City of Tacoma Washington sent this bulletin at 06/05/2026 09:00 AM PDT
Hello, District 1!
As summer gets closer, I’m excited for the warmer weather and for more chances to get outside and enjoy the natural beautythat makes our area so special. June, July, and August always feel like a reward after our darker, wetter winter months. For the Hines family, that means a busy season of soccer, baseball, and checking out some of our favorite summer events as the school year wraps up.
As a soccer family, we’re especially looking forward to the World Cup kicking off soon. There will be many activities happening as part of our local FIFA Fan Zone. With the world coming to our region, I hope you’ll find some time to stop by and enjoy one of the events hosted with our partners, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and Pierce County.
You can find out more about our local Fan Zone here and hopefully I will see you out and about this month!
Scenes from the City of Destiny
Coffee Chat Recap
On May 30, I held a coffee chat at Wheelock Library. These conversations are one of my favorite parts of serving on the City Council because they give me a chance to sit down with neighbors, hear what is on people’s minds, answer questions, and better understand the issues residents are seeing in their daily lives. We have such limited time at our meetings to really have a dialogue, so these are great events to really engage with members of our community.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to come out and share your thoughts. Whether the conversation is about city services, neighborhood concerns, public safety, streets, parks, libraries, or the broader direction of Tacoma, I always leave these coffee chats with a better sense of what residents are experiencing and what I need to follow up on with City staff.
High-Investment Corridors: Building Places People Want to Be
Great neighborhoods do not happen by accident. They take focused investment in streets, sidewalks, parks, libraries, businesses, housing, and public spaces that make people want to spend time there. That is why I was happy to co-sponsor our High Investment Corridors resolution this past month to support areas that already have a strong collection of public assets to make sure they thrive. These are places where the City can better align resources across departments to create safer, more active, and more welcoming places.
The goal is to have staff look closely at these existing corridors and identify practical, high-impact improvements that can make a real difference. That could include quick wins around de-paving, pedestrian safety, traffic calming, lighting, maintenance, support for small businesses, graffiti cleanup, or better connections between public spaces. When we coordinate this work across departments, we can stretch our investments further and better support the neighborhoods around these important community assets.
One corridor that I included in the resolution and have been thinking a lot about is 6th Avenue between Mildred and Jackson. This area includes Swasey Library, War Memorial Park, Tacoma Musical Playhouse, local businesses, nearby schools, and growing housing opportunities. The City has already completed a road safety audit (which you can read here) for the corridor, which identified potential improvements as part of our broader Vision Zero work to make it safer for people walking, biking, rolling, driving, and accessing transit. Swasey Library is also planning major upgrades to its building and grounds this summer, creating another opportunity to strengthen this important community space.
This summer, I am planning to hold a Town Hall at Swasey Library focused on the Narrows Business District and the future of this corridor. I want to hear directly from residents, business owners, and community members about what is working, what needs attention, and what kinds of investments would help make this area feel more active, connected, and welcoming.
Roadmap to Recovery: Budget Reality and Better City Operations
Like many cities across the country, Tacoma is facing real budget challenges. The cost of providing services continues to rise, federal pandemic-era funding has ended, and the City has to make sure our budget is sustainable for the future. In May, the City Manager presented a Roadmap to Recovery to address the projected General Fund deficit and look at ways to modernize City operations.
To me, this conversation cannot just be about cuts. It has to be about focus. What are the basic services residents depend on most? How do we protect those services as much as possible? How do we make city government more efficient, more transparent, and better aligned around the work that matters most to residents?
Over the next several months, this will be one of the most important conversations happening at City Hall. The City is putting information online so residents can see the data, follow the process, and understand the choices in front of us. I encourage residents to review the Roadmap to Recovery materials and stay engaged. We need an honest conversation about priorities, tradeoffs, and what Tacoma needs city government to do well in the years ahead.
