City Council - Regular Meeting

I'd like to call to order the City Council meeting of June 23rd, 2026. Clerk, please call the roll.

Deputy Mayor Bushnell.

Present.

Council Member Diaz. Here. Council Member Hines. Absent. Council Member Palmer. Absent. Council Member Rumba. Absent. Council Member Sedalge. Absent. Council Member Scott. Here. Council Member Walker. Here. Mayor Ibsen.

Here. Please join me in listening to the land acknowledgement and flag salute led by Council Member Scott, followed by a moment of silence.

We gratefully honor and acknowledge that we rest on the traditional lands of the Puyallup people, where they make their home and speak the Lushootseed language. Please stand for the flag salute and remain standing for a moment of silence.

Are there any modifications to the agenda this evening? Seeing none, we'll move on to the consent agenda.

Is there a motion? I move to adopt the consent agenda, including resolution number 41941 through 41945. Second.

Move in second. Are there any questions, comments, or corrections to the consent agenda?

I would like to remove resolution number 41941 relating to an interlocal agreement with the Department of Ecology from the consent agenda and consider this item under the regular agenda at the request of staff.

Resolution number 41941 will now be considered under the regular agenda after item number 10. All those in favor of adopting the consent agenda, including resolutions number 41942 through 41945, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Those opposed say nay. Consent agenda is considered, excuse me, is declared adopted. Moving on to proclamations, recognitions, presentations, and announcements. We have one ceremonial tonight, proclaiming Saturday, June 27th as Chamorro Day. For Chamorro Day, yeah, I would like to invite, is Auntie Louie here? Okay. Okay. Great. Well, besides the memory of Lua, I'd like to also invite Joel Larimer, who's founder of the Imahe School of Dance, to the podium as I read the proclamation. Whereas the city of Tacoma is strengthened by the diversity of its residents and is committed to celebrating the cultures, histories, and traditions that contribute to the vibrancy, inclusiveness, and vitality of our community, and whereas the Chamorro Day Festival serves as an important opportunity to honor and preserve the living culture of the Temora people through music, dance, storytelling, food, art, cultural demonstrations, and community gathering. And whereas the festival fosters cultural pride, education, and intergenerational learning by creating opportunities for elders to share knowledge, youth to connect with their heritage, and community members of all backgrounds to deepen their understanding of Temora culture, And whereas the Chamorro value of , the spirit of mutual respect, cooperation, and harmony reflects values that strengthen communities and inspire meaningful connections among residents. And whereas the second annual Chamorro Day Festival celebrates the past, present, and future of Chamorro culture while ensuring that traditions, language, and cultural practices continue to thrive for future generations. Now therefore, I, Anders Ibsen, Mayor of the City of Tacoma, On behalf of the City Council, do hereby proclaim Saturday, June 27th, 2026 as Chimorro Day in the City of Tacoma. I encourage all residents to join to honor the enduring legacy of the Chimorro people while celebrating the cultural diversity that makes Tacoma a vibrant and welcoming city. Please say a few words.

Good evening, Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and members of the Tacoma City Council. On behalf of the Chamorro Day Festival Planning Committee, Guma Imahi, and the Chamorro community throughout Tacoma and Pierce County, I would like to express our gratitude for recognizing June 27, 2026 as Chamorro Day in the City of Tacoma. This proclamation carries great significance for our community. For many Chamorros living far from our ancestral homes in the Marianas, opportunities to celebrate, preserve, and share our culture are essential. It allows us to pass our language, traditions, music, dance, and values to future generations while educating the broader community about our rich history and contributions of the Chinua people in the city of Tacoma. Tacoma has long embraced and celebrated cultural diversity. and this recognition demonstrates the City's commitment to honoring the many communities that call Tacoma home. By proclaiming Tomorrow Day, you are helping ensure that our stories, tradition, and heritage continue to be recognized and appreciated. We are especially grateful for the support of our community partners, including the City of Tacoma through Tacoma Creates and the Asia Pacific Cultural Center, whose partnership has helped make the Tomorrow Day Festival possible. Together, we are creating opportunities for thousands of people from all backgrounds to learn of the tomorrow culture, build meaningful connections, and celebrate the values of family, respect, and community that define who we are. On behalf of the elders, families, youth, cultural practitioners, and the many volunteers who have worked tirelessly to preserve and perpetuate our heritage, thank you for this honor. We are proud to call Tacoma home. and look forward to continuing to share the culture and spirit of the Marianas with the community for generations to come. Thank you, Mr. Larimer. Are there any members of the Council who would like to comment?

