Dear District 5 residents, It’s back to school season! Congrats to all the students starting another year at Tacoma Public Schools. I got to visit Gray Middle School this morning and welcome everyone to their first day. As a community, we can all support our youth and families by focusing on safe driving: Stopping for students and families crossing the street. Driving 20 MPH in school zones and on residential streets. Staying focused on the road and avoiding distractions. Knowing when to stop for school buses. Slow down. Stay alert. Help keep Tacoma’s kids safe. For Safe Routes to School information including suggested walking route maps, visit tacoma.gov/SRTS. Thank you, Council Member Joe Bushnell City of Tacoma, District 5 Topics in this newsletter include:

• Automated Speed Enforcement Cameras Activating on September 14
• Sheridan Ave Celebration
• Recruiting for Positions on the Library Board of Trustees
• Tidy-Up Tacoma Teams Up with Community Partners for Citywide Cleanup Event September 19
• Participatory Budgeting in Tacoma’s 5th City Council District is underway
• In-District City Council Meeting to Take Place on September 30 at STAR Center
• 2027 – 2028 Biennial Budget Development
• Arts Funding and Tacoma Arts Month
• In Community

Automated Speed Enforcement Cameras Activating on September 14

Speaking of safe driving, the City of Tacoma is launching a new way to monitor driving in our City. We will activate two new automated speed enforcement cameras on September 14, as part of its ongoing commitment to improve traffic safety and eliminate fatal and serious injury crashes through the City’s Vision Zero initiative.

The first cameras to become operational are located on:  

• Norpoint Way NE (one camera monitoring the uphill direction) 
• SR-509 / Marine View Drive (one camera monitoring the southbound direction) 

A one-month warning period will begin when the cameras are activated, afterwards violations captured by the cameras will result in $145 civil infractions. These corridors were selected because they have experienced high levels of speeding and/or serious crashes.

An additional six new speed cameras will be activated in phases beginning January 2027 at these locations: 

• South Sprague Avenue (two cameras, one in each direction) 
• Pacific Avenue (two cameras, one in each direction)
• Portland Avenue (two cameras, one in each direction) 

Sheridan Ave Celebration

It was great to gather with community to celebrate Sheridan Avenue’s new makeover, including safe crossings, extra wide sidewalks, and upgraded bus stops to get families to Wapato Park safely and comfortably.

This project is especially important for the South End because it creates safer, more comfortable connections between major streets and directly improves access to Wapato Park. Wapato has always been a place where families can get outside, spend time together, and enjoy one of Tacoma’s great public spaces. What I love about this project is that it creates the opportunity for more families to have that same experience by making it safer and easier to get to the park without having to get in a car. Investments like this demonstrate that South End neighborhoods deserve safe, accessible, and high-quality infrastructure just like every other part of Tacoma.

Recruiting for Positions on the Library Board of Trustees

The Tacoma City Council is looking for qualified applicants to fill two positions on the Library Board of Trustees. The Library Board of Trustees consists of five members who are nominated by the Mayor and appointed by a majority vote of the City Council. The membership term is five years. All Library Trustees must live within Tacoma city limits.

The Library’s governing board has policy and budget authority and appoints the Library Director. Tacoma Public Library’s mission is to “empower our community by bringing people together to discover, connect, create, learn, and thrive.” More information about Tacoma Public Library is available at tacomalibrary.org.

Applications must be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office by noon October 1, 2026, at Library Board of Trustees | City of Tacoma. Questions about the application process, requests for the application in an alternate format, or requests to submit additional documents may be directed to Elizabeth Wing in the City Clerk’s Office at servetacoma@tacoma.gov or (253) 591-5178.

Tidy-Up Tacoma Teams Up with Community Partners for Citywide Cleanup Event September 19

The City of Tacoma is partnering with two community-led litter cleanup groups, Litter Free 253 and Oscar’s Enemies, for a Citywide Cleanup Event on Saturday, September 19, from 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers can participate at locations across Tacoma, with bags, gloves and litter picking equipment provided at every site.

This event is part of the City’s ongoing Tidy-Up Tacoma initiative and reflects a growing partnership between City services and community-led groups working to keep Tacoma’s neighborhoods clean.

