City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. I'd like to call to order the City Council meeting of August 11th, 2026. Clerk, please call the roll.

Deputy Mayor Bushnell.

Present.

Council Member Diaz. Here. Council Member Hines.

Here.

Council Member Palmer. Here. Council Member Rumba. Here. Council Member Sedalge.

Here.

Council Member Scott. Here. Council Member Walker. Here. Mayor Ibsen.

Here. Please join me in listening to the land acknowledgment and flag salute led by Councilmember 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.

I move to adopt the consent agenda, including resolutions number 41980 through 41982. Second. Moved and seconded.

Are there any questions, comments, or corrections? I'd like to call on Council Member Palmer.

Thank you, Mayor. Per Rule 4.B of the Council Rules of Procedure, I request to remove resolution numbers 41980 and 41981 from the consent agenda to be considered separately under the resolution section of the regular agenda.

Resolutions number 41980 and 41981 will now be considered under the regular agenda after item number 8. All those in favor of adopting the consent agenda, including resolution number 41982, please signify by saying aye. Aye. I was supposed to say no. Consent Addend is declared adopted. Moving on to proclamations, recognitions, presentations, and announcements. We have two ceremonials tonight. For Emergency Management Awareness Month, I would like to invite Tika Adyugan, Chief Emergency Management Officer from Tacoma Fire, to the podium as I read the proclamation. Whereas the city of Tacoma is committed to protecting the lives, property, and well-being of its residents through comprehensive emergency management programs that reduce risk, strengthen preparedness, coordinate response efforts, and support long-term community recovery. And whereas emergency management serves as the lead for coordinating emergency preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery, continuity planning, training, exercises, public education, and interagency collaboration to ensure the city is prepared for disasters of all types. Whereas working year-round with city and community stakeholders to build a resilient community capable of preventing preparing for responding to and recovering from emergencies and Whereas the emergency management team serves as the lead in the city for developing and maintaining emergency plans coordinates emergency operations supports disaster recovery enhances situational awareness administers grants conducts training and exercises and strengthens partnerships that improve the city's readiness for threats and hazards both natural and human cause and and whereas Emergency Management Awareness Month provides an opportunity to recognize these professionals while encouraging every resident, family, business, and organization to take an active role in preparedness by creating emergency plans, building emergency supply kits, staying informed, and participating in community preparedness activities. Now, therefore, I, Andrews Ibsen, Mayor of the City of Tacoma, on behalf of the City Council, do hereby proclaim August 2026 as Emergency Management Awareness Month in the City of Tacoma. and commend the city's emergency management team, its partner agencies, volunteers, and community organizations for their continued commitment to building a safer, more prepared, and more resilient Tacoma. The City Council further encourages all residents, businesses, and visitors to recognize the importance of emergency preparedness and to take meaningful steps to ensure they are ready before disaster strikes. Please say a few words.

Thank you. Thank you, Mayor Ibsen, City Council members, and guests. On behalf of City of Tacoma's Emergency Management Team, thank you so much for recognizing National Emergency Management Awareness Month and the importance of this work. I am joined today by Joshua Castillo and Heidi Rock, who are also a part of the Emergency Management Team. This month also marks my fifth year serving as Tacoma's Emergency Management Officer. and I remain deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve this city. Emergency management is more than plans, exercises, and responding during times of crisis. It is about people. The safety, resilience, and well-being of Tacoma's residents are deeply important to myself and my team. It is a privilege we never take lightly. It is also National Preparedness Month during the month of September. Here in Tacoma, that means preparing together. It means neighbors looking out for one another, departments and community partners working side by side, and each of us taking steps now so we can respond, recover, and move forward together when emergencies happen. Thank you for this proclamation, for supporting our work, and for helping us build a stronger and more prepared Tacoma.

Thank you. And it looks like we have some comments from the City Council, starting with Councilmember Rumbaugh.

Oh, hi. I just want to thank you so much as the chair of Southside 911. And both myself and Deputy Mayor Bushnell serve on Southside 911. We really appreciate your commitment to our city, all of the work that you do. It's so great that you're there in times of need, but also just there as steady person and organization to help support our community. I see that the fire chief is here as well. And I just want to recognize the great work that you do. Thank you so much. Five years, that's amazing.

Thank you.

Thank you. And thank you so much for all that you, our frontline staff, all of our emergency preparedness professionals do to respond to emergencies and ideally help us prep so they don't happen or so that there's enhancements and that there's things that we may ourselves not see as the general public, but you as the people keeping guard are continuing to do. And with that, we're so grateful for all that you do. Please come forward to accept the proclamation. And one more round of applause, please. Thank you.

Congratulations, Steve. Thank you.

Thank you, everyone. Moving on to our second ceremonial, we're going to move on to the presentation of the Puget Sound Regional Council Vision 2050 Awards. For the presentation of the Puget Sound Regional Council Vision 2050 Awards, I would like to invite Josh Brown, Executive Director of PSRC, Ryan Mello, executive of Pierce County, Dick Marzano, commissioner from the Port of Tacoma, and attendees from the Port of Tacoma to the podium to begin the presentations.

