Reminding Tacoma of Campaign Promises before Tax Implementation

Before Tacoma Council action to implement the utility tax portion of the recently voter-approved Prop. 3 to Fix Tacoma's Roads, the Chamber reminded Councilmembers of promises to voters to apportion dollars among all types of road and transportation projects.

It is important that from the very beginning of this Tacoma roads package that promises be kept with voters and all the advocates for the needed and necessary transportation projects.

Tacoma Voters Pass Prop 3 and Prop A for Street Repair and Improvements

Today, certified results show that Tacoma voters said yes to repairing Tacoma’s streets and passed Proposition 3 and Proposition A. 

These propositions will work together to repair and improve city streets through a number of methods including pothole repair, street resurfacing and building missing sidewalks. In addition, Proposition A provides additional funding for transportation projects outlined in the Six-Year Comprehensive Transportation Plan. 

“Tacoma voters have demonstrated that they want to be part of the solution. By approving Props 3 and A, they're saying yes to safe and better streets, civic pride and family-wage jobs,” said Mayor Marilyn Strickland.  “The poor condition of Tacoma’s roads have been decades in the making and we now have dedicated funds to repair and maintain them in a significant way."

To achieve funding goals, Proposition 3 (Resolution 39249) will raise funds through an increase in property and utility earnings tax while Proposition A (Resolution TBD010) will raise funds through an increase in sales tax.  All taxes associated with the propositions will expire after 10 years. Over this time frame, these propositions combined are projected to generate $175 million of new revenue. In addition, these measures would leverage an estimated $120 million in grants and matching funds and the City will commit an additional $30 million. The accumulation of all these sources would raise a total of $325 million for Tacoma’s streets.

“With the approval of Props A and 3, Tacoma voters have expressed that the time has come to invest in our city’s streets,” said City Manager T.C. Broadnax. “Over the next 10 years this work will be a major focus for the City and we are committed to keeping residents informed about how these funds will be used to address much needed streets and infrastructure improvements.”

For City staff, next steps include developing annual reports, web pages and using Tacoma Data to connect residents to efforts related to these propositions. The Transportation Benefit District is also required to report back to the City Council annually on projects funded by the district and the spending plan for the upcoming year.  The additional funding sources associated with these propositions will not go into effect until 2016 and the City will use the Six-Year Infrastructure Maintenance Plan, Six- Year Comprehensive Transportation Plan, Transportation Master Plan and the recent pavement condition survey as documents to guide investment in transportation infrastructure.  

Cong. Reichert on Highway Bill Conference Committee

Yesterday, U.S. Congressman Dave Reichert was selected to serve on the conference committee for the long-term highway bill.

In this role, Rep. Reichert will work with other lawmakers from the House and Senate to negotiate and come to an agreement on legislation to reauthorize and fund the nation’s highway and transit programs.

After hearing news of his appointment, Rep. Reichert said, “I am looking forward to working with my House and Senate colleagues from both sides of the aisle to complete a long-term highway bill. Doing so is critical for our roads, bridges, economic competitiveness, and public safety. Here in Washington State, folks not only depend on strong infrastructure to get to and from work, but with one of the nation’s leading trade economies, our growers and producers need a dependable, efficient freight and transportation system to move their goods safely to market. Today’s conference meeting will be an important step toward meeting these goals.”

Vote YES to Fix Tacoma’s Roads, Vote YES on Propositions 3 and A

Repairing Tacoma’s roads has long been a top reported priority of Tacoma’s residents, elected officials, and businesses.  

While no tax increase would be an ideal situation, the Chamber has worked for years to evaluate funding and improvement options for Tacoma’s roads, and has endorsed both Proposition 3 and Proposition A. 

When combined, these Propositions responsibly and equitably spread the tax burden among all parties and include a 10-year sunset date on the package to ensure no money is being taken for granted.  

When added to matching grants and contributions, the total package would provide Tacoma with 325 million dollars to repair roads and improve a situation that has been unacceptably stagnant for far too long.

Vote YES on 3. Vote YES on A. Vote YES for Tacoma’s streets.

Voters’ Guide for Business Now Available

The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce’s third Voters’ Guide for Business is now available online for all voters and businesses concerned with how candidates’ views align with the best business and economic interests of Tacoma.

The Voters’ Guide for Business includes the responses, or lack thereof, to a Chamber produced survey from candidates in 35 contested races throughout the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber’s service area.  The Guide also includes the Chamber’s position on ballot initiatives that will directly influence job growth, businesses, and the overall health of the economy in Pierce County.