All sites will be staffed and supplied, and volunteers can choose to participate at whichever location they prefer. No experience is necessary, and all ages and abilities are welcome. Volunteers are strongly encouraged to sign up in advance at tacoma.gov/tidyup to help organizers plan for supplies.

I am so grateful to all the members of the community and organizations for coming together to help clean-up efforts in our city. Keeping litter off our streets and waterways is a collective responsibility, and efforts like these help bring community together and build a sense of pride for our city.

Participatory Budgeting in Tacoma’s 5th City Council District is underway

It was great to see Council Member Palmer and Mayor Ibsen in District 5 for our participatory budgeting kickoff! As Tacoma’s participatory budgeting program was concluding at the end of 2025, the Washington State Department of Commerce contacted the Office of Management and Budget to explore funding a participatory budgeting project centered on overburdened communities in Tacoma. Staff finalized a grant contract in 2026, making participatory budgeting in Council District 5 possible. This one-time grant supports the participatory budgeting process as well as $1.6 million for the selected project. Projects funded under this grant must: be focused on decarbonization and/or climate resiliency; specifically benefit and mitigate the disproportionate impacts of climate change on communities defined as “overburdened” under state code; and be capital projects. Members of the District 5 community may submit project proposals through September 30, 2026.

In-District City Council Meeting to Take Place on September 30 at STAR Center

The Tacoma City Council is taking its City Council meeting originally scheduled for 5 p.m. on September 29 in the Tacoma Municipal Building Council Chambers (747 Market St., 1st Floor) into the community. This meeting will now take place at 6 p.m. – with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. – on September 30 as an in-district, in-person City Council meeting at STAR Center (3873 S. 66th St.). The September 30 in-district City Council meeting will include regular City Council agenda items and a community forum with no option for virtual participation. Refreshments and childcare will be available at no cost to attendees at STAR Center. The City Council is now hosting in-district meetings to more directly respond to neighborhood concerns, while also reaching new voices and underserved communities across the city.

2027 – 2028 Biennial Budget Development

The biggest policy item the City Council adopts is our biennial budget. The City is deep in the work of creating our 2027-2028 biennial budget and tackling our structural budget deficit. Thank you to everyone who has contacted me and shared your priorities for the budget. I am keeping your thoughts in mind as I talk with the City Manager.

You can find a calendar of the budget development process online. The big date to watch is October 6 – that is when the City Manager will shared his proposed budget with the City Council for our consideration.

Do you want to weigh in on how we balancing the budget? Check out our Balancing Act tool. The City is facing a projected $40 million General Fund gap for 2027–2028. Using this tool, residents can explore the budget, adjust spending and limited revenue options, and share where they believe resources should be prioritized.

Arts Funding and Tacoma Arts Month

Tacoma’s commitment to arts and culture makes our City the wonderful place it is! Do you know an artist in community?

The Tacoma Arts Commission manages two funding programs designed to nurture our city’s creative ecosystem and provide opportunities for all residents and visitors to access and participate in the arts. Applications for funding open up in the fall. Check out the programs now to see if it’s a good fit for you.

Mark your calendar for the 25^th Anniversary of Tacoma Arts Month this October! Tacoma Arts Month is a free, citywide celebration of arts, culture, heritage, and science held every October in Tacoma.

In Community

The Chamorro Day Festival is a heartfelt celebration dedicated to honoring and preserving the rich cultural heritage of the Chamorro people. I had a great time participating in this event at Mt. Tahoma High School.

Shout out to everyone who helps pick up litter in their neighborhood! I joined another monthly Hosmer litter pick up event.

The TPD Kids Health & Safety Fair has grown so big they moved it to the Tacoma Dome so that we can continue to provide for our students returning to school.

My wife Almirah and I at Parks Tacoma’s 4^th of July Summer Blast!

The Tacoma Police Department’s Marine Services Unit received a FEMA Port Security Grant to help protect critical port infrastructure from terrorism, enhance maritime domain awareness, improve port-wide maritime security risk management, and maintain maritime security mitigation protocols that support port recovery and resiliency capabilities. Christened the Chinook, this boat was fully funded through the federal grant with no cost to the City of Tacoma. It was built by local boat builder SAFE Boats, headquartered in Bremerton with operations in Tacoma, too.

I had the honor of visiting the Washington Corrections Center for Women to participate in their AANHPI celebration. Participants prepared cultural displays, performances and other activities representing the diversity of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community.