City Council - Regular Meeting

I'd like to call to order the City Council meeting of July 21st, 2026. Clerk, please call the roll.

Deputy Mayor Bushnell?

Present.

Councilmember Diaz? Absent. Councilmember Hines?

Here.

Councilmember Palmer? Here. Councilmember Rumba? Here. Councilmember Sadalge?

Here.

Councilmember Scott? Here. Councilmember Walker? Here. Mayor Ibsen?

Here, please join me in listening to the Land Acknowledgement and Flag Salute led by Council Member Hines, followed by a moment of silence in honor of former Tacoma Mayor Mike Crowley. Today, we dedicate our moment of silence to recognize the passing of former Tacoma Mayor Mike Crowley, who passed away on July 13 at the age of 80. Mayor Crowley dedicated his life to the city he loved. As a city council member and later as mayor, he helped lay the foundation for the revitalization of downtown Tacoma, championing projects that continue to shape our community today. He was known for his humor. his resilience, and his unwavering belief in Tacoma's future. Most of all, Mike Crowley was a proud Tacoman who devoted himself to making the city a better place for generations to come. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and all those who had the privilege of serving alongside him. Council Member Hines.

We gratefully acknowledge that we rest in the traditional lands of the Puyallup people, where they make their home and speak the Lushootseed language. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance 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 resolutions number 41960 through 41966. Second. Moved and seconded. Are there any questions, comments, or corrections? Seeing none, all those in favor of adopting the consent agenda, please signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed say nay. Consent agenda is declared adopted. Moving on to proclamations, recognitions, presentations, and announcements. We have two ceremonials tonight for National Disability Pride Month. I would like to invite Katie Coyne, Office Assistant from the Tacoma Venues and Events Department, and Anna Hudson, Utility Services Representative from Tacoma Water. And I'd like to invite them to the podium as I read the proclamation. Whereas Disability Pride Month is observed each July to commemorate the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990, a landmark civil rights legislation that affirms the rights, dignity, and equal opportunity of people with disabilities. And whereas disability is a natural part of the human experience, and people with disabilities strengthen our community through their leadership, innovation, creativity, and contributions in every aspect of civic, cultural, educational, and economic life. And whereas Disability Pride Month recognizes that disability is an important part of human diversity, encourage all people to celebrate inclusion, challenge stereotypes, and work together to remove barriers that limit full participation. And whereas the city of Tacoma is committed to fostering an accessible, welcoming, and equitable community where all residents have the opportunity to thrive, participate fully, and be treated with dignity and respect. and whereas this month provides an opportunity to recognize the advocacy of individuals, families, service providers, and community organizations who continue to advance accessibility, inclusion, and equal opportunity for people with disabilities. Now therefore, I, Anders Ibsen, Mayor of the City of Tacoma, on behalf of the City Council, do hereby proclaim July 2026 as Disability Pride Month in the City of Tacoma, and encourage all residents to celebrate the diversity of our community promote accessibility and inclusion, and reaffirm our shared commitment to ensuring Tacoma is a place where everyone belongs and has the opportunity to succeed. Please say a few words.

I'm Katie Coyne, and I am an office assistant at Tacoma Venues and Events. I've been fortunate enough to work for the city of Tacoma for almost five years. My disability is not outwardly visible. I am ADHD, which means that I have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and I'm also on the autism spectrum. Basically, my brain works a little bit differently than most people's brains work. While some aspects of my neurodivergence, like sensitivity to loud, or repetitive noises and bright lights can be difficult. I also have unique cognitive strengths or superpowers, as I like to think of them, that come along with my neurodivergence, like hyper focus, attention to detail, creative problem solving, pattern recognition, and strong memory recall. Working for an organization that supports its disabled employees is something that means a lot to me. And I am grateful and honored to be able to be here to represent this community today. Thank you for the opportunity to do so. When I began my first job at 16, I did not tell my boss that I was neurodivergent because I was afraid of stigma and I was afraid that she would judge me. When she found out about a year later, she told me that if she had known, she never would have hired me. Even though I knew that I had been doing my job and doing my job well, her words made me feel so much shame. I've never felt that shame or that stigma in my role with the city. I've never had to hide who I am. I have been able to find community with my fellow neurodivergent employees through the SANS affinity group. And I am grateful that the city of Tacoma recognizes that employees with disabilities are not a liability and that we make our organization stronger because we are able to bring different perspectives, experiences, and abilities so that we can better serve the people of Tacoma. Thank you, and happy Disability Pride Month to you all.