I would like to comment, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor and respected members of the council, thank you so much for this great honor. Seattle, Tacoma, has one of the largest population of Chamorros from Guam and the Northern Marianas. And we are so proud to be working with Imahe from Guam, representing and showcasing the cultures and the people of Guam. And we want to thank Joel Larimer and his leadership and all of the Imahe leaders and groups who practice and perform throughout the state of Washington representing and showcasing their Guam heritage. Thank you so much for today.

Thank you. Thank you so much for all of you do. Bienvenido on behalf of the Tacoma City Council. And with that, why don't you please step forward to accept the proclamation. And one more round of applause for all that you do. Thank you so much.

everybody come up.

Yeah, please come up.

Okay. Can we, yeah, can we, if there's anybody who's willing to kind of be down in the front, perfect. Y'all know how to take pictures. Can we get just to scoot in, scoot in as tight as you can. Just be close, close, close, close. Thanks, y'all. All right. One, two, three. One more. One, two, three. Good job.

All right, moving on to public comment. Clerk, please read.

This is a time set aside for public comment. Speakers are asked to identify the specific legislation they wish to address.

All right. Under public comment, you can speak about any motion, resolution, or ordinance on tonight's agenda. And if you are commenting virtually, just raise your hand or hit star 9. So with that, I'd like to just give a friendly reminder for everyone's comments to be as respectful, relevant, focused, and on topic as possible. You will have 90 seconds to make your remarks. Please be mindful of the time frame. With that, we're going to get started with the people who've signed in. So we have Marilyn Kimmerling, followed by Samuel Kaiser. Welcome. Can you comment on which item you're speaking to tonight?

Yes. Good evening, Council. My name is Marilyn Kimmerling, and I'm in District 1. I'm here to comment on Resolution S41943 and Resolution S41941. Excuse me. So I see that there is a resolution authorizing the execution of an agreement with the Department of State of Ecology in the amount of $1,750,000 and accepting and depositing this sum into the stormwater fund to implement the South Tacoma Tree Canopy Enhancement Program. through December, 2028. And then on the resolution S41943, I see that the city has a resolution awarding a contract to clean energy in the amount of $1,005,289 plus a 10% contingency budgeted from the solid waste fund for preventative maintenance and repairs for the compressed natural gas fueling station. So we get money in to protect our canopy, and now we're spending it to... repair the natural gas fueling station and it occurs to me that this is an inappropriate use of funds where we regret it.

And you're welcome to send the rest of your comments via email too. Thank you. Our next commenter is Samuel Kaiser followed by Jamie Cortez.

As CAS, we respect any effort that goes towards improving the environment for the people of Tacoma. We support the efforts to improve tree canopy and restore unused parking lots back into green space. We unite with the concern of air pollution, but more needs to be done. Preventative measures should be taken, as members of the City Council may be aware, New Star, US Oil, Pacific Functional Fluids, Seaport Sound Terminal, are all oil refineries on the Port of Tacoma that have been out of compliance with the EPA's Clean Water Act for every quarter of the last three years. Spills, leaks, and improper disposal of waste can quickly impact worker health. There is a substantial and well-developed body of scientific literature on the health impacts to workers at oil refineries. A rigorous study from 2021 published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that the petroleum industry work was statistically associated with significantly elevated risk of several cancers. The same study found that children living near petroleum facilities had nearly double the risk of childhood leukemia, which is partially relevant given a US oil refinery's location in a residential and tribal community. A study this year found in March 2026, systemic scoping review published in current environmental health reports by UCLA and UC Berkeley researchers. Thank you for your comments, sir. You're welcome to send the rest in writing to the council.

And before further people speak, because it sounds like a lot of people are signed up, to be abundantly clear, this is public comment. So this is for items on tonight's agenda. You're absolutely... welcome to send us written communication or speak at community forum about opinions on fossil fuels or about land use in general. But this actually is not the item to speak about this. This particular item, 41941, is specifically the deposit of money into the stormwater fund for tree canopy. So if that's what you are talking to, then absolutely great. If you're talking more broadly, this actually isn't the time to do that. So just for everyone's clarification, to respect everyone's time. So with that, we have Jamie Cortez followed by Abby Greenfield. And can you identify the topic you're speaking to?