There we go. Good evening, Mayor Ibsen, members of the city council, members of the public. It's so nice to be back here in Tacoma. I'm Josh Brown, executive director of the Puget Sound Regional Council. And I'm here today to present the Vision 2050 award for the Tacoma Tide Flats Sub-Area Plan. The Vision 2050 Awards are our way at PSRC of recognizing the work that our membership is doing around the region to help realize our collective vision for the future. This project, if you're not familiar with it, it's an important and amazing partnership between the City of Tacoma, Pierce County, the City of Puyallup, the City of Fife, the Port of Tacoma, and the Puyallup Tribe. And really what the subarea plan was focused on was coming up with a comprehensive plan to guide the future of about 5,000 acres of industrial waterfront here in your community. It develops a shared vision for coordinated land use, environmental stewardship, infrastructure investment, and economic development. And it advances a multimodal transportation system and coordinated capital investments that supports freight, regional access, industrial innovation, and focuses on emerging clean energy industries. I just want to wrap up by saying that when I present awards, it's so great to see Vision 2050 awards that reflect partnership and collaboration. I know this wasn't an easy project. I know it didn't happen overnight. I know there are a lot of opinions and perspectives that needed to be balanced out, but I just want to congratulate the city of Tacoma, and all the partners that were part of this effort for always having folks come together, collaborate, and figure out how you can get to a solution. Job well done.

Thank you. And Mayor Roscoe from Fife is also online for this award. Is there anyone else who would like to present from this group?

Well, Mayor Ibsen, members of the City Council, my name is Ryan Mello. I have the great privilege of serving the people of Pierce County as a county executive. I started working on the Tide Flats Siberia Plan when I was in your chair up there in my second term on the Tacoma City Council, and it bridged three different elected offices for me to work on the plan. So when Josh Brown says it did not happen overnight, he was not kidding. I'm tremendously grateful to all the staff from the different partner agencies that are being highlighted with this award, the elected officials who took turns passing the baton. We all had a similar vision of making sure that our working waterfront stayed vibrant for the purpose of creating jobs and the importance of our economy right here in South Puget Sound, while also balancing all of the other major GOALS WE HAD FOR THIS COMMUNITY, NOT BEING A FOSSIL FUEL SUPER HIGHWAY, BUT HAVING JOBS THAT BENEFITED THIS COMMUNITY AND THIS REGION FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. AND AS JOSH HIGHLIGHTED, ONE OF THE MANY REASONS FOR THE AWARD, THE TACOMA CITY COUNCIL SHOULD BE SO PROUD. YOU AND YOUR STAFF PLAYED AN ABSOLUTELY INTEGRAL ROLE TO FACILITATING THIS. I KNOW YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE TREMENDOUS STAFF. that did extraordinary work. And you got a unanimous recommendation from the steering committee, who is also being recognized alongside your leadership here. Council Member Walker has played a longtime leadership role here. And I just want to say thank you, Mayor Ibsen and members of the council, for pausing to be able to recognize this unprecedented partnership so that we can continue to create great paying jobs. and have a wonderful region here that really serves multiple benefits. It's a great example of doing just that. So thank you for having us.

Thank you, Executive Melo. Commissioner Marzano.

Yeah, thank you. Mayor, council members, on behalf of the Port family, I want to thank all the partners that put this together. As Ryan mentioned and Josh mentioned, it took years to come together. And part of that reasoning and how we did that is because of the willingness of all of us sitting together. And though there were some differences, we trusted each other. We moved forward because what we were doing in those years was making it good and viable for generations to come to create family wage jobs in a clean and safe environment, restoring natural habitat, and something our communities can all be proud of. And what it also showed and demonstrated, I think, to the world is that when five entities like we have get together, there's going to be differences. But the goal out there that we're looking to strive for is achievable, and we proved it. So I would highly recommend anybody in any other city that wants to look at an example, it should look at us as how we got together and what we did. So with that, thank you all very much.

Thank you, Commissioner. Mayor Roscoe, would you like to say anything? Well, what I can say is also the former council member who worked on this alongside Executive Nell and many others is that this is just further evidence that when Tacoma shows up as a region, Wonderful transformative things happen for the entire region and sometimes even the state I mean right now if you walk down the rust in my waterfront and point rust in and you just marvel At the progress that we've that we've had as a community advancing sustainability and accessibility that was the result of Thousands of hours and just all the blood sweat and tears and dollars from our federal state local partners And just us showing together showing up together as a team and I have no doubt that we can do the exact same thing for our working waterfront building off of the tremendous success and teamwork that we showed up together as a region. So I think it is utterly commendable. All of the elected leaders, all of the staff, talk about the unsung heroes, from all of these partner agencies, from the Puyallup tribe of Indians, our wonderful sovereign partner as well. This is the beginning of this wonderful transformative conversation, and I'm very excited to see where it takes us. But for now, credit where credit is due, and thank you to everyone. Job well done. So with that, thank you so much. One more round of applause for our friends. And please step forward for a group photo.