This year’s election is filled with candidates and initiatives that have the ability to influence issues regarding taxes, regulations, incentives, and the general business climate for years to come.  We encourage any voters concerned with the future of Tacoma’s economy to read and share our Guide, compare the candidates’ positions on important issues with your own preferences, and most importantly, keep them in mind while casting your ballot in the coming weeks.

Chamber Endorses City of Tacoma Roads Package (Prop. 3 & 4)

On August 27th, the Chamber Board of Directors voted to endorse Tacoma City Council's Propositions 3 and 4.  

The text of the resolution is below:

SUBJECT:    TACOMA PROPOSITION 3: Concerning a property tax levy rate increase and utility gross earnings tax increase to fund street improvements

                        AND

TACOMA TRANSPORTATION BENEFIT DISTRICT PROPOSITION 4: Concerning the imposition of a sales tax to fund street improvements

POLICY:       YES ON BOTH PROPOSITIONS 3 & 4

BACKGROUND: In 2013, the City of Tacoma placed a proposition to the voters to add an additional 2% to the existing utility gross earnings tax in order to fund street improvements.  The Chamber opposed the measure on several grounds.  Some of these included concerns about prioritization of existing dollars, task force/commission processes, and expecting a handful of businesses to pay the bulk of the taxes despite most of the improvements going towards residential roads.  A majority of voters agreed with the Chamber that this was not an appropriate tax.

Since 2013, the Chamber has worked with community stakeholders, including electeds and staff at the City of Tacoma, to evaluate alternative funding and improvement plans.  While no tax is an ideal scenario, the proposed package successful spreads the tax burden to all parties and users throughout the area while setting a 10-year sunset on the entire package.  The two propositions combine for $175M in new revenue.  When added to new matching funds from the general fund, existing street funding revenues and new grant matches, the total package is $425M.

City Funding Source	10 Year Revenues
New Sales Tax (+0.1%) (Prop 4)	$45 M
New Utility Gross Earnings Tax (+1.5%) (Prop 3)	$90 M
New Levy Lid Lift (+$0.2 per $1,000AV) (Prop 3)	$40 M
New Additional General Fund Support (Council Budget)	$30 M
Existing Revenues ($20 Tab, 2% UGET)	$100 M
City Funding	$305 M
Grant Matching Funds	$120 M
TOTAL FUNDING	$425 M

This funding would then be spent on residential streets (67%), arterials & freight access (18%), and walking and biking infrastructure (15%).  This work would pave 167 blocks of gravel streets, resurface 2,100 blocks of failed and poor streets, and provide sufficient maintenance for all excellent, good, and fair residential streets, totaling another 4,211 blocks. In addition it would provide funding for key freight mobility connection in the Port of Tacoma and multimodal facilities like an improved Schuster Parkway and Prairie Line Trail.

The residents of Tacoma have consistently ranked the condition of the streets as a number one priority, but despite several options on the ballot, have to choose to increase taxes to pay for the street repairs.  It is unclear the level of support these measures will need to be successful at the ballot box.

While the Chamber supports these proposals to improve streets throughout Tacoma, we will continue to encourage the City to look for additional efficiencies in general operations.  With an annual general fund budget of $200M, saving just 1% would allow an additional $20M to be spent on roads over 10-years.  To this end, we hope that this City will continue to focus on job creation in the private sector by hiring private contractors to complete the work rather than increasing internal staff.

IMPLEMENTATION:  With approval of a policy, the Chamber will utilize is communications tools for advocacy.

Volunteers for Voter's Pamphlet Statements

The City Clerk's Office is seeking volunteers to serve on committees to prepare statements "for" and "against" the following measures in order to comply with the requirements for RCW 29A.32.280:

City of Tacoma Initiative Measure No. 1B
Initiative Measure No. 1B is an alternative the City Council has proposed to the Citizen Petition Initiative No. 1 regarding minimum wage in the City of Tacoma.

Citizen Petition Initiative Measure No. 2
Initiative Measure No. 2 is an amendment to the City Charter relating to a change in the form of government and other organization changes.

City of Tacoma Proposition No. 3
Proposition No. 3 is a property tax levy rate and gross earnings tax increase for street improvements.

Governing Board of the Tacoma Transportation Benefit District Proposition No. 4
Proposition No. 4 imposes a sales and use tax to fund street improvements.

Each of the measures will be on the General Election ballot of Tuesday, November 3, 2015. The statements prepared by these committees will appear in the Voters' Pamphlet. Statements are due on or before August 7, 2015 and rebuttal statements are due August 11, 2015.