Thank you.

I'm honored to be here for this proclamation for Disability Pride Month. Thank you, Mayor, and the city council, and the city of Tacoma. My name is Anna Hudson, and I have worked for the city of Tacoma for almost nine years. I brought the Disability Pride flag being held by Katie. And Chris. So it was created by Anne Mago, who was physically disabled and who had cerebral palsy. This is the second version she created in 2021 to be more visually accessible to everyone. The diagonal bands are intended to signify cutting across the barriers that disabled people face. Red is for physical disabilities. Yellow is for con... cognitive and intellectual disabilities. White is for invisible and undiagnosed disabilities. Light blue is for psychiatric disabilities. Green is for sensory disabilities. And dark gray is for the disabled lives lost. On July 26, 1990, President George Bush signed the ADA into law. And on October 6, 1990, the Disability Pride Day, the first one was held in Boston, and with the first parade being held over a decade later in Chicago in July of 2024. In July of 2015, New York City became the first city to officially observe Disability Pride Month. And last year, disability pride celebrations have expanded over the world to include the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Growing up, my mother's job was helping the disabled adults find jobs to become more independent. I wrongfully thought that all disabilities were visual and extreme. I now know that it's a spectrum. And as I learned and built many friendships, I found out that many people have invisible disabilities. When I was in college, I had a friend who had severe lung disease, and she had a handicap sticker for her car because she couldn't walk long distances. We were out together, and some people made ugly remarks to her about looking normal and abusing the handicap parking spot. And that is when I realized that not all disabilities are visible, and to be careful before I judge someone. Disability Pride Month is about celebrating history, achievements, experiences, and the struggles of having a disability. And it's time to honor those who have faced challenges and overcome them. and to lift voices of those who still might need acceptance. My whole life I felt different from others, and I was a middle-aged adult when I found out that I was neurodivergent and have ADHD, and this can also be considered a disability. I found this out while working with the city of Tacoma and opened up my mind to all the possibilities and answered the reasons for my many struggles. I was able to get help and obtain tools. The greatest tool for me has been the creation of the SANS Affinity Group that supports neurodivergent employees and their allies. With this group, we've been able to update our ADA and DLM policies and procedures, make beautiful connections and relationships across every department in Tacoma. We now have new training about disabilities and neurodiversity. And this is thanks to the members and their passion. With the support of leadership and coworkers, I found many of us now feel like we belong more. And I have seen members of this group reach out to find ways to serve the community members better. Honoring those who are different from us creates diversity and inclusion. that leads to a greater, stronger community. Hearts open and a sense of unity is achieved. Instead of looking at what disabled people might not be able to do, find things that they might be able to achieve and contribute. And anyone can be one accident away from being disabled themselves. I'm going to end the quote from a book by Alice Wong, Disability Visibility First Person Stories from the 21st Century. There is so much that able-bodied people could learn from the wisdom of the wisdom that often comes with disability. But space needs to be made, hands need to reach out, and people need to be lifted up. The story of disabled success has never been about one solitary disabled person overcoming limitations. Despite the fact that that's the narrative we so often read in the media, the narrative trajectory of a disabled person's life is necessarily webbed. We are often only as strong as our friends and family make us, only as strong as our community, and only as strong as the resources and privileges we have. Thank you for allowing me to be here today, and thank you for this proclamation.