Yeah, resolution 41941 talking about tree canopy here in Tacoma. Like Sam said, we do support improving the tree canopy. That's one of the many reasons why we need a community controlled climate commission here in Tacoma. We commend the work that other groups like Tacoma Tree Foundation do, but it's very clear that the current climate commission is not the body to help oversee Actual green improvement in Tacoma, you know, we understand that they have overview of the city's resources and we would like to see a community control climate commission because the residents of South Tacoma are so passionate about the tree canopy here, right? Did you all see how hot it is outside today? Right. We have so much concrete in South Tacoma specifically. So we are glad to see more efforts go into the tree canopy, but are saddened to see projects like the mega warehouse where old growth trees were cut down and sacrificed for profit for companies like Bridge Industrial from Chicago instead of prioritizing our residents health here in Tacoma. and so we continue to see this pattern where the on the one hand the city you know tries to say that you're supportive of tree canopy but we need to see actual real change and what that looks like for us as a community controlled climate commission that puts people over profit and water over wealth thank you thanks for your comments abby greenfield followed by clara

Hi, just like my friends who just spoke, I also really, I hope that the council will approve this resolution 14941. The canopy is important. It's a drop in the bucket of what we need to reclaim environmentally. Every time a corporation is allowed to proceed and pollute or put the environment at risk, the people pay the price. The corporation might pay the dollars, right? $8.95 million that they have to pay to the Department of Ecology, only like $1.7 million is going to the trees. The rest of it is yet to be determined. That could even go away if the funding somehow goes away. I read the contract. So wherever we allow one step forward for pollution, it's always going to take extra steps forward. to recover and secure health and environmental safety for the people of Tacoma. So I'm glad. I'm glad that the Department of Ecology interviewed residents of the impacted areas. I think that was a great step. Always should be the people helping make choices, making decisions for what's right. But the city, if the city can't work with the port already, for example, and make sure that corporations within Tacoma are complying with the Clean Water Act, we don't have a lot of faith that the same will happen in the mega warehouse. Or we do think the same will happen with the mega warehouse and other corporations. And compliance is important everywhere. Here for the trees.

Thank you, Abby. And you're welcome to submit the rest of your comments in writing too. Claire followed by Ari Peel. Is Claire there?

Hello, members of city council. I'm here to speak.

Sorry, go ahead.

I am here to speak about resolution S41941, tree canopy in South Tacoma. I'm a resident of South Tacoma, and I appreciate the tree enhancement program. There are not enough trees in South Tacoma, and it is really hot. The trees help with the shade, and they help cool us down, but What about the trees that were cut down for this warehouse to be built? This is a band-aid solution to me. There needs to be more trees all across El Tacoma. The environment needs to be priority over profit, over corporations. And it doesn't address the extent of the environmental damage that a new warehouse causes. There are many other environmental issues here in Tacoma that go unaddressed because the current climate commission is not strong enough and does not have enough funding to address them. That's why I feel that we need a community-controlled climate commission, a stronger climate commission, and we need to see systematic change, not this chain of Band-Aid solutions. Thank you. Thank you. All right.

Ari Peel, followed by Aiden Correa.

Hello, I'm Ari Peel. I will also be speaking on resolution S41941. Yeah, I think it is really important and really good that we are putting in this tree canopy. And we are fixing these problems now that they have arisen. I agree with Claire. We should be working to stop them before that happens. I appreciate that this project is going to be clearing a large area of currently concrete. And it makes sense why that is involving the stormwater system, because that is where our stormwater comes from. And particularly in the Port of Tacoma, which is almost entirely paved, our stormwater is extremely toxic and runs straight into the Sound. It is very important that we stop covering our ground in concrete and turn the concrete that is currently there into more absorbent and better ways to deal with this stormwater, as well as stopping the companies that are polluting our stormwater in the first place so that we do not have to deal with it and build these projects to fix these problems later. Thank you.

Thank you, Ari. Aiden, followed by Kit Burns.

Hello. Same resolution as everyone else. Yeah, I like the tree canopy. I enjoy what it does, especially in this coming hot summer. I'm just a little confused on the fact of, right, like this warehouse came to be and how the funds for a canopy and for forestry stuff wasn't already something that was like... thought of while this was being built. Why is it being band-aided after the fact? After the forests were already culled down, AND NOW WE'RE JUST ADDING MORE CANOPY AFTER THE FACT OF ALREADY PAVING IT OVER, RIGHT? I FEEL LIKE THERE SHOULD BE, YOU KNOW, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT A COMMUNITY CONTROLLED CLIMATE COMMISSION, AND I FEEL AS IF HAVING A STRONGER VERSION OF THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO, YOU KNOW, NIP THESE PROBLEMS IN THE BUD BEFORE WE HAVE TO SPEND SO MUCH MONEY ALREADY TO TRY AND AMELIORATE THE ISSUE AFTER THE FACT, RIGHT? AND FURTHERMORE, being able to have a better city management and put more trees along the city so that we can have a cooler shed all across South Sound and South Tacoma would be better. So basically, more money, but also more planning and thinking beforehand.

Thank you. Appreciate your comments. Kit Burns is our last in-person speaker.