Thank you.

All right, one, two, three. One more, one, two, three.

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. If you want to speak under public comment, if you're not here showing up in person, then you're welcome to press the raise hand button or star 9. And this is limited to only items on tonight's printed agenda. In person, we have Mr. Kit Burns.

And which item are you speaking to, sir? I'm speaking to item 41980. Please proceed. My name is Kit Burns. I live in Tacoma and have lived here for quite a while. I just want to comment on that item tonight that's on the agenda. It's regarding the multifamily tax exemption. I don't disagree with the numbers the city has provided, but there's a couple questions that come up that you may have noticed. The market rate is the same as the affordable rate. It seems that there should be a difference there, but I'm not clear. Maybe that will come out in a presentation. The other thing I noticed is that there are two ways the county assessor can tax this. Can tax it at the construction cost, or can tax it at the sale cost. And there's considerable difference between the construction cost and the sale cost, and that's not addressed in these documents. The tax exemption for the construction cost ends up being Well, what the city has, and I agree with it, is $367,000. That's the tax exemption amount. But if you do it on the sale cost, the proposed sale cost, the tax exemption is $614,000. So these are some numbers that need to be reconciled. And I think I would just like to suggest that the city council take up the multifamily tax exemption and look at some of these details. It's nice to see something being sold as for ownership, though. I appreciate that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Burns. Our one virtual speaker tonight is LYT. And before you speak, can you identify the item on tonight's agenda you're speaking to, please?

I am speaking to item 41980, 41981, and 41982. This is Tyler Daniels, and I am a licensed professional civil engineer in Tacoma, Washington. I echo what Kit Burns has communicated about the tax exemptions. I do not consent to the council continuing to, in a sense, blindly approve these in order to get units done. We are in a... cyclical pattern that developers have found a way to profit off of what is going on in terms of building units to secure federal funding for the city of Tacoma. These units are not tracked by council or city staff, and that is a shining example of Properties that are allowed to have all of their off-site improvements waived or to receive these tax breaks. And then they go ahead and sell for substantial profits. They'll tell you right now maybe they'll sell it for $400,000. And when it goes on, it will be posted for $650,000. And you, Mr. Mayor, Anders Ibsen, you are a real estate agent. You don't vote on these because you fear conflict of interest. And I have witnessed you mouth I in confirmation of these when you even abstain. So I believe there is significant need to review what is going on in Tacoma with these tax amendments. Thank you.

You're welcome to write the council if you have anything else that you'd like to say on this. With that, it looks like there are no additional speakers logged in. We're going to close public comments and move on to the regular agenda for appointments, starting with item number seven. Clerk, please read.

Resolution 41983, a resolution appointing and reappointing individuals to the Equity and Contracting Advisory Committee.

Deputy Mayor? I move to adopt resolution number 41983. Second. Moved and seconded.

I'd like to call on Council Member Diaz.

Thank you.

Here we go. Hi there. So I am calling, or sorry, at the July 14th, 2026 Economic Development Committee meeting, the committee conducted interviews for the Equity and Contracting Advisory Committee and recommended the appointment and reappointment of the following individuals. Maria Malenik, Katina Patton, Angela Michalis, and Catherine James.

All right, thank you. Thank you, Chair Diaz. Are there any additional council questions or comments? Seeing none, all those in favor of adopting Resolution No. 41983, please signify by saying aye. Aye. As you know, resolution is declared adopted, and we've invited those individuals being appointed and re-appointed tonight to attend the City Council meeting. I'd like to thank you for volunteering and continuing your service on the Equity and Contracting Advisory Committee. We appreciate your willingness to serve, and please join me in a round of applause. Moving on to purchase resolutions, item 8. Clerk, please read.

Resolution four one nine eight four a resolution authorizing an increase to and extending the contract with Pierce County Department of assigned counsel in the amount of three million seventy seven thousand three hundred and ninety dollars For the provision of legal services for individuals who otherwise would not be able to afford them through December 31st 2026 for a projected contract total of fifteen million three hundred thousand four hundred and twenty eight dollars plus applicable taxes I move to adopt resolution number four one nine eight four second moving second any council questions I

Seeing none, all those in favor of adopting resolution number 41984, please signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed say no. Resolution is declared adopted. Moving on to regular resolutions, item number one. Clerk, please read.

Resolution 41980 a resolution authorizing the execution of a multifamily housing 12-year limited property tax exemption agreement with TAC build LLC for the development of 12 multifamily market and regulated rate owner-occupied units Located at 1712 Tacoma Avenue south in the downtown regional growth center.

I move to adopt resolution over 41980 Second move in second any council questions or comments?

Seeing none, all those in favor of adopting resolution number 41980, please signify by saying aye. Aye. I was supposed to say no.

Nay.

Resolution is declared passed. Moving on to item two. Clerk, please read.