Thank you. Any council comments? Council Member Scott.

I just want to say thank you all for being here and speaking so eloquently. And I really appreciate the quote you shared, but also just the very personal stories that you're sharing as well. And I think it's just a great reminder that we should be experiencing our community with curiosity rather than judgment and making room for folks to show up as they are because we all have something to bring to the table. So thank you.

Thank you. And what I'll say is that your inclusion is not simply about tolerance. It's about making the organization itself better. We are better because you are part of it. So with that, we are so grateful and so eager to join in the recognition of all your contributions. So with that, please come forward to accept the proclamation. And one more round of applause, please.

All right, everybody.

One, two, three. One more. One, two, three. Great job.

Moving on to our second proclamation. Our second proclamation is Recognizing Our Fellow Creatures by Taroko Nomura. I'd like to invite Taroko Nomura, artist, to the podium, Rebecca Salverson, Arts and Cultural Vitality Division Manager from the Community and Economic Development Department, and representatives from Environmental Services to the podium as I read the recognition. Whereas in 2024 through 2025, The City of Tacoma's Environmental Services Department partnered with the Arts and Cultural Vitality Division to establish an artist-in-residence through the 1% for the Art Program, and whereas Taruka Nimura served as the artist-in-residence embedded within the Solid Waste Division, working to strengthen public outreach, education, and community engagement, and whereas the residency expanded community understanding of waste reduction, recycling and environmental stewardship to help residents better understand the scale and impact of Tacoma's waste stream. And whereas Nemura's use of salvaged materials reflects the city's leadership in waste reduction, deconstruction and creative reuse, elevating efforts to reduce landfill volume and encouraging residents to reimagine the possibilities of discarded materials. And whereas Nemura was recognized with a Washington State Recycler of the Year Award for her work in partnership with Environmental Services, and whereas our fellow creatures, now installed in the City Council Chambers, centers Tacoma's beloved giant Pacific octopus, symbolizing our shared responsibility to protect local waterways and reinforcing the, if it hits the ground, it hits the sound, campaign. Now therefore, I, Anders Ibsen, Mayor of the City of Tacoma, on behalf of the City Council and the over 225,000 residents of Tacoma, do hereby recognize Taruku Nimura for her innovative contributions to environmental education and for the impact her residency has made. We thank Nimura for her creativity, partnership, and dedication, and we extend our gratitude to Environmental Services for their continued commitment to sustainability and creative public engagement. Please say a few words.

Thank you so much. I'm just really honored to be here. And I'm honored that my work with the Environmental Services Department and the city is highlighted here in the place where decisions are made that affect our entire community and our natural world. I hope it serves as a reminder for our love of the natural world and the partners that we have within the arts and the city itself.

Thank you.

Good evening. Thank you, council, and thank you, Chirico. My name is Denise Linares, and I work with Solid Waste as an assistant division manager. And I had the incredible opportunity to partner with Chirico. Through her artists in residence, she inspired us and our community to see waste not as an end, but as an opportunity. Through her art, she tells stories that spark curiosity, inspire action, and remind us that some of the greatest possibilities begin with seeing value where others don't. Her work bridges the efforts, such as if it hits the ground, it hits the sound, and tidy up. And it has been truly a pleasure to work with her through this artist in residence. Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Rebecca Salverson. I work with the Arts and Cultural Vitality Division. Taruko, first I want to thank you for your work. The artwork you created for this residency was excellent all the way through. And the way you pulled the community into it was incredible to watch. You put so much of yourself into this residency. It was truly a gift to the city and I just want to thank you and I want you to know it's appreciated and that it was extremely impactful, so thank you. You've left the city stronger because of your work and the work that my group in arts and cultural vitality and that Solid Waste do in the future will be built on the relationships and the legacy that you've started, so thank you. To Environmental Services, and in particular Solid Waste, I want to thank you for leaning into this work with us. You have a lot of competing priorities, and we appreciate how you welcome this new collaboration into your workflows. You all approached your work with curiosity, generosity, and creativity, and it's all in service of the public and of your customers. So thank you for being open to deep cross-departmental work with us. I'm proud of what we've done together, and I'm excited for what we're going to do together next. I specifically want to call out Denise, John, Shane, Lewis, Ed, Arlie, Preston, Jessie, Julian, Scott, Lisa, Dawn, Angela, Maria, Shannon, Nien, Leah, Kayla, Dan, Josh, Kate, and many others. This was a project that touched a lot of people. And you're just seeing one little tip of it here tonight. So thank you to everybody who helped make this work happen, whether it was through a ride-along conversation or behind-the-scenes support. To my team, I just want to also thank Marissa, Daniel, and VK especially for their tremendous work and care for this project, and also Artco Framing for doing an amazing job as a local business. This is a big piece to frame, and it's not easy. And then finally thank you to mayor and council for taking a minute to recognize this this is work that we all put a lot of Time and care into and it's a culmination of a very special project And it's really meaningful to be able to share that with you all and share that with the city.