To be considered, please submit a letter of interest indicating whether you are advocating "for" or "against" one of the measures, which measure(s) you would like to be considered for, your place of residence and why you would like to serve on a committee.

Letters must be received in the City Clerk's Office at 733 Market Street, Room 11, Tacoma WA 98402 or via email to cityclerk@cityoftacoma.org by 5 PM on Tuesday, July 21, 2015.

For more information, or to read the petition language, ballot titles, and resolutions transmitting the measures to the Pierce County Auditor, please go to www.cityoftacoma.org/cityclerk.

Thank you for Passing Transportation Package

Port of Tacoma Road Receives Funds for Repairs

The City of Tacoma’s Public Works Department in partnership with the Port of Tacoma recently received a $5,940,700 grant from the Transportation Improvement Board to renovate Port of Tacoma Road from East 11th Street to Marshall Avenue.

This grant provides the remaining funds needed for design and construction costs for the project. Other funding partners include the City of Tacoma, Port of Tacoma, Tacoma Rail, Puget Sound Regional Council and Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board.

The repairs will include replacing approximately 7,800 feet of road surface with concrete to meet heavy haul corridor standards, with a goal of keeping industry rolling during construction.  The project is expected to begin in April and is estimated to be completed in November.

Port of Tacoma Road is more than an arterial through the Tideflats. It is the gateway for international commerce, jobs for our local economy and an integral component in what makes the Pacific Northwest competitive in today’s global market, said Port of Tacoma Commission President Clare Petrich. The City of Tacoma and all of the funding partners recognize the importance of this project. We acknowledge and appreciate their support of this statewide economic development project.

Contact City of Tacoma Project Manager Tom Rutherford or (253) 591-5767 with questions or concerns.

167 Coalition Hosts Leg Forum

Washington State
Legislative Candidate Forum on Transportation
Hosted by:
The SR-167 Completion Coalition


Please join us:

When:  6:00 p.m., Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Where: University of Washington Tacoma
Carwein Auditorium
1st floor of Keystone Building (KEY 102)
1754 Commerce Street
UPDATE: (7-25-14)
William W. Philip Hall
1918 Pacific Avenue
Tacoma, WA 98402

For questions or to RSVP, please contact Mike Welch

State's Business Leadership Wants Transpo Package

The state's business leadership is sending a letter to the Governor and "4-corner" leadership responding to Thursday’s announcement on transportation funding. 

The message is simple and short - the need and time is now, please continue to negotiate a package and business stands ready to work with the Legislature and Governor.

(Click on Image for a Larger and Complete View)

Half of Senate Offers Up to Second Half & House

In the first significant development of the new legislative session, WA Senate Transportation Co-chair Curtis King unveiled a transportation package of projects, mixes roads and transit, funding sources and reforms.  The other half of the Senate and the House are being given a challenge and a target.

Links to more detailed Information:

Draft Sources & Uses Proposal Final Detail

Proposed Legislative Reforms Final

Non-Highway Projects & Local Options:

Revenues & Expenditures Balance Sheet

Port Transportation & Land Use at January M-I-M

Manufacturing – Industries – Maritime (M-I-M) Meeting

January 17, 2014
7:30 – 9:00 a.m.
La Quinta Inn & Suites

Featuring: Port of Tacoma’s Land Use & Transportation Plans

Kell McAboy
Port of Tacoma

Ian Munce
City of Tacoma

Two major planning documents are underway, having completed their draft phases, requiring complementary and collaborative efforts by the Port of Tacoma and the City of Tacoma. These land use and transportation plans identify policies and action strategies to support capital improvements, attract private investments and encourage economic growth.

The Port of Tacoma is preparing a land use and transportation plan that will identify policies and recommendations to support capital improvements, attract private investments and encourage economic growth.

The land use and transportation plan will build on the goals and initiatives in its Strategic Plan http://www.portoftacoma.com/strategic-plan by providing information, policies and recommendations to support capital improvements, attract private investments and encourage economic growth.
The plan will be a policy-based document that identifies and prioritizes actions needed to achieve the Port's goals. It will act as a form of communication for decision makers and be designed to guide development over a 10 to 20 year planning horizon.

The area of focus for the plan is the Port of Tacoma Manufacturing Industrial Center (MIC) as designated by the Puget Sound Regional Council. Here is the link to the DRAFT Plan.

The City of Tacoma enjoys the economic contributions of the Port of Tacoma.