Resolution four one nine eight one a resolution authorizing the execution of a multifamily housing 12-year limited property tax exemption agreement with as 10x 1220 LLC for the development of 20 multifamily market and regulated rate owner-occupied units located at 32 47 South Thompson Avenue in the Lincoln mixed-use center I move to adopt resolution over four one nine eight one Second move in a second any council questions or comments.

It looks like council member Sadal gives this end up. I

Thank you, Mayor. I want to express my support for this. This one is in District 4. It's just north of Lincoln Park. This development, you know, homeownership has been near and dear to me and the rest of the council with some of the policies we've passed. I do want to point out that the tax deference that is part of this package goes directly to the parcel owners. So developers don't actually get much of a benefit. Technically, the benefit is they get to not pay the portion of the taxes between effectively certificate occupancy and the sale. This is also a way to have 20 units where there, I believe, is only one. Each of those units is at least 37% larger than the one single house that's in that area. And as I said, it would limit it right to 115% of AMI, which is right at dead smack in the center of moderate income, where Those households currently do not feel like they have the ability to buy anything. So for all those reasons and many, many more, I do support it. I do want to point out that the current land taxes based on the land value will continue to be increased. uh collected uh with the previous resolution which was a vacant piece of land uh there's zero there's literally nothing we lose because in the the one that we voted on prior to this there's nothing there we continue to uh get the the taxes that are already here uh there this one had uh i believe at least one unit on it um so you defer some of that but again those benefits go directly to um the households that purchase these SO I BELIEVE THIS IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE BEST VERSIONS OF AN MFTE WE CAN HAVE, AND I THINK IT'S A REALLY GOOD DEVELOPMENT. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, CONSUMER SIDALGE. I, TOO, WILL BE SUPPORTING THIS FOR THE SAME REASON AS THE LAST ONE. IT'S VERY RARE THAT YOU CAN BUY NEW CONSTRUCTION AS AN OWNER-OCCUPANT FOR ANYTHING UNDER, LIKE, HALF A MILLION, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS. AND FOR A FORMER STAFF PRESENTATION ON THIS, One of the requirements whenever we have a multifamily housing exemption for affordable housing is it has to be an owner-occupant. So it can't just be an investor or an LLC buying up these things to turn into rentals or a flipper or what have you. These are primarily going to be first-time homeowners building equity, which is exactly more of what we want. So with that, any additional council questions or comments on this? Seeing none, all those in favor of adopting resolution number 41981, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Nay. Resolution is declared adopted. Is there any unfinished business? Seeing none, we're going to move to community forum. At these, just as a reminder, these forums are intended to give speakers the opportunity to share their viewpoints and feedback with the city council to aid in their decision making and is not meant to be a back and forth dialogue. Your remarks should be directed to the city council as a whole, not at individual staff members or individual members of the council. And the topics are limited to anything not on tonight's agenda, but otherwise things that the city directly has jurisdiction over. And if you're signing in remotely, then you can either click the raise hand button or press star nine. And we are doing so good on time that we have the initial list being brought up to the desk right now for those who've signed up in person. So if you'll humor us for just one moment. Thank you, clerk. All right, we have a few people signed in. Lydia Zepeda, followed by George Tomlin.

Good evening. Lydia Zepeda, District 3, League of Women Voters, Washington State Immigrant Issues Chair. I want to thank the council for their past support. of budget for immigrants' legal advocacy and phone funds. But I want to speak on behalf of the budget recommendation made by the Commission on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs to include $170,000 annually as a permanent line item to support immigrants in detention at the Northwest Ice Processing Center for legal services and phone calls. As you know, the people in detention have no right to free legal counsel and no right to free phone calls. Legal services and phone calls are essential to supporting immigrants in detention. There are now over 1,500 people at the facility. And while this request is basically a drop in the bucket compared to the need, it would demonstrate Tacoma's commitment to supporting immigrants. I also want to update you about someone that I have been visiting, one of the many people that I have been visiting at the detention facility, Bibi Sosa, a detained woman with cancer and epilepsy. Bibi's condition continues to deteriorate. She is in constant pain from breast lumps and in her legs. She has difficulty walking. She's having seizures nearly daily. And just last week, she fell and hit her head and blacked out. She has no lawyer. because she has no money. She's one of the many, many people who are detained unjustly and would find relief if the city council would make immigrants a fraction of the priority that they make developers. I also want to speak to the need for clarity about the role of Tacoma police when unidentified people are kidnapping our family, friends, and neighbors. There are unmarked cars patrolling South Tacoma, abducting our family, friends, and neighbors daily. Many of these folks wind up at the detention facility, but it can be days before their families find out where they are or if they find them at all. The complete lack of transparency means we do not know when people are being abducted by traffickers, by federal agents, or by bounty hunters. At the very least, we need to know if these operations are legitimate federal operations or simply human traffickers. It is not interference to ask abductors to identify themselves. It is not interference to de-escalate when people are being beaten. It is not interference when children are being put in danger. To not take these actions creates mistrust in local law enforcement and city officials. We know the city is afraid of challenging the federal government, but why do you not fear the disappearance of the people you represent? If you will not support our family, friends, and neighbors, the rule of law, and due process, then how can we trust and support you? Thank you.

