City of Tacoma Washington sent this bulletin at 05/26/2023 10:16 AM PDT
Dear Neighbors,
As the days get longer and the rainy season in our area begins to fade, I am looking forward to summertime in Tacoma. As a life-long, moss-covered resident of the City of Destiny, I have never been afraid of a little liquid sunshine, but I am always ready for more days when I do not need a raincoat.
The Hines family is still busy with soccer practices, swim lessons, and another Rainiers baseball season, but we are often found out and about in the district. Hopefully, as we are enjoying our parks, restaurants, and community events, I will see many of you out there too enjoying all our city has to offer!
Also, do not forget to join me for our District 1 Home In Tacoma Open House. You will have the opportunity to learn about what is being considered in Phase 2, engage on key decisions, and even talk with me!
Our District 1 event is Wednesday, June 7, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Tacoma Public Library Swasey Branch (7001 6th Ave). I hope I will see some of you there!
Scenes From the City of Destiny
Community Safety Updates
Violent Crime Reduction Plan Update
At the City Council’s May 16 Study Session, we received our most recent update on the implementation of the Violent Crime Reduction Plan. While our city continues to face challenges with crime, the presentation (which can be accessed here) showed that, overall, crime is trending down. In 2022, as you may know, crime rates went up across the country. Pierce County and Tacoma were not left unscathed.
In talking with many of you, I know that there is a large concern in our community about property crime. Although not a specific focus of the recent Violent Crime Reduction Plan update we received, I learned that property crime is decreasing. While it is still much higher than I find acceptable, and we still have too many community members being victimized, the amount of property crime in our city continues to trend in the right direction.
Looking ahead, we are continuing to try to hire additional police officers and currently remain short 29 police officers from what we have funded in our budget. In spite of our need for additional police officers, I remain deeply impressed with the tireless efforts of our officers and this report shows those efforts are having an impact. We have implemented recruitment and retention bonuses, and we continue to slowly fill those open positions. In our 2023-2024 Biennial Budget there were zero budget cuts to community safety. In fact, we made historic investments in this area, including enhancements like:
Emergency response services in Police and Fire,
Safe buildings and neighborhoods,
Proactive and long-term resolution of community safety issues,
Infrastructure safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists, and
Along with the update on the Violent Crime Reduction Plan, the City Council also passed Resolution 41197 establishing $300,000 in additional funding for youth summer programming in Tacoma. While the Police Department plays a critical role in keeping us safe, I recognize that creating a safe community will require efforts broader than those of our Police Department alone.
Too many of our recent homicides have involved young people in our community and, with summer quickly approaching, there is no time to waste. With government partners such as Tacoma Public Schools and Metro Parks Tacoma, as well as a coalition of providers combining efforts to take immediate action, Resolution 41197 provides $200,000 to support opening Whole Child Safe Zone sites – a new program for this summer that seeks to create up to 12 safe spaces for teens attending Tacoma Public Schools. The resolution also provides $100,000 for expanded summer programming for middle and high school aged youth.
From my days as a high school teacher and football coach, my mission has always been to serve young people and their families. I am excited to continue to support these efforts and proud of how our community has come together, as it always has, to meet this need for our children. As I like to say, there is nothing wrong with Tacoma that cannot be fixed by what is right with Tacoma.
Proctor Walk with Metro Parks
This past weekend, I joined members of the Proctor Neighborhood Plan Steering Committee as we toured Puget Park and discussed parks and open spaces in the neighborhood. I have heard from many of you that parks and open spaces are very important and that as we add more people to the area, we also need more opportunities to publicly gather and enjoy green open spaces. There were many great ideas shared and I am excited about the potential future of Puget Park and Proctor.
In the longer-term, I am eager to see how we can invest in Puget Park as a connection between Proctor and Ruston Way. I would like to see improved pedestrian access along North 36th Street to Ruston Way at the lower entrance to Puget Park. While this is a longer-term effort and requires coordination with our Metro Park partners, I am excited to keep working to make it a reality.
If you have not already shared your thoughts on the future of Proctor, I encourage you to share your feedback on our online engagement platform today!
Also, I wanted to make sure I invited you to join the open house event for the Proctor Neighborhood Plan on June 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Wheelock Library (3722 N. 26th Street).
The free, family-friendly event will include crafts, activities, Market Bucks giveaways, free coffee and pastries, information about the Proctor Neighborhood Planning Project, and other community resources.
I hope I will see you there!
Enhanced Utility Assistance
During the rates and budget season conversation last year, the Public Utility Board and the Tacoma City Council approved increases to assistance available for customers to help with bills. During that conversation, I was very interested in our utilities setting an ambitious goal for getting people enrolled in the new assistance program. For that reason, I am very excited that they are making a big push to enroll 10,000 customers into our Bill Credit Assistance Plan (BCAP) program over the next two years.
Whether you or someone you know faces a short-term financial strain or are on a limited income, our utilities offer several ways to help you manage your utility accounts, including discounts and credits. Enhancements to our BCAP now offer higher automatic credits to help pay your power, water, wastewater, surface water, and solid waste bills if you meet assistance eligibility requirements.
For more information about the credit amounts and how to apply, visit MyTPU.org/Assistance.
Also, if you own a rental property, there are incentives to help you make energy efficiency upgrades that can be a win-win for you and your tenants. Your property’s value could increase and will be more appealing to renters, while tenants save money on their utility bills. Tacoma Public Utilities can help pay for the following upgrades:
HVAC system (either a central heat pump or ductless heat pump)
Insulation
Duct sealing
Single-pane window replacement with double-pane windows
Smart thermostat
Hybrid water heater
To learn more and find the right offer for you, check out the links below:
Prior to joining the City Council, I served on the Board of the YWCA of Pierce County. Stopping domestic violence and supporting survivors is something I have long been passionate about and worked to address since joining the City Council. It is for that reason I was proud to be appointed to the Board of the Crystal Judson Family Justice Center.
Established in 2005 through an agreement between Pierce County and the City of Tacoma, the Crystal Judson Family Justice Center serves the needs of domestic violence victims and their children. I am deeply impressed by their work and the tremendous service they provide to the community.
Walk and Roll to School at Jefferson and Sherman
After joining Geiger Elementary last month on their Walk and Roll to School Day, this month I joined students and families at Jefferson and Sherman Elementary schools. The weather was much better this month, and I was happy to be out welcoming students and families that walked and rolled to school that day. It was also great to talk to families about what potential improvements we could make to the area to provide students and families safe ways to get to school no matter how they choose to get there.
As I have mentioned in the past, I think it is important that we have safe routes to school for all children. 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 webpage and the suggested walking routes map for elementary students. Both are great resources for helping ensure our kids get to school safely.
T-Town City Services Expo
This past month, my family returned to the T-Town City Services Expo at the Tacoma Dome. This event continues to be one of our family favorites and this year did not disappoint. Garyn and Lauryn loved pretending to be code compliance officers with Neighborhood and Community Services, riding bikes and learning the rules of the road with Public Works, and checking out the vehicles from the Fire and Police Departments.
It was a good reminder for everyone in our community who was able to attend about how many things our city does and how many great people we have working for our residents!
As always, please feel free to reach out to me to share your thoughts and concerns. I invite you to also tune in to the City Council’s Study Session or Council meetings on Tuesdays via TV Tacoma, Facebook Live, or Zoom. Access information is available at cityoftacoma.org/councilmeetings.
Also, if you enjoy getting this newsletter and regular updates from me, please feel free to share it with others who you think might find it valuable and encourage them to subscribe.