My name is Kit Burns. I live in District 3. I'm speaking on 41948. It's regarding affordable housing. I think the City of Tacoma is not complying with the state law when it comes to providing affordable housing. This item on the agenda tonight I think doesn't measure up and I think may not be eligible. I've looked through a number of documents, like the House Bill 1110, which was the basis of home in Tacoma. It said affordable housing is 80% of AMI. Yet the proposal tonight says it's 115%, and that doesn't meet the criteria of affordable. There's also a document that I found on the Department of Commerce. It said, Improving Home Ownership Rates for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in Washington. And it's a report from 2022. And it says, and I'll read this because I didn't memorize it. It says, The RCW 3670A-540 states that affordable home ownership incentives must serve households with incomes below 80% of the median income. So I think we need to do some homework. I put together some documents. I'll send you an email that has all the calculations. I've gone through this in detail. And any errors in math are mine. Thank you.

Look forward to it. All right, our first virtual speaker is Heidi Stevens, followed by Kathy Irwin.

Heidi Stevens speaking on Resolution 41941. I'm a resident of South Tacoma within the Bridge Industrial Settlement boundaries, a board member of the Neighborhood Council, and was closely involved in the Department of Ecology Stormwater Appeal, personally impacted in this highly overburdened community. So I am so sad that once again, South Tacoma is being served up more unverified promises that we're supposed to be happy about after being deliberately deceived by the taking over of settlement funds that were supposed to be largely decided by the affected residents of whom the city's actions caused the injustice to begin with. There have been a lot of shameful actions by this city over the years, but tonight is one of the worst. There was no true community inclusion. Using past unrelated community input is unacceptable. We only learned recently to our horror that the Department of Ecology had already been meeting with the City of Tacoma long before ever reaching out to residents. But even prior, we had repeatedly requested to be part of any such meetings, or at least to receive information of the discussions, but were denied. We're only now seeing the first suggestions of what that money is going to be used for in a two-block radius. The median strip is of street improvement that these funds should not be being used for. If there's any logic to this, we don't know because we weren't included. If many people don't speak about this, they still don't know about it. What we need are invested residents involved in every step of the process now going forward.

And you're welcome to send the rest of your comments in writing, too. Thank you. Our next speaker is Kathy Irwin, followed by Tim Smith.

Hello, my name is Kathy Irwin, South Tacoma resident. I'm speaking on Resolution 41941. I want to not reiterate what Heidi has just mentioned, but confirm what she has told you is what we have learned last week, that the city was the first contact from the Department of Ecology back in 2024 and long before anybody ever connected with the Department of Ecology, connected with anybody in South Tacoma, even for any input. This has been horrifying to hear this. This whole project is being overstated. If people think there's a lot of depaving going on, it's not. It's a single 10 spot parking lot that's close to South Union Street. And so while this sounds very inviting, This is not a great situation. This tree canopy money is being used that has been taken away from people that will be needing it for air purifiers and other features to help with mitigating the impacts of this warehouse traffic. also share that this has been a deliberate effort by both the City of Tacoma and the Department of Ecology representatives to conceal information and to exclude us from meetings. And this can be certainly verified with the many emails we have sent back and forth. So I want to make sure that people understand this is another instance of environmental injustice.

Thank you, Kathy. Our final speaker is Tim Smith.

My name is Timothy Smith, and I'm from the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Tacoma. Spotty has committed an ultra-virus action by bringing forth Resolution 41941, and one of you should make a motion to table this. Consulting with legal advisors and attorneys, it is clear the diversion of money from the $8.9 million settlement between Department of Ecology and Bridge Industrial into the City of Tacoma coffers has occurred with no actual approval by the second aggrieved party, the South Tacoma residents. This is beyond your power to approve tonight. Heidi Stevens and I are the two people that appealed to the Washington State Water Pollution Control Board discrepancies and faults in the construction stormwater permit issued by Department of Ecology for the 260-acre warehouse complex, which destroyed over 50 acres of trees, laid down 200-plus acres of impervious surface over our source drinking water aquifer. City of Tacoma joined with Bridge in opposition to every issue we raised. You joined them against your own residents. As Council Member Walker put it, swiftly behind the scenes to snatch $1.7 million portion of that money directly shocks me to no end. You should table this and seek such approval. General meetings, a list of past projects, and other things are not such approval. You tell me I have to be involved, I was. I got my neighbors $8.9 million, not for you to spend as you think is best for them, but in ways they believe is best for them.

I appreciate your comments. Thank you. And you're welcome to submit the rest of your comments in writing too. With that, we have no further speakers signed in, so we're going to close public comment. I understand folks are interested in this particular topic. In just two agenda items, we'll actually get a staff briefing to fill folks in more on the specifics. So with that, we're going to move on to the regular agenda. We have a motion before us for consideration.