Thank you, Lydia. George Tomlin followed by Joe Colombo.

Thank you. My name is George Tomlin. I live in council district number one. First, I would like to thank you for your past efforts on behalf of immigrants. Today, I'm asking for your consideration for including funds for phone calls and legal counsel for people detained in the Tide Flats Ice Center. and for a clarification of Tacoma Police Department expectations. For the past six months, I have been visiting 10 young men detained at the ICE Center here. I have learned that a large majority of people detained here are not criminals, indeed have no criminal record at all. Almost universally, they have been detained for a technical reason, missed appointment due to not receiving a letter or working a double shift, or for no discernible reason. In the latter category, two young men I came to know waited two to three months to be released. In the former category, the electrician who speaks seven languages was held for 16 months until his attorney-assisted habeas petition was granted. A college professor with a green card and a wife and four children who are US citizens and 20 years experience teaching linguistics and languages has been held for over six months now. An information technologist who was granted asylum due to documented political torture was held for 13 months before being released on habeas corpus. Currently, there are about 1,500 other detainees, many of whom don't have the language, legal counsel, or family support these three did. The difference in whether hope and mental health can be maintained through indefinite confinement is two things, funds to make phone calls no cell phones, and no internet access is allowed inside, and access to legal counsel. Without legal counsel, there is little to no chance they will have a fair hearing where they understand the issues and have their side advocated. Thus, the city providing funds for phone calls would go a long way toward relieving the burden of an indefinite, perhaps unjust, confinement. Providing for a full-time pro bono attorney would allow more people to enjoy a chance for due process. Finally, on the importance of clarifying TPD response, should they be called when immigration action descends into unwarranted bodily harm to city residents? I'm not asking for city police to interfere with legitimate immigration activities. All parties, however, need clear expectations that should matters get out of hand, our city police will not stand by passively. Otherwise, an erosion of trust in a state of law and order will occur. Thank you.

Thank you, George. Joe Colombo, followed by Kit Burns.

Good evening, Mayor and Councilmembers. My name is Joe Colombo, and I am a resident of Puyallup and not Tacoma, but that is why exactly I'm standing here tonight. On March 24th of this year, I was driving eastbound on East 64th Street in Tacoma at approximately 9.30 in the evening when my front passenger tire struck a pothole near 1907 East 64th Street. The next morning, I discovered the tire was flat. I took my vehicle to Les Schwab, where technicians confirmed that the interior side wall was damaged beyond repair and the wheel rim was bent, both consistent with a pothole strike. I filed a claim with the city on March 25 for $314.64 to cover the cost of the tire. On May 26, I received a denial letter from the city attorney's office stating that the city had no prior notice to that specific pothole and therefore bore no liability. Since that denial, I've discovered the damage run deeper than I initially knew. A required wheel alignment added $165. A rim replacement estimate came in at $728. So my total damages were now $1,208, nearly four times what I originally claimed, and all of it caused by the same pothole. After receiving the denial, I replied directly to the city attorney's office, and I did not receive a response. And then I reached out to the entire council last month via email, and I still heard nothing. So I'm here tonight in person because basically I've run out of options. I want to be clear about something. I understand that I'm a Puyallup resident speaking about a Tacoma road, but the residents and visitors who travel Tacoma streets every day deserve roads that don't destroy their vehicles. And when those roads do cause damage, they deserve a process that actually works. The city has publicly acknowledged through Potholepalooza and the Tacoma Streets Initiative that its roads are deteriorating. And a pothole severe enough to blow a tire, bend a rim, and knock a vehicle out of alignment does not appear overnight. It develops over time through neglect that routine inspection should catch. That is constructive notice, and under Washington law, it does matter. So I am asking the council tonight to direct staff to reopen claim number 18567 and reconsider it for the full amount. I came here because I do believe the council should know when the process isn't working for the people who use the city's roads every day, whether they live here or not. So thank you.

Thank you. Kit Burns followed by Murray Varquez.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council. I'm Kit Burns. I live in District 3. I'm here to speak about the South Tacoma Tree Canopy Project. I have some complaints and issues on that. And so I would like to help with the whole council. I know we can't do anything tonight. But I want to bring to your attention some of the concerns I have on this. Part of that settlement, without going into all the details, is they plan to plant, based on the city's direction, 92 trees at South Union Avenue. If you look at the cost of that project, those 92 trees, how much does each tree cost? $16,900.

And we only get 92 trees.