In order to protect the unique and critical infrastructure and industrial node of our state’s intermodal ports, in 2009, the Washington State Legislature amended the Growth Management Act (GMA) to include a requirement for a Container Port Element (CPE) in the GMA Comprehensive Plan for cities that contain a marine container port with annual operating revenues in excess of $60 million.

The legislative intent is “… to ensure that local land use decisions are made in consideration of the long-term and widespread economic contribution of our international container ports and related industrial lands and transportation systems and to ensure that container ports continue to function effectively alongside vibrant city waterfronts.” RCW 36.70A.085

Accordingly, the City of Tacoma, in collaboration with the Port of Tacoma, has prepared a Container Port Element for public review. Consistent with state requirements, the element provides policy guidance to achieve the following:

•         Protection of core areas of container port and port-related industrial areas within the City

•         Efficient access to the core area through freight corridors within the city limits

•         Protection against potential land use conflicts along the edge of the core area

•         Identification of key transportation corridor improvements.

The text of the Proposed CPE, together with background information, can be found on the City Website. To access the webpage for the CPE visit the Planning Services Division’s homepage  and click on “Container Port Element”, or go directly here.

Join us and share mutual interests, discover upcoming legislative issues, increase business opportunities and build relationships with our M-I-M group.

RESERVE YOUR SEAT TODAY!

TNT Editorial Opposes Tacoma Prop. 1

The News Tribune joins a growing opposition to Tacoma’s Prop. 1.

We agree with their comments:  “Tacoma has shockingly bad streets and a shocking history of failing to invest in them … (but) Tacoma voters should hold on Prop. 1 and wait for city leaders to figure out a street-funding solution that fits into a larger, strategic budget solution."

No on Tacoma’s Prop. 1 utility tax  The News Tribune, October 20, 2013 

Tacoma’s $10+ Million Utility Tax Hurts New Jobs and Local Businesses

The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber opposes Prop 1 Utility Tax Increase.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber opposes the City of Tacoma’s Proposition 1 increasing utility taxes by 33% at a cost of over $10 million per year.

This measure, on the Fall ballot, proposes to increase the existing tax by 33% and add a $10+ million cost to consumers each year on their natural gas, electricity, telephone land lines and cell phone service bills. If passed, Proposition 1 would only partially fund basic road maintenance.

“The reality is that this tax will be passed on to the customer on top of the City Council’s recently added $20 car tab tax that was supposed to go towards fixing our roads,” said Tom Pierson, Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber President & CEO.

The City of Tacoma estimates that it needs roughly $800 million in additional revenue to fix existing transportation infrastructure inadequacies that the City has ignored for years. The proposed increase will take 80 years to correct existing problems – and hope that no new transportation needs occur.

“The Chamber supports responsible and sustainable planning that will improve Tacoma’s roads with a comprehensive solution for fixing roads, not a band aid approach that the Council has put forward to the voters this fall,” Pierson stated.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber maintains that there are solutions aside from the Prop 1 Utility Tax hike:

•    Tacoma residents are now beginning to be charged the $20 license-tab fee adopted last year by the City.  These dollars should be used to fund road repair.
•    Allow the new Fiscal Sustainability Task Force to complete its work examining the City's revenue structure and budget deficit.
•    Allow the new Transportation Commission to advise the City on short-term and long-range transportation planning.
•    City Council must prioritize infrastructure maintenance with existing dollars.  The Council are currently spending less than 1% of its general fund budget on maintenance while other cities average nearly four times as much.

"Pass It Now" Password for 167

The SR-167 Completion Coalition says “Pass it Now” in a Special Session for Transportation.

Members of the SR-167 Completion Coalition comprised of business, labor, environmental and a group of bipartisan elected leaders plan to continue their push on Olympia lawmakers to pass a Transportation Revenue Package in a special session suggested for November.  Falling just short in the Senate at the end of the last special session, the Coalition is encouraged by recent actions by lawmakers and the Governor to address infrastructure needs that are critical to our State’s economy.  

Congressman Denny Heck recently led a meeting of Coalition leaders and reiterated that there is no more important time for this effort than right now.  He went on to say that, “Lawmakers need to hear from us all.  Our message is that there is no bigger priority in the State of Washington right now than a Transportation Funding Package.  Senate leaders will be in Tacoma on October 9th for a listening session and I call upon every member of this Coalition to be there.” 

A bipartisan group of Senate leaders will be holding listening sessions across the state over the next month to receive feedback on a potential Transportation Revenue Package.  The remaining schedule of events is below and Coalition members are encouraged to attend as many of these sessions as possible to voice support for SR-167 completion. Coalition members are also encouraged to reach out to colleagues and contacts throughout the state and encourage them to attend their local sessions to express support of SR-167 completion.  It is absolutely imperative that anyone available to attend the October 9th event in Tacoma does so. “We need you!”