I move to authorize the city's full and final settlement of all claims against the city in the manner of Nelson v. City of Tacoma et al. Pierce County Clause No. 25-3-10361-2 related to personal injuries occurring on a public sidewalk adjacent to to 1524 North 5th Street upon payment by the city in the amount of $110,000 and execution of a release in a form approved by the city attorney.

Second.

All right, moved and seconded. Are there any council questions or comments? Hearing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed say nay. The resolution is, the motion is declared passed. Moving on to interlocal agreements, item four. This item was moved from the consent agenda to the regular agenda. Clerk, please read. Okay.

Resolution 41941, a resolution authorizing the execution of an interlocal agreement with the Washington State Department of Ecology in the amount of $1,750,000, accepting and depositing said sum into the Stormwater Fund to implement the South Tacoma Tree Canopy Enhancement Program through December 31, 2028.

I move to adopt resolution number 41941. Second. Move and seconded.

I'd like to call on Mr. Mike Carey for a staff perspective on this.

ALL RIGHT, GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING THE OPPORTUNITY TONIGHT TO COME AND SPEAK ABOUT THIS RESOLUTION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF TACOMA AND DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY ON THE SOUTH TACOMA TREE CANOPY PROJECT. AS YOU'VE HEARD TONIGHT, THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE COMMUNITY AROUND THIS TOPIC, AND WE'RE HOPING TO SHED A LITTLE LIGHT ON THE SCOPE OF SERVICES THAT ARE GOING TO BE PROVIDED IN THIS. AND THEN I ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE TO MENTION THAT TOMORROW NIGHT AT THE INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING SUSTAINABILITY MEETING, WE'RE GOING TO GO OVER THE FULL SCOPE OF THE PROJECT AS PROPOSED. we're reminded that this work matters. Increasing tree canopy reduces heat, improves air quality, and helps protect our most vulnerable neighbors. Once again, my name is Mike Carey. I'm the Urban Forest Program Manager here at the City of Tacoma. And joining me tonight is Bawek Telimi, Ecology Southwest and Olympic Region Director. I'm going to invite Bawek to talk a little bit about the project and how the partnership with Ecology and the City formed. And then I'll come back and share just a few words about the scope of the work and what we're looking forward to doing should city council decide to pass this interagency agreement through resolution between the city and Ecology.

Alec?

Thank you. Thank you for having us. It's been two years of work, and we're excited for this moment to be able to present in front of you here today. So in November of 24, Ecology was able to secure $8.95 million in settlement funds to help mitigate the impacts on the bridge industrial facility and the surrounding community. Specifically, the goals of these funds provide resources to the community to reduce the impacts of the increased truck traffic. Because these funds are limited, especially knowing the extent of what capital projects cost, Ecology has adopted an approach that will address the areas that will be most impacted along the truck traffic routes first. We based our prioritization on air quality modeling. Since the settlement was signed, we have been making connections throughout the South Tacoma community, meeting with neighborhood groups, local and state agencies, and community organizations. This included intensive outreach to the Oakland-Madrona neighborhood to gather input on how to spend these funds. Specifically, we did a mailer survey, online survey, and partnering with the local organization, Voices Tacoma, to conduct door knocking. From that work, the community prioritized and we determined that the settlement funds should be distributed into three areas. The first, air quality monitoring, with three new monitors established near the new warehouse. The second is a partial weatherization program for the homes along the Union truck, Union Avenue truck route. And the third is increasing tree canopy in the settlement area in partnership with the city. This partnership on the South Tacoma Tree Canopy Project builds on the many efforts by the city, including the Tacoma Mall Sub-Area Plan, Tacoma Mall Greenery Project, Greening Research in Tacoma, and the South Tacoma Neighborhood Plan. We are very much looking forward to this partnership with the city and the outcomes for the community. Thank you for this opportunity.