Some time ago, I spoke to the city employee of different people in different department, and I was told that it costs the city to plant a tree $750 to plant it and maintain it. If you had $1.5 million, you could actually plant 1,500 trees, not 91. So I'm talking to the Department of Ecology, to the city of Tacoma, the urban forestry about this. But I want to bring it to your attention. 92 trees at $16,000 apiece is not a good value. And the South Tacoma, I've looked at the South Tacoma area plan. And what was the number one priority? Trees. In fact, even in the master summary, what it says here, it says, you voted for it, we're doing it. And this is a different program, but the money from the Department of Ecology settlement should be able to provide a lot more trees than 92 trees. It's a capital projects project, which I don't believe is allowed per the settlement. So I'm working on those details. I'll be contacting you later as I get my Ducks lined up, as it were. But I really want to make everybody aware that putting 92 trees in really isn't going to change South Tacoma. Putting 1,000 trees in, which you can do with the amount of funds, is something we should do. That would put us on the state for an example in leadership in terms of environmental awareness and taking care of the South Tacoma community. So thank you. Thank you, Kit.

Thank you, Kit. Murray Vazquez, followed by Sue, followed by Barb.

Go ahead and start one. My name is Murray Vazquez, V-A-Z-Q-U-E-Z. My name is Murray Vazquez. I'm the pastor, CEO, and founder for Dominion Academy. We're an adolescent transitional living program. We have two facilities. in the city of Tacoma, one in District 4 and the other in District 5. I'm here tonight as a call to community service and action. For years, Dominion Academy has been privileged to serve the youth and young adults involved in foster care, extended foster care, juvenile justice, and behavioral health systems, providing safe housing, independent living services, workforce development, trauma-informed support, and case management. Today I'm reaching out because community is facing a crisis that no single organization can solve alone. I want to stop right there. I found it very fitting that the first people we acknowledged were the emergency crisis management folks, those who look forward into the future and identify risks that are coming to the community and set up plans to manage those. I TELL YOU NOW THAT THERE'S A RISING TIDE. IF THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY, THE HOMELESS YOUTH SITUATION HERE IN TACOMA IS NOT AN EMERGENCY. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE DEFINITION OF EMERGENCY. YOUTH HOMELESSES IN PIERCE COUNTY AND TACOMA SPECIFICALLY, ACCORDING TO 2025 PIERCE COUNTY POINT IN TIME COUNT, 2955 INDIVIDUALS WERE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSES. 973 PEOPLE LIVING IN UNSHELTERED. 11% INCREASE FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. in Pierce County has increased by approximately 125% since 2015, while demand for emergency shelter continues to exceed available capacity. I provided this information to all of the council members. My main point here is that right now there's a grant out. There's some federal funding coming out to do a street outreach program. We call it the Genesis Project. It's about $200,000. I could do everything that Grant asked me to do from A to Z, but I still wouldn't have any place to take the kids. There is no emergency homeless shelters for about 125 kids every night. And since you have this information, I just want to make this more succinct. Anybody here who has a child, a teenage child, a teenage grandchild, they have friends. I guarantee you they spend time with a youth or young adult who is homeless right now. I spent five years working in Seattle juvenile detention facility. I spent three years at the same time working with Raymond Hall. I also spent years in the prison system. continuing or overarching theme through all of those institutions was it had a stint of homelessness, either them or their parents or all of them together. We want to create another overnight shelter for youth. There are none. At the end of the night, even if we filled up all the beds we have, we would still have another hundred kids out there who literally have no place for them to go. So I believe that together the city of Tacoma and my organization. I have church members here. I have my staff here. We also have some of the youth that I work with here can work together and solve this problem.

Thank you, Mr. Esquez. And we actually have staff from our Neighborhoods and Community Services Department if you want to share your ideas in greater detail. Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Sue, followed by Barb.

Good evening, counsel. So much to say, so little time. I want to start out saying what you guys are supporting by supporting the assigned counsel is there's more than one attorney that's very problematic, but the one most recent that I know for a fact, his name is Jared Robert Vero. He likes to He asks to hurt, he tries to hurt his people, he's supposed to be a defense attorney, so badly that the prosecutor doesn't even have to say anything, because usually he'll ask for more than the prosecutor's even thinking.

Well, ma'am, just a point of clarification, if you can pause the clock here, clerk. So, ma'am, if you're speaking to that item, that was actually in tonight's agenda. So the purpose of community forums is things that the city has direct jurisdiction over, but were not on the published public agenda. So we did have that contract vote on the It appears that you're talking about the public defender contract. The time to talk about that would have been public comment. Is there anything else that we have jurisdiction over that you'd like to speak to? And if not, you're welcome to email the rest of the council as well.

For one thing, I've called and left multiple messages with Deputy Mayor, your assistant, Mayor Ibsen. If I'm saying your name wrong, I apologize. I've left message with the city manager. I've left multiple messages. And I went to the second floor saying, why won't anybody code enforcement? Nobody returns calls. Then you're told you have to make an appointment. How are you going to make an appointment when you can't talk to anybody? And this is a full public. building, we should have access, the public should have access to every floor. I don't know why there are certain floors that are kept from the public, but if public funding paid for this building, every single floor should be available regardless to who's on it. It doesn't say the mayor's more important than everybody else. It doesn't say city manager's more important than everybody else. Every floor should be available. And this is keeping people, I'm not the only one having this issue. For months, I have left messages, and I have not received a call back. There's a certain facility in North Tacoma who there's a gay community. It's townhomes. It's mostly older, like way in their 80s is the average person, some rent, some own. There's a door that's locked constantly that if you're on foot, you can't get out.