So thank you Thank you, we have some comments from the council starting with council member rumbo I

Thank you, Mayor. And I want to thank you, Taruka, for your art. Could you talk a little bit about the medium, how you created this? Because it's incredible. If you could go to the microphone and talk a little bit, since everyone can't really see it online.

It is actually a big, giant drawing made with sumi ink. So I did a lot of brushwork on the piece and then layered in stencils for chrysanthemums and wave pieces. It's all sort of hand-drawn and then inked. And it occupied an entire wall of my studio space.

It's so fabulous. It really resonates for Tacoma. And I just really appreciate you sharing that with us. Thank you so much for all the great art that you have brought us. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. It's my privilege and pleasure. Thank you.

Councilman Scott Thank You mayor and thank you all for being here I think I was gonna ask the same question that councilman Arumba asked because I was just curious about what you What materials you used to put it all together? But I also wanted to just say like to require just you've created so much beautiful art in your time here in Tacoma and I just appreciate you sharing it with all of us and being committed to not only creating artwork but creating artwork that brings people together and starts conversation and and I'm just really, really, really excited, one, to have one of your pieces here in our chambers, but also to see artwork on the walls of the chambers here because it's one of my, not that seeing all of your beautiful faces isn't its own type of art week to week, but I just think, you know, wherever there's a blank wall, wherever you can put up art always just makes it a lot better, so I'm appreciative of the time and effort that you all put in working together with Turraco to make sure that we have not only beautiful art for the city, but beautiful art right here that we can look at. And like you said, as we're making decisions and have it as a reminder of all the importance that goes into just the community and bringing people together. Thank you.

Thank you. As one of, I think, at least two soda kids here in the room, I want to also express my heartfelt gratitude here. It's so timely because literally earlier this afternoon, we were getting a briefing about how infrastructure and public activation of space like the South 38th Street corridor in the Lincoln District, for example, is more than just restoring potholes, for example. It's about bringing neighborhoods to life. It's about the utilization of artwork and community building to make areas more livable and just grow the pie for everyone. And for that, we are so grateful for the work of basically entrepreneurs, of artistic entrepreneurs like yourself for helping make this possible. So with that, thank you so much to you, to the staff who've enabled your work, and for everyone up and downstream, literally and figuratively in this case. Thank you so much. All right, so with that, please come forward to accept the proclamation, and let's give her one more round of applause.

Thank you.

All right, everybody. One, two, three. Let's do one more. One, two, three. Wonderful. Thank you all so much.

Okay, 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.

Thank you. Under public comment, you can speak about motions, resolutions, and any ordinances on tonight's agenda. Clerk, do we have anyone signed up?

We have no one in chambers, and it doesn't appear anyone online.

Okay.

So last chance, if there's anything on tonight's agenda that you'd like to speak to. Going once. Going twice. All right. Public comment is now closed. Moving on to the regular agenda, starting with purchase resolutions. Item 12. Clerk, please read.