Thanks, Bobak. So, as Bobak mentioned, this partnership was formed in part due to the Bridge Industrial Warehouse settlement, and within that settlement agreement itself, there's specific terms and conditions, including where the bulk of the funding should be directed, which the scope that we've put together in this interagency agreement is directly in response to that. As Bhavik mentioned too, I just want to be really clear about there were some comments made around community engagement in this work. We've been working pretty deep in this neighborhood since 2015 when we started the Tacoma Mall sub-area planning process and heard loud and clear from the community what they wanted to see for improvements. And we continue to do that through the South Tacoma neighborhood planning processes. And we've been actually working really deep since 2018 through a grant we received through the Forest Service to do tree work implementation in the neighborhood. And that actually was the foundation of what we now know as the Green Blocks program that I think many of you actually participated in before. And so not only have we been doing deep work in this neighborhood, but it's actually been foundational to forming some of the programs and partnerships that we offer as a city as a whole. So with that, I think we all know that South Tacoma and Oakland have a deep and complex history. Portions of these neighborhoods were historically redlined. The post-World War II development resulted in a mix of industrial uses and residential uses, and the streets were pretty explicitly built just for auto-centric purposes. Today, this area that's identified as overburdened and highly impacted by air pollution due to the particulate matter, that's a result of the industry that's there in the neighborhood and the truck traffic. It's really what drives this partnership between the city and ecology. It's to figure out how might we bring investment in green infrastructure and improve environmental and health outcomes to this community of need. As mentioned, ecology was really fundamental in receiving and securing that funding to impact or to offset some of the air quality impacts associated with the Bridgepoint development. And their air quality expertise is allowing them to implement the portions to deliver the air quality monitoring, as mentioned by Bobik. and the weatherization work as well. And that combined with the city's existing urban forestry program and strong partnerships that we have with agencies like the Tacoma Tree Foundation and the Pierce Conservation District are going to allow us to have this unique partnership and strong collaboration. This interagency agreement establishes a relationship and brings, as mentioned, $1.75 million of investment directly to this neighborhood, as outlined in three phases of work in the scope of this interagency agreement. Phase one, which is intended to be conducted this summer of 26, proposes a complete right-of-way inventory and analysis, looking at existing trees, existing tree planting opportunities, and designating areas that are prime for depaving, so removing pavement from planting strips and other areas to then reclaim that earth and turn it into green infrastructure that's an investment in our community. Phase two in 27 uses the data collected in phase one and partners with the Tacoma Tree Foundation to implement a green block style program. And that program, I think as you all are aware, is free street trees to our neighbors. And through this partnership, for the first time, we're actually able to offer private property trees as well, which will be a pretty tremendous opportunity to increase tree canopy in the neighborhood. And then the last part of that will also be to to offer potential for the community to support with depaving activities, not just for the Union Avenue improvements, which I'll talk to you in a minute, but also to residential improvements and people's own frontage. Maybe their planting strip is currently graveled or paved over with asphalt. We'll be able to provide services to remove that and reclaim that earth as well. And then phase three, plan for 2028, will be delivering a pretty major improvement to Union Avenue. The primary traffic route, which was mentioned in the agreement, again, identifies the specific corridor as needing the bulk of the primary funding for implementation work. And this scope of work includes new tree planted medians, so a central asphalt median will be removed and turned into a planting strip to provide more trees to the community. New street trees will be planted on both sides, and then the city will actually leverage our own existing funds and our sidewalk program and add funds to the pool to then make complete, safe walking routes as well throughout this corridor. Phase two and three will both offer robust community engagement, as we typically do with our green blocks programs and otherwise. I'd include door-to-door outreach, planting events, deep paves, and opportunities for participation for the community to help shape what that parklet design looks like. and that depave that was mentioned in a current parking lot today. We'll be sharing more details at tomorrow's infrastructure planning and sustainability meeting scheduled for 4.30 here at the municipal building. And I invite the community to follow along with updates and become involved by going to Tacoma.gov slash South Tacoma Tree Canopy. And with that, thank you again, Mayor, Council, and Ecology, and our community partners. for providing the opportunity and supporting this work to strengthen our urban forest and improve the health outcomes of South Tacoma. We appreciate your consideration of the interagency agreement. Thank you.

Thank you, Mike, for the presentation. At the risk of oversimplifying, this is free money for more trees in South Tacoma, right?

I mean, that is, yeah, pretty, I mean, simplified direct yes. This would allow the opportunity for ecology to invest the money already collected directly into the neighborhood.

Okay, great. Any council clarifying questions or comments? Council Member Walker.

Thank you, Mayor. I don't want to dig too far in the weeds, because I know you're coming to IPS tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to more discussion on the specifics of de-paving and where these things are going. But I just didn't want to miss a moment to thank you for both the work that has been done to date, but coming and explaining it all, too, because it is a one of a kind. And you talked a little bit about these trees. We've always been able to put them in the right of way. Now we can put them in private property. So there's a lot of firsts as part of this, and it's very exciting. Thank you for jumping in on the opportunity, and thank you to Ecology for working with us to make sure we got something that really matters to the neighborhood, so appreciate it. And I think, Mike, you had said previously, this, what we're passing tonight is simply starting the process to accept the money. There will be more, I mean, even starting tomorrow, there's more opportunity to dig into the scope, there's more opportunity for community to be involved and, right, This is the beginning, not the end, I guess.