Amanda, is this something over which the city has jurisdiction that you're speaking to?

Code enforcement, yes.

Okay, please proceed.

I've went through the headquarters fire department. It's not ADA accessible, and there's about 30 or 40 steps, which keeps people that need to, there's no elevator, there's no anything. So in order to get to that building, to get the help you need, It's not accessible, and I've been told by them that they know this is an issue, that for some reason you guys are allowing it. It's been an issue for years. I don't know if that's true or not, but it shouldn't be an issue for five minutes. It's a federal law that needs to be handled correctly. The fire department, as far as I could get to, Have allowed this door these people to be locked in they won't be able to get out these old folks that can barely walk If there's a fire they can't get out.

Thank you ma'am. I appreciate your comments And if there's anything remaining you're welcome to email the rest of the council appreciate your comments Our next speaker is Barb Followed by Janice Clark

Good evening, Council. Barb Church from Northeast Tacoma. I haven't been here for a while, so I'm just going to give you little bits of comments about different things that are important to me. I appreciate that you are not zoning data centers in the city of Tacoma. We need to prioritize construction of batteries or for renewable energies over the construction of data centers in order to reduce fossil fuels and carbon emissions. Also, I really appreciated the demolition repurposing program that some of you were a part of. Last year or the year before, whenever the Asian Pacific Cultural Center was demolishing their building, my husband and I are members of the Caballeros Club. And we asked to take some of the materials there that they were just going to dump. And we weren't able to do that. But this kind of program would allow something like that to happen. So I really appreciate the work on that. Also, I was reading the paper and that I appreciated the city council members, Palmer, Diaz, and Sedalge, who recently talked to the Tacoma News Tribune. It's important that we keep pressure on the Northwest Detention Center to be accountable for all the abuses that happen there. I know some of you were at the detention center when our governor and state attorney general were there talking about being able to go into the detention center to check out the health concerns. So when it's in the paper, when we talk about it here, it keeps it front and center. And a lot of us have seen the abuses on the street, or we've talked to people who are personal friends of ours about the ways that they've been abused. Or we've been at the detention center. I know I've been at the detention center with some of you and previous council members. There are different sources. Josephine from La Resistencia, our local activists, Lydia, Alma, Norma Ramirez, believe it's very likely that the Department of Homeland Security will buy the Northwest Detention Center. And we can't let that happen because it's going to make it even more difficult to pursue those check-ins and abuses. But thank you. Gosh. I got to say everything. I usually get cut off, you know. Thank you.

Great senior guard. Thank you. All right, Janice Clark.

Good afternoon. I'm Dr. Janice Clark, founder and visionary and president of Safe Homes, also known as Safe Homes International. Safe Homes is honored to be a license to do business in the city of Tacoma. And we proudly maintain office space in downtown Tacoma as part of our commitment to serving women veterans in this community. Most recently, the city of Seattle, among others, the city of Seattle awarded $25,000 to our Women's Veterans Division to support 30 BIPOC black indigenous women of color, so people of color, insert women veterans, a protected class members, and a six-month pilot providing free pop-ups with culturally relevant hot meals, fresh, nutrient-dense produce, and community building opportunities for women who live, work, and worship in Seattle. So that's that $25,000. Today, we respectfully request that the Tacoma Mayor and City Council fund 30 Tacoma-based women veterans at the same level through its contingency fund, ensuring equity and access for women veterans that call Tacoma home. This Saturday, August 15, 2026, Safe Homes has been granted an extraordinary opportunity, an 18-seat suite at Lumen Field for the premier matchup of our world champions. Go Hawks. versus the Dallas Cowboys, cowgirls, I mean cowboys. This suit honors women veterans, our 2026 corporate donors, and other community partners that marks the official launch of the champions in this sweet fun campaign. I want to thank you for your leadership and standing with the women who have served our nation and now serve our communities. I am submitting this on behalf of Safe Home Board of Directors as the president, but I'm also a client because I'm a female veteran that's Cherokee Nation and also black. So I thank you for the time today, and I look forward to a partnership with the city of Tacoma. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Thank you, Dr. Clark. Anita.

So I'm really just going to speak to, hopefully one of you will come after the meeting and speak to this woman who has very serious issues that she wants to discuss. She obviously has not been able to get through to you through the usual means. I think you should address what issues she's having. So that's all I'm going to say other than stop the sweeps. Thank you.

Thank you, Nina. All right, we have two virtual speakers. We have Tyler Daniels followed by Alma Villegas. And which item over which the city has jurisdiction are you speaking to, Tyler?

I'm going to be speaking about water quality and development.

Go ahead.