Historic Preservation Month and North Union Avenue Greenway
I am a little late on this post, but hopefully not historically late… Historic Preservation Month was in May and is a good reminder that preservation is not just about old buildings. It is about protecting the places, stories, streetscapes, and neighborhood character that make Tacoma feel like Tacoma. I would encourage residents to take a look at this year’s historic preservation award winners and learn more about the City’s Historic Preservation Program.
This past month, the Infrastructure, Planning, and Sustainability Committee also heard a presentation on the proposed historic designation of the North Union Avenue Greenway. This proposal came forward through the Landmarks Preservation Commission and would add the medians along North Union Avenue, from North 9th to North 30th Streets, to the Tacoma Register of Historic Places. North Union is an iconic street unlike almost any other in Tacoma. Its wide, park-like medians, historic layout, and connection to the development of the North End and the University of Puget Sound make it a truly distinctive part of our city. As a Logger (the UPS type, not the cutting down trees type), I have many fond memories of this special street that connects me to generations of locals.
I am happy to support this proposal. Importantly, the recommendation focuses on preserving the overall layout and character of the medians while still allowing for tree maintenance, accessibility improvements, and other right-of-way needs. The proposal is expected to come before the full City Council for final consideration sometime in June. If this is an issue you care about, I would encourage you to follow the Council agenda and share your voice when it comes forward.
Last year’s contest raised more than $14,000 and we are hoping to raise even more this year. The HSTPC is doubling points at various times, so don't miss the chance to get your candidate out ahead of the pack!
If your pet has big ideas, I hope you will consider nominating them. It’s fun, it supports an important cause, and one lucky dog, cat, or other critter will become Tacoma’s next honorary Pet Mayor. Plus, our new Pet Mayor will get official photos at City Hall, a tour of the Mayor's office, and a special Paw-clamation presented during a City Council meeting.
We are lucky that so many of the items we use today can be recycled, helping our community responsibly manage our waste. But I find that residents are often asking "what goes where?" when they are looking at disposing of materials. If you have questions about how to recycle items or what can be recycled, check out our Recycle Coach “What Goes Where” tool. You can access it here: Solid Waste Services | City of Tacoma.
I encourage everyone to use this tool when you have items that you are not sure how to recycle, such as batteries, paint, or other unique items. This took give you easy access to disposal instructions and resources for thousands of items here in Tacoma.
Catching up with Council Member Hines
CityLine Interview
I had the chance to join CityLine recently, which is always one of my favorite opportunities. I appreciate the chance to sit down for a longer-form conversation about what is happening in Tacoma, what the City is working on, and how residents can stay connected to local issues.
In the interview, we talked about several topics including Pothole Palooza, the Roadmap to Recovery, and the upcoming Pet Mayor competition. I think this kind of local programming is a great way for residents to hear more directly from elected officials and better understand the work happening at City Hall. You can watch the full interview here.
New Soccer Fields on Tacoma’s Eastside
This past week I was lucky enough to attend the ribbon cutting for two new mini-pitches on Tacoma’s Eastside. It was a beautiful day, a beautiful location, and a great example of what can happen when strong partnerships come together to create something positive for the community. The new Visa Street Soccer Park is located at the former Gault Middle School site, near Tacoma Public Schools’ future IDEA school, and will be open to the public at no cost.
This project brought together the Puyallup Tribe, Tacoma Public Schools, Visa, Street Soccer USA, Bank of America, the RAVE Foundation, Sounders FC, Reign FC, and other partners to create a new community asset focused on youth, health, recreation, and connection. The site was named wələx̌ʷildubutali by the Puyallup Tribe’s Language and Culture departments, meaning “place to make yourself strong.”
That feels like the perfect name for a space designed to bring young people, families, and neighbors together through play and I am sure the Hines Family will be there many times this summer!
Please be sure to check out tacoma.gov for City updates and resources and, as always, please feel free to share your thoughts and concerns with me directly at john.hines@tacoma.gov. 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 or Zoom. Access information is available at City Council Meetings | City of Tacoma.
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