Absolutely, absolutely. So this agreement that's in front of us tonight is just for consideration to essentially allow for the channel to pass the funds and support the community work. All of the scopes in there are intentionally bounded by the things that we intend to do with lots of room for community feedback and opportunity to support the needs of the community. So it's intentionally, and again, we'll discuss more tomorrow at IPS as well, but we put really strict parameters on what we can do with the opportunity for flexibility within that to get information from community and serve them the best.

Great. Well, thank you so much for the thoughtfulness you put into this, and looking forward to more discussion.

Thanks so much. All right, thank you.

All right, the resolution before us is 41941. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Those opposed say no. Resolution is declared adopted. Thank you very much. Thank you. All right, moving on to purchase resolutions. Item 11, clerk, please read.

Resolution 41946, a resolution authorizing an increase to the contract with Puget Sound Wood Products, Inc. in the amount of $408,350 for black bark used in the creation of Tegra products for projected contract total of $2,170,000 plus applicable taxes.

I move to adopt resolution number 41946.

Second.

Moving second. Any council questions or comments? Seeing none, all those in favor of adopting resolution number 41946, please signify by saying aye. Aye. I was supposed to say no. Resolution is declared passed. Moving on to resolutions, item 12. This item is also going to have a PowerPoint presentation that will also cover item 13. Clerk, please read.

Resolution 41947, a resolution authorizing the execution of a multifamily housing 12-year limited property tax exemption agreement with RKD 708 LLC for the development of 12 multifamily market and regulated rate rental housing units located at 708 East 35th Street in the McKinley Mixed Use Center.

I move to adopt resolution number 41947.

Is there a second? Move to second. I'd like to call on Paul Bakker for the staff presentation.

Thank you, Mayor Ibsen. Good evening, City Council. I'm Paul Bacher with the Community and Economic Development Department. Tonight I'll be presenting resolutions 41947 and 41948. For the first project, RKD 708 LLC is proposing to develop 12 market rate and affordable units. This project will also include four parking spaces. Here's a breakdown of the proposed units, which include three affordable rate units as well as nine market rate units. And these are all one bedroom, one bath units. Here's a map of the project's location in the McKinley Mixed Use Center at the corner of 35th and G Street. The table shows the estimated fiscal implications for the project. We estimate the total taxes generated over the life of the project at $158,000, and the total city taxes to be exempted at $56,000, leaving a net positive fiscal impact of $102,000. Apologies, trying to get my slides right here. Moving on to resolution 41948. For this project, TACBuild LLC is proposing to develop 14 new owner-occupied units, affordable and market rate. Of note, this is our first 12-year project that includes owner-occupied units. Here's a breakdown of the proposed units, which include three affordable rate units as well as 11 market rate units. They plan to sell the affordable rate units at roughly $430,000 per unit. And here's a map of the location in the Downtown Regional Growth Center. They're at 2331 Yakima Avenue. This table shows the estimated fiscal impacts for the project. We estimate total taxes generated over the life of the project at $189,000 and the total city taxes exempted at $75,000 for a net positive impact of $114,000. And that concludes my presentation. I'm happy to answer any questions. Thank you.

Any questions from the council? Deputy Mayor.

Thank you, Mayor. Just a question on the resolution 41048, the TAC bill, owner-occupied units. Are those possible because of the changes that we made in allowing for utilities and things of that nature to be under one bill, like under a certain authority, an HOA of some sort? I'm curious as to, are they all like... I'm trying to figure out how best to ask this question, but maybe that's the question. We did make some changes in Home in Tacoma or something like that to allow for multifamily owner-occupied townhomes and others in order to have utilities all in one under an association or organization that the owners own. Was that possible? why this was able to be penciled out. Because I think one of the challenges was the ability to have utility separation based on owner occupancy.

Thank you for the question, Deputy Mayor Bushnell. I would hesitate to try to figure out if that specific legislation is what caused this project to pencil. But I would say, generally speaking, those changes did promote these more owner occupied types of projects.

Maybe we can follow up afterwards. I'd love to learn a little bit more about how it was determined that these were going to be owner-occupied and what factors went into that. Many of me and my colleagues really want to see more owner-occupied ownership opportunities out there. And if this is an example of something that works, then maybe we can help spread the word on how things pencil out and how it works. And so I'd love to learn a little bit more about that.

Absolutely. I'd be happy to follow up.

