City of Tacoma Washington sent this bulletin at 05/17/2024 10:00 AM PDT
Dear Neighbors,
As our late April showers bring us closer to May flowers and some beautiful late spring weather, the Hines Family has been out enjoying the beauty of the City of Destiny. This past month, while the liquid sunshine was hanging around, we joined many of you checking out Tacoma Wayzgoose at the Tacoma Public Library Moore Branch.
My two children, Garyn and Lauryn, thought the steamroller printing and crafts projects were great, but they especially loved learning how to make zines from the Tacoma Public Library staff. It ended up being a weekend long project of staying dry and making zines.
Also, in case you missed it, Mayor Victoria Woodards announced the 2024 Tacoma Reads books. The theme of Tacoma Reads 2024 is Rhythms of Resilience, and this year the three books are The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (adult title), Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson (young adult title), and Change Sings by Amanda Gorman (kids and family title).
You can check out the announcement on Cityline, and I hope you will join me in reading and discussing the rhythms of resilience this summer!
Scenes from the City of Destiny
City Charter Review
The City of Tacoma’s constitution, our City Charter, is being reviewed this year. We are required to do this review no less than every 10 years. As part of the review, the City Council appointed a Charter Review Committee made up of 15 Tacoma residents. The Charter Review Committee has completed their work and drafted a report that includes a set of recommendations for the City Council to consider.
The City Council will now review the recommendations and determine which amendments will appear on the ballot in November. The City Council can accept, reject, or modify the amendments recommended by the Committee. The Council will consider many factors in its deliberation and may choose to put forward an amendment as recommended by the Committee, determine an amendment is not one to put on the ballot at this time, or put an amendment on the ballot that was different than one provided by the Committee.
To complete our review, the City Council will be holding additional sessions to discuss further what we wish to move ahead to the November ballot. The first of those meetings is happening Friday, May 17, from 9 AM – 3 PM at the Center for Urban Waters. We will record the meeting and post the audio to the website after it concludes. Additional information can be found on the City of Tacoma’s website.
Urban Design Project Review
This past month, after many years of work, the City Council adopted the Urban Design Project Review. This review will create a new land use permit process that incorporates the consideration of a project’s relationship with the urban environment, the public realm, connectivity, climate responsiveness, and other urban design concerns.
This project review is specific to medium- to large-scale projects downtown and in designated Mixed-Use Centers, and it will provide some better guidance for design on some of the projects that have a large impact on neighborhoods. Tacoma is growing and that is a good thing, but I have talked to many of you about the need to balance growth and change with how it fits into our urban environment.
Along with the efforts of our Neighborhood Planning Program and the Urban Design Studio's innovative approach, we are working to shape our urban landscapes with precision and foresight. The program should allow us to consider design while not slowing critically needed development in our city. By integrating design excellence with community engagement, our Urban Design Project Review should support vibrant, sustainable spaces that resonate with the character of our community and that ensure every corner of Tacoma reflects our collective aspirations and values.
Trash Talk
Litter Code Update
As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, the City of Tacoma adopted a new set of litter and illegal dumping code updates. From my support of Tidy-Up Tacoma and Litter Free 253, I have been very interested in talking all things trash since joining the City Council. For that reason, I brought forward these code changes to further build on the City’s commitment to litter and debris cleanup in the public right-of-way, trail maintenance, business district litter can program, and community outreach and engagement strategies.
I have a deep pride in the grittiness of our city, but too often that grittiness seems to be related to the amount of litter we see in our streets. Littering is not just an eyesore. It is a public health, public safety, and environmental concern. We want our community to feel safe and proud of their neighborhoods, and this change in policy shows that we are committed to ensuring our community takes responsibility for its trash.
I am hoping that this code change will signal to our residents that we need their help to make Tacoma a little less gritty, a little more pretty, and to keep it beautiful in the years ahead. You can learn more about the recent update here. You can also check out my appearance on ARC Seattle to talk about addressing litter and trash in Tacoma.
Also, for those of you looking to do your part to help address littering in District 1, you can join community volunteers to clean up areas around the Point Defiance Marina, Owen Beach, Promenade, and the surrounding park. More information can be found here on the Metro Parks website.
Catching Up with Deputy Mayor Hines
Tacoma Stars
This past month, I was excited to join Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland and Mayor Victoria Woodards in welcoming our new Tacoma Stars and Tacoma Galaxy USL teams to our city. Tacoma has a rich history of sports success, and it is great to add two more teams to that legacy.
I grew up watching the Stars in the Tacoma Dome and have many found memories with my family from those games. Both of my children are passionate soccer players, so I am excited to make similar memories with them this year. Though I played and coached the other football, I am excited for the Stars and the Galaxy to kick off this summer.
You can learn more about the Tacoma Stars and Galaxy here, and hopefully I will see you out at one of their games this summer!
Law Day
This past month, I took part in the Tacoma-Pierce County Law Day at Wille Stewart Academy. The 2024 Law Day theme “Voices of Democracy” aimed to help encourage young people to participate in the 2024 elections by deepening their understanding of the electoral process.
As a former high school civics teacher, I always love the chance to talk to students about the importance of voting and taking their civic responsibilities seriously. It was great to hear more about the issues that mattered to them and how they might take action to change them.
Recognizing the great work of our all-volunteer Tacoma Fire Buff Battalion
I was proud that our City Council recognized the Tacoma Fire Buff Battalion this week with a Compassionate Tacoma award. The all-volunteer Tacoma Fire Buff Battalion was established in 1986 with a mission to support Tacoma’s firefighters. Fighting fires is physically and mentally demanding and the Fire Buffs show up to provide support by giving our firefighters water, Gatorade, coffee, and snacks no matter what time of day or night and in all kinds of weather. Their wonderful motto is "after they take care of you, we take care of them."
The Tacoma Fire Buffs are a great example of the amazing volunteers we have in Tacoma, willing to roll up their sleeves and go to work helping others.
Saying goodbye to our friend, Council Member Catherine Ushka
It is with a heavy heart that I share news of the passing of City Council Member Catherine Ushka. Catherine spent much of her life committed to public service and to making Tacoma a great place to live. She not only served on the City Council representing District 4, but she also served eight years – including three years as president – on the Tacoma Public Schools Board of Directors and held many other community leadership roles.
Catherine was a smart, dedicated, and passionate colleague, and she will be greatly missed. I hope everyone will be inspired by her hard work, compassion, and love for our city.
Please be sure to check out cityoftacoma.org for City updates and resources and, as always, please feel free to share your thoughts and concerns with me directly at john.hines@cityoftacoma.org. You can also call me at (253) 312-5620 if you have questions.
I invite you to tune in to the City Council’s Study Session or Council meetings every week 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.
