John Hines - District 1 - April 28, 2023

Dear Neighbors,

I have always loved April, even though it is a cold one this year. In April, we have Spring Break (with my kids Garyn and Lauryn joining me at a City Council meeting), the return of Rainier baseball, and some of my favorite events that make it an awesome time to be in Tacoma. With Earth Month also celebrated in April, I hope you enjoy the environmental theme of my latest newsletter.

Also, make sure you check out one of my favorite events. The T-Town City Services Expo is back. This year it is extra special because we are also celebrating the 40^th birthday of the “Dome of our Own,” -- the Tacoma Dome. Hopefully you will join me and my kids as we touch trucks and enjoy tours of this iconic Tacoma landmark!

Scenes From the City of Destiny

Litter Free 253

This past month, I was happy to join many of my neighbors during the 4^th Annual Litter Free 253 cleanup event. This year, I served as a "litter leader" at Vassault Park and the Hines family was out enjoying the liquid sunshine. It was great to get out and clean up at one of our favorite playgrounds. 

I am very proud of this yearly event and all of the volunteer efforts that are necessary for its continued success. I look forward to continuing to support Litter Free 253 again next year. Along with my own sweat equity in keeping our streets clean, I have also been working on other ways to keep Tacoma beautiful.

I was one of the original sponsors, along with Mayor Victoria Woodards, of Tidy-Up Tacoma back in 2021 and supported its dedicated funding with our recently passed excise tax on solid waste. I have heard from many of you about the spread of litter and graffiti across our city. While volunteer efforts are critical, increased City resources will help provide ongoing support for those efforts.

In the years ahead, you should expect and see more services like coordinated litter, debris, and graffiti cleanup in the public right-of-way, graffiti removal, trail maintenance, and maintenance and replacement of public trash cans in business districts. You should also see more proactive work from the City to help educate and inform the public about the significant environmental impacts of littering.

When we look at the broader goals of Tacoma 2025 like health, community safety, and belief and trust, I think addressing litter and graffiti to make our city more welcoming and attractive will go a long way in achieving them.

Tacoma is a beautiful place and its beauty is what attracted many of us here in the first place (not me, I was born here). I hope that Tidy-Up Tacoma will be a first step in keeping Tacoma beautiful and making sure every part of our city has a chance to shine!

Tacoma 2030 Climate Action Plan

At our April 18 joint study session with the Tacoma Public Utilities Board, the City Council received an update on progress made on our 2030 Climate Action Plan. The City is currently working to reach its 2030 goals. The presentation included an overview of some of our "jump start actions" like building a complete city-wide network of sidewalks and ADA accessible intersections, protecting, and increasing our tree canopy, and adding EV charging stations in business districts across our city.

While these efforts are just a start, they are helping us get closer to the goals of the 2030 Climate Action Plan and taking action for healthy, affordable housing; clean, reliable transportation; protections for public health; and green, good-paying jobs. 

As we move forward and try to meet the goals of the 2030 Climate Action Plan, I think it is important that more of our residents get involved. I would encourage you to check out suggestions for what you can do on the City’s website and find ways to support our efforts. We want to make sure that, as Tacoma moves closer toward its climate action goals, no neighborhood or resident is left behind.

Bridge BNSF Warehouse Project

Over the past year, I have heard from many of you about the proposed Bridge BNSF Warehouse Project. This past week, the city issued the land use permits for the project. While I know there are many questions about this project and its potential impacts, I did want to highlight some of the development requirements established:

As the development moves forward, it will be required to complete the restoration, enlargement, and enhancement of the wetlands and stream on the property, protect the Garry Oak trees on site, and provide excess plantings to compensate for the one being removed.

The developer will need to meet the City's 30 percent tree canopy coverage requirement on site or pay for the installation of an equivalent number of trees close to the site and provide pedestrian improvements (sidewalk connections, rail crossing, bicycle lanes) on several streets and at several intersections. If you are interested, you can read more about the land use decision here.

Our city is growing and changing and, as part of a city with diverse economic opportunities, we will see a range of developments. As these happen, I am confident that we will be able to address the potential impacts and make sure we can achieve our other city goals like tree canopy and a network of safe sidewalks and intersections.

As someone who grew up in South Tacoma, I recognize that moving ahead we need to continue to find ways to encourage investments that will bring both economic and environmental benefits to the neighborhood. I look forward to continuing to support this work, especially as we develop the Economic Green Zone, in the years ahead.

Emergency Medical Services Property Tax Levy

At our April 18 City Council meeting, the Council adopted Resolution No. 41180, transmitting a ballot measure to the Pierce County Auditor concerning the restoration of the city’s emergency medical services (EMS) property tax levy. This measure, which will be on the August 1, 2023 primary election ballot, would continue to fund emergency medical services and care by restoring the EMS levy to $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value for collection in 2024.

As I said during the meeting, Tacoma last passed an increase of the Emergency Medical Services Property Tax Levy in 2006 and we have grown by more than 20,000 residents and seen calls for service for the Tacoma Fire Department double during that time. One of the City's core responsibilities is to ensure its ability to respond to the medical emergencies of our residents and, in an emergency, every second counts.

Walk and Roll to School

I also took time to join Geiger Elementary for their Walk and Roll to School Day after the return from Spring Break. Again, the weather was not great, but I was happy to be out welcoming students and families that walked and rolled to school that day. 

As I have mentioned in the past, I think it is important that we have safe routes to school for all children. As part of our Tacoma 2030 Climate Action Plan and in conjunction with our Safe Routes to Schools program, we will need to continue to find ways to provide students and families with safe ways to get to school and encourage walking, biking, or rolling instead of driving.  

If you are a family member of an elementary student in Tacoma (like me!), I would encourage you to check out the Safe Routes to Schools page and the suggested walking routes map for elementary students. Both are great resources for helping make sure our kids get to school safely.

Logger Love

This past month I also had the pleasure of returning to my alma mater, the University of Puget Sound, to speak to potential students and families about why I chose to become a Logger. Many of the skills I use today as your Council Member, including critical thinking, asking questions, teamwork, and collaboration, I learned in the classrooms and on the football field at Puget Sound. Speaking and being involved on campus bring together my love of working with young people and my commitment to giving back. Hack, hack, chop, chop!