Thank you. All right. Thank you, Deputy Mayor. And I, too, am really excited at the idea of more owner-occupied. And new construction owner-occupied for under half a million is insane. I mean, that's a really good deal. And just to reiterate, anyone who buys these subsidized units has to physically live in the property. So investors, cash buyers aren't going to buy these. This would be an actual owner-occupant, flesh-and-blood person living there, right?

That is correct, Mayor, and we are working with legal on the language that we are going to add to the deed that would require it to remain with an eligible person, regardless of if it's sold subsequently from the initial purchase.

Fantastic. Thank you.

All right.

Any other comments on this?

All right.

Well, very good. Appreciate that, Paul. With that, if there are no questions on this, all those in favor of adopting Resolution No. 41947, please signify by saying aye. Aye. As opposed to saying nay. Resolution is declared adopted. Item number 13. Clerk, please read.

Resolution 41948, a resolution authorizing the execution of a multifamily housing 12-year limited property tax exemption agreement with TAC-Built LLC for the development of 14 multifamily market and regulated rate owner-occupied units located at 2331 Yakima Avenue in the downtown regional growth center.

I move to adopt resolution number 41948. Second. Moved and seconded. This item was just presented. Any additional questions or comments? All right. Seeing none, all those in favor of adopting resolution number 41948, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed say no. Resolution is declared adopted. Thank you, Paul. Moving on to first reading of ordinances, item 14. Clerk, please read.

Ordinance 29112, an ordinance amending chapter 1.12 of the municipal code relating to the compensation plan to implement changes to non-represented classifications and rates of pay to reflect the organizational structure.

All right. Let's call on Carrie Louie.

Human Resources Director. Ordinance 29112 will provide for the implementation of refinements.

Carrie, I'm so sorry. There's some disturbance in the back. If you wouldn't mind starting over just so we can hear everything. No problem. Sorry about that.

No problem. Good evening, Mayor Ipsen and members of the City Council. I'm Carrie Louie, Assistant Human Resources Director. Ordinance 29112 will provide for the implementation of refinements to the compensation plan for the nonrepresented compensation structure. The changes support organizational alignment under the city manager's roadmap to recovery by creating a new nonrepresented classification of environment and public works director for the combined environment and public works department. Combining environmental services and public works under one executive leader creates a new, more streamlined and adaptive leadership structure for two closely connected operating departments. With this change, the ordinance also provides for the deletion of the classifications of director environmental services AND DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS. THE ORDINANCE ALSO CREATES A NEW NON-REPRESENTED POINT OF CLASSIFICATION OF SUSTAINABILITY ANALYST PRINCIPLE TO SUPPORT EXPANDED DEPARTMENTAL FUNCTIONS. IN ADDITION, THE ORDINANCE PROVIDES FOR TITLE UPDATES TO THREE NON-REPRESENTED CLASSIFICATIONS. AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

THANK YOU, CARRIE. ARE THERE ANY COUNCIL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? DEPUTY MAYOR.

THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I JUST WANTED The classifications went through the worksheet that we had passed a couple weeks ago. Is that correct? I just wanted to confirm that.

That is correct. The decision tree? Yes.

Yes, the decision tree. Great. Thank you.

I'm glad to see it's already working.

Thank you.

Thank you, Deputy Mayor. Seeing no further council questions or comments, this ordinance will be set over for final reading next week. Thank you, Carrie. Thank you. Moving on, is there any unfinished business? Seeing none, City Manager, do you have a report this evening?

Mayor Ibsen, no report. Thank you.

Okay. Are there any committee reports from the City Council or any comments from the City Council? I'll make one brief comment. I'm pleased to report that as of Monday, Parks Tacoma's board has voted a resolution of support for the Connect Tacoma effort and the facts and information outreach effort. That brings it to three of our sister agencies, Parks Tacoma, Port of Tacoma and the Tacoma School Board who've indicated their support. It's indicative of the hard work that our city staff have been putting forward there to engage. We've heard a lot of high marks from both the work of city staff as well as the volunteer levy committee for the educational outreach. Stay tuned for more information on getting the word out about what this means for the community and ways that you can get more informed as well. And with that, I just wanted to state my appreciation for everyone who's been doing the hard work. More to come, and there's a lot more engagement to be had. So with that, is there any final council comment or question before we have motions for excusal? Seeing none, we have a fair amount of council members representing Tacoma at the Association of Washington Cities. So I'll accept a motion or motions for excusing colleagues.

I move to excuse Council Member Hines, Council Member Sedalge, Council Member Palmer, Council Member Rumbaugh from the meeting tonight. Second.

Moved and seconded. Those in favor of the excusal, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Those opposed say nay. Members are excused. Is there a motion to adjourn? Move to adjourn.

Second.

Moved and seconded. Those in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed say nay. We are adjourned. Good night.