Oct. 9 – Tacoma (Olympic Region) 6-9 p.m
Evergreen Tacoma Campus, Lyceum Hall, 1210 6th Ave., Tacoma, WA 98405

John Parrott, President of Totem Ocean Trailer Express Inc. expressed his ongoing support for a package when he said, “we can make no better investment in our economy than transportation infrastructure which is why it is imperative that our legislators come together and pass a Transportation Revenue package in November. We cannot ignore or delay the potential creation of 80,000 jobs in our region alone.  We must act now."

“The strength of this effort has been a direct result of the cooperation between business and labor and we continue to stand together in our support of the Transportation Revenue Package,” said Scott Mason, President of the ILWU Local 23.  He went on to say, “I know that our members will be there alongside business leaders on October 9th with the same message, your job is not done this year, pass a package in November.”

In Washington State, four out of every ten jobs are trade dependent. It’s for this reason that so many disparate groups continue to come together to show that there is no time to waste in modernizing our infrastructure for 21st-century global trade. Our leaders in Olympia must act now and vote to approve the Transportation Revenue Package.

Should you choose to attend any of the remaining listening sessions beyond Tacoma on the 9th the schedule is below:

•    Sept. 26 – Tri-Cities 6-9 p.m.
Columbia Basin College, Gjerde Center, 2600 N. 20th Ave., Pasco, WA 99301
•    Oct. 2 – Spokane (Eastern Region) 6-9 p.m.
Central Valley High School theater, 821 S Sullivan Rd., Spokane Valley, WA 99037
•    Oct. 7 – Vancouver (Southwest Region) 6-9 p.m.
Vancouver Community Library, Columbia Room, 901 C St., Vancouver, WA 98660
•    Oct. 9 – Tacoma (Olympic Region) 6-9 p.m.
Evergreen Tacoma Campus, Lyceum Hall, 1210 6th Ave., Tacoma, WA 98405
•    Oct. 14 – Seattle 6-9 p.m.
King County Courthouse, Room 1001, 516 3rd Avenue, 10th Floor , Seattle, WA 98104
•    Oct. 15 – Bellingham 6-9 p.m.
Port of Bellingham Cruise Terminal, 355 Harris Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225

Citizens Can Get Involved in Prop. 1

 UPDATE 7/29/13:  APPLICATIONS ARE DUE 5:00 P.M. TODAY.

Notice is hereby given that a special meeting of the Tacoma Council's Government Performance and Finance Committee will be held on Tuesday, July 30, 2013, at 9:00 a.m., in Conference Room 16 of the Tacoma Municipal Building North, located at 733 Market Street, Tacoma 98402.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss, review, and possibly make recommendations of individuals to be appointed to the "For" and "Against" Committees regarding City of Tacoma Proposition No.1.

Chamber members that are interested in participating on the statement committees for the Voter’s Pamphlet, please contact:

Gary Brackett, 253-682-17220, garyb@tacomachamber.org or

David Schroedel, 253-682-1723, davids@tacomachamber.org

The Chamber has not yet developed a policy statement on this ballot issue.  Chamber members wishing to participate in this decision may attend a special meeting of the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee, Tuesday, August 6, 8:00 a.m., Chamber Offices, Simpson Community Room, 950 Pacific Ave., Ste. 300, Tacoma 98402.

Additional information regarding Proposition No.1 can be accessed at

www.cityoftacoma.org/cityclerk

Council Proposes Utility Tax Increase

The Tacoma City Council, by unanimous voice vote, approved placing on the Nov. 5, 2013 ballot a proposal to increase utility taxes by 2% for roads.

Along with a few business executives, the Chamber testified during the public comments section against rapid approval of the Resolution 38700.  A draft of the resolution was only proposed late Tuesday, July 16 at a Council Committee of the Whole.

As explained in an earlier Live Wire blog article, the Chamber recognizes the critical need for better roads in our community, but is concerned about the immediate passage to the ballot of this tax increase.  Indeed, during Council comments, Councilmember Joe Lonergan solicited from Kurtis Kingsolver, Interim Director, Tacoma Public Works, that this funding option for road improvements has never been vetted by any committee.

The Chamber urged caution in rapid approval of the resolution because:

• The impacts of this tax increase on our community and economy are unknown.
• The process has not taken advantage of the system of citizens’ committees the Council has just put into place.
• This tax is just a small increment to the financing needs for Tacoma’s