So I would like to go back to what Councilmember Slivalge was saying about the development on South Thompson Street. You've got to look a little bit zoomed out. because you're turning one house into 20 units and you're gonna charge over a half a million dollars a piece. That is just, it's unprecedented that that is even allowed or to say that going from 550,000 down to 535,000 is affordable. It's not affordable. When I bought this home in Hilltop, It was 3,200 square feet, standard lot for 280,000. I cannot afford to continue living here because of your ways of doing business, all of the taxes that are taken, and I get nothing for it. I have personally planted with my husband 20 trees on this property. At what Kit Burns did a math, excuse me, $16,000 a piece, I've done that work. I've done the work to know what is going on in the development of this community. You dig a hole in that land, you are going to bring up stored toxins from Masarco. It is a classified arterial street. There will be no on-site parking, or if it is, is limited, requiring people to back out onto an arterial, which is against code, mind you. I'm just going to say that. It's a safety concern. I've been rear-ended in an auto collision. I'm a PE. I understand what happens to the body. It's difficult to watch this continue to happen. And when I was there at the city, it just continued to get approved when it wasn't supposed to be. Now, onto water quality. A fire happened in my neighborhood. Tacoma Fire did not open the hydrant properly. I got doused with 15 minutes of polluted water. I intake that through my mouth and I am just letting you know that you are going with me through the journey of what it is like to consume the tap water of Tacoma. I have parasite tests coming, blood work, because I am reacting to the water. And when I'm being gaslit by Tacoma water saying, oh, gosh, you know, Mr. Daniels, and you know how I love Mr. Daniels, we've had this happen so many times, and no one has ever had health impacts. Well, I got to tell you, front row ticket to what the impacts are, because This information will be public, and I will be relocating. And you have my business proposal. You understand that $34.5 trillion is up in the air, and that's your tax revenue. And that's why I'm shaking. So I hope you're shaking, too. Thank you, Tyler.

Our next speaker is Alma Villegas. And which item are you speaking to? Alma? Alma Villegas, go on once. Okay, looks like we're not able to hear from Alma. So with that being, with no further person being logged in, we are going to close community forum, and you're welcome to email or call the council if you have any further comments. Moving on to our next item on the agenda. Are there any reports by the city manager?

Thank you, Mayor. No reports on community forum night.

Okay. Moving on to comments and community reports of the city council. I'd like to call on Chair Hines from the Government Performance and Finance Committee.

All right. Thank you, Mayor. The Government Performance and Finance Committee has convened three times since the last update. On July 7, the meeting began with a summative finding of the community engagement report, barriers policy considerations for accelerating housing production in Tacoma. So looking at ways that we can address some of the concerns we've heard from folks trying to provide more housing in our city and the way the city can be more supportive of that. An informal handout of the Baker Tilly Moss 2025 audit exit was also provided at the committee, but no presentation was given. On July 21st, the meeting began with a review for consideration of volunteers for the for and against committees to prepare statements for the for and against Safe Homes for All Initiative Measure Number 1, which will appear in the voters' pamphlet on the November 3rd, 2026 election ballot. The second agenda item included an informational briefing update on the Tacoma Waters Integrated Resource Plan for Sufficient Sources, Infrastructure, and Anticipated Future Demands. On August 4th, meeting including an informational briefing on the upcoming licensing of four Tacoma Power Utility-owned hydroelectric dams under the Federal Electric Energy Council, or FERC, process. I feel like we're missing a letter that's wrong there.

IT'S NOT FEEK, IT'S FERC.

THE NEXT MJPFC MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 18th AT 10 A.M. IN ROOM 243 OF THE TACOMA MISSILE BUILDING. THE PUBLIC IS ALSO INVITED TO ATTEND VIRTUALLY. THE GENERAL FOR THIS MEETING INCLUDES TWO ITEMS AND THESE ARE ITEMS I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE PUBLIC IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN YOUR SEWER WATER, STORM WATER POWER RATES TO TUNE IN. THE ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 2027 TO 2028 RATE PROJECTIONS AND AN OVERVIEW OF THE TACOMA POWER, WATER AND RAIL 2027 TO 2028 PROPOSED BUDGETS AND RATES. Mayor, this concludes my report.

Thank you, Chair Hines. Any other council comments?

Deputy Mayor? I think it's the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC. So just to clarify that. Thank you. Leave it to the former TPU guy.

All right, Council Member Rumbaugh.

Thank you, Mayor. I just wanted to remind the community about the Caribbean Queens Festival in downtown Tacoma. It's this Sunday, August 16th from 11 to 6 p.m. It's taking place at Theater on the Square. At 915 Broadway, it's free to the public. There'll be steel pan drums, cultural dance sets, and local DJs, as well as authentic Caribbean food and small business vendor stalls. And I hope that people will come enjoy the interactive carnival in the streets with a costume showcase. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman Brumbaugh. Any other council comments? All right, seeing none, is there a motion to adjourn? Move to adjourn. Second. Moved and seconded. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Supposed to say no. We are adjourned.