Resolution 41967, a resolution awarding a contract to Morgan Mechanical Inc. in the amount of $2,311,355 plus a 20% contingency for replacement of the HVAC system at TPD headquarters for projected contract total of $2,773,626 plus applicable taxes.

I move to adopt resolution number 41967. Second. Move and seconded. Any council questions or comments? Council Member Hines.

Yes, thank you. Is there anybody here to answer a question I might have? All right. Figured there'd be someone. So I'm asking this question mostly because maybe we should celebrate this a little bit more than we already are. Because I think I remember a presentation at IPS a few years ago about building decarbonization. And they identified one of the buildings that we could see the most return on investment for building carbonation was the police headquarters. And so in reading this, This is partially funded by us, but also funded by a grant from the state of Washington, correct? That is correct. And one of the key features of this is it's going to help us address one of the biggest carbon-emitting buildings we have and convert the HVAC into an all-electrical system?

That is also correct.

I just didn't want this one to move past us. I know Councilor Walker and Councilor Beal way back when started our building decarbonization plan, which is this idea of converting more and more of our municipal-owned buildings to carbon-free or as carbon neutral as possible. And I just didn't want to let this one slide by without recognizing this is a pretty major investment we're making in building decarbonization. So I guess I just need to ask you those two questions. I don't know if there's anything else you want to add to that.

No, I think you captured it well. We did receive a $1.6 million grant for this work, and it is going to help us bring this building into compliance with the clean building performance standard as well as reduce our carbon footprint. Great. All right.

Well, thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Those are my questions. All right. Thank you, Council Member Hines.

Seeing no further council questions or comments, all those in favor of adopting Resolution No. 41967, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. I was supposed to say no. Resolution is declared passed. Moving on to item 13. Clerk, please read.

Resolution 41968, a resolution authorizing an increase to the contract with American Custodial Inc. in the amount of $800,000 for janitorial services at several city facilities for a projected contract total of $5 million plus applicable taxes.

I move to adopt resolution number 41968. Second. Moved and seconded. Any council questions or comments? Seeing none, all those in favor of adopting resolution number 41968, please signify by saying aye. Aye. I was supposed to say no. Resolution is declared adopted. Moving on to first reading of ordinances, item 14. This item will have a PowerPoint presentation. Clerk, please read.

Ordinance 29115, an ordinance amending titles 1 and 10 of the Municipal Code by amending section 1.06.255 and by repealing chapter 10.27 entitled Small Public Works Contracts in its Entirety and authorizing the city to leverage the statewide small works roster.

I'd like to call on Tad Carlson.

