a first step. It is a moment where we re-examine our approach to homelessness, determine where we are, and how we move forward.

Looking ahead, this camping ordinance cannot be examined in isolation. It is part of a broader response to homelessness and addressing a lack of affordable housing in which the city is proposing investing more than $100 million over the next two years. This will be further supported by our investments in mental health resources, access to treatment, and funding for public safety.

As many of my regular readers know, I look out my front door at the village at 6^th Avenue and Orchard Street each morning. I know we have examples of what works. I remain hopeful that this ordinance supported by continued and expanded shelter options, will allow us to quickly help people move off the streets and into safer living environments.

Budget Discussion

During the past month, the Council has been hearing from the City Manager and City departments about the proposed 2023 – 2024 Biennial Budget. Supporting public safety, addressing housing and homelessness, taking care of our streets and sewers, and getting our city back on its feet following COVID-19 are all high priorities for us in District 1.

The City Manager proposed the 2023-2024 Biennial Budget to the City Council on Tuesday, October 4, 2022. Each week, we are hearing from different departments on how the proposed budget impacts them and the services they can provide our community. The 2023-2024 Biennial Budget will be considered for adoption on Tuesday, November 15, 2022 (first reading) and Tuesday, November 22, 2022 (final reading). 

If you are interested in learning more, the City will be conducting virtual Community Town Halls on the proposed budget. I will be taking part in the Budget Town Hall on Thursday, November 3 from 6 PM to 7 PM along with Council Members Keith Blocker and Kiara Daniels, and Deputy Mayor Catherine Ushka. More information on how to join the Town Hall can be found here.

You can read more about our budget development process here, and review some of the previous presentations here, and I would encourage you, if you have not already, to try our Budget Balancing Act tool to learn more about the decisions the Council will face as we work to finalize the 2023–2024 Biennial Budget.

Tacoma Violent Crime Reduction Plan

On November 1, Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore will be back before Council to discuss the first months of the implementation of the Violent Crime Reduction Plan. This is the first update provided to Council since his presentation on July 12 (which you can read here or watch here).

In many of my conversations with residents of District 1, I hear their concerns about crime. Keeping our community safe is one of my highest priorities. At our budget presentation from the Tacoma Police Department on October 25, Chief Moore detailed the department’s efforts to attract and retain police officers and continue investing in public safety.  

I look forward to continued investments in safety in this budget: from traffic speed cameras and complete sidewalks, to further investments in the Tacoma Fire Department, and keeping our city clean with an expanded Tidy-Up Tacoma program. Making sure Tacoma is safe for all of our residents is the paramount duty of our City and something I am committed to supporting in the year ahead. 

Aviva Crossing

This past month, I joined Congressman Derek Kilmer at Aviva Crossing at James Center. This is an exciting project for the West End and a great collaboration between the Tacoma Housing Authority, Tacoma Community College and many more partners. When completed, there will be housing for people at all income levels and a commercial anchor for the community.

I have been very interested in how the City can support the James Center area with further investments. With access to transit and amenities, along with multiple partners in the area, I would like to explore how we can continue to make the area a vibrant community center.

The Call We Carry

This past month I joined members of Tacoma Fire Department at the Blue Mouse Theater for a showing of The Call We Carry: Confronting PTSD in the Fire Service. This documentary was created by, and features, our own Tacoma firefighters. It provides a sobering look at the personal impacts of the work that they do to serve us when we are at our most vulnerable.

I would encourage you to take the time to watch the documentary and see the heroic work of our Tacoma firefighters.

Redistricting

Every 10 years, the City Council is required to examine our Council districts to ensure they are balanced by population in accordance with the U.S. Census. While many of the district boundaries will remain unchanged, District 1 is set to get a bit larger by adding the neighborhood west of Highway 16.

The Government Performance and Finance Committee heard a presentation at our July 19 meeting and I invite you listen to the meeting and view the presentation.  To learn more about the redistricting process, and how you can provide your comments, visit cityoftacoma.org/redistricting.

I am excited to add more of our city to our district and a few more readers to the newsletter! The final proposal will be presented to Council during our 5 PM meeting on November 1.

Washington Wear Pink

Finally, I was excited to participate in Washington Wears Pink this October to raise money for the American Cancer Society. I have always been a supporter of causes to help fight cancer and I am happy to support the American Cancer Society and Washington Wear Pink this year.

Throughout the entire month, I have been wearing pink on more than just Wednesday to raise awareness of the work that the American Cancer Society does. Please check out Washington Wear Pink and consider making a donation to a great cause today!