Good evening, Mayor Ibsen, Deputy Mayor Bushnell, and City Council members. My name is Tad Carlson, and I am a purchasing manager in the Finance Department. I am here to speak to the proposed Ordinance 260542, which would enable the City of Tacoma to leverage the statewide small works roster. Thank you. A small work roster is a streamlined method for procuring public works where applicable without the standard development of a full specification and subsequent bidding and award to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. To add context to this, public work is defined as all construction, alteration, repair, and improvement paid for by the city. So not just large-scale city streets projects and building constructions that we think of when we hear public works. Small works roster is focused on the smaller, less complex projects. And at times, a standard bid process, which is a time-consuming endeavor for city staff, and also places a burden on bidders to meet all the procedural requirements of a bid, is not in the best interest of the city or the contracting community. A standard bid often results in projects being awarded to larger firms, not necessarily because they do better work or are cheaper, but because they have the administrative capacity to submit responsive bids. The existing City of Tacoma Small Works roster, as described in Tacoma Municipal Code Chapter 10.27, was established by Ordinance 26727 on November 7th of 2000. And unfortunately, in more recent years, the small work roster has stopped being used entirely as it did not remove the requirement to prepare specifications and compete them. And roster membership was sufficiently limited that often city project managers would not receive any interest on projects. This resulted in delays as the project manager would subsequently have to turn around and follow a standard procurement process. This circumstance was not unique to the city of Tacoma. And in 2024, the state legislature tasked the Municipal Research and Services Center, or MRSC, with standing up a statewide small work roster. This proposed ordinance would allow the city of Tacoma to begin leveraging that state roster instead of the city-maintained roster. The statewide roster allows contractors to register just once to become eligible for projects statewide, and additionally allows them to apply for certification as a public work small business enterprise, which comes with some other potential benefits that we'll discuss shortly. So where does the small work roster fit in city operations? There were two examples that came to mind as I was putting together this slide deck, and the first was roofing. I was approached by a project manager a couple years ago who was in the process of putting together a specification for several re-roofs of city facilities. He was months into developing specifications and was having trouble balancing the roofing projects with competing projects for which he was confident detailed specifications were much more necessary. The second example was a facility that needed a new heat pump, The original sourcing was initiated in February of 2023 with a project manager estimate of $40,000. By the time the project was specced, advertised, rebid, and awarded, it was May of 2025 and had taken over two years. The project then came in at $57,000. So competing priorities and a requirement to specify the project resulted in two years of delays and a final price that was 42% higher than originally estimated. The city has several very talented engineering groups that put together specifications, especially for larger projects, but their capacity is limited. And the city has a number of work groups that do not have engineers on hand, which can result in relatively simple projects, like the HVAC project, being delayed even by years, costing the city money in maintenance and repair while a specification is developed, as well as inflationary costs of waiting to perform the work. We have talked about impacts to city staff and operations, but I would like to return to city priorities, including the benefit this program should have to the contracting community. Further development of a small contracts program was a disparity study recommendation for 2025 and 26, and this small work roster works towards their goal. As mentioned, the small work roster is meant to offer a pathway to city contracts for smaller contractors that can struggle to compete with the bids of larger firms, even when the scope of work is well within their expertise. In general, the new roster does retain the need to compete project, but allows for a less thorough specification to be developed and allows advertisement only amongst rostered contractors. But where we see the real potential benefit is the direct contracting option. For projects under $150,000, we are able to directly contract with suppliers on the roster. This option includes a rotational policy to ensure The work is spread among all eligible and responsive contractors. And getting back to the Public Works Small Business Enterprise designation, assuming there is sufficient representation of these PWSBEs on the roster, the rotation can be further limited to only these PWSBEs, furthering the city's ability to grow contracting with smaller firms that have historically struggled to access city contracts. In short, the intent for this new roster is to better fulfill the goals of the small work roster. Simplified registration process will benefit contractors, which should expand the contractor pool from which city project managers can pull and making the roster a more reliable procurement method. And ultimately, an effective roster should expedite project delivery timelines and expand city contracting opportunities for smaller local contractors. Details of the recommendation are repeal of chapter 10.27 of the municipal code that currently governs the city's small work roster, and an edit to Tacoma Municipal Code chapter 1.06 article 255G, which directs governance of our small work roster from Tacoma Municipal Code 10.27 to the RCW, which governs the MRSC statewide roster. I thank you for your time and be happy to answer any questions.

Thank you for your presentation. Any questions from council? All right. Seeing none, this ordinance will be set over a final reading next week. Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there any unfinished business? Seeing none, city manager, do you have a report this evening? Mayor Ipsen, no report tonight. Thank you. Okay. Moving on to comments and committee reports of the city council. The first committee report is actually from the Operations Strategy and Administrative Committee, which I chair. The OSAC committee has met once since our last report. On June 26th, the committee discussed the absence of a defined governance framework for the deputy mayor role, including responsibilities, organizational support, and succession during the mayor's absence or disability. The committee's July 10th meeting was canceled. The committee will meet again on Friday, July 24th at 10.30 a.m. Are there any other council comments or reports? All right, seeing none, is there a motion to adjourn? I move to adjourn. Second. Moving second. All those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed, say no. We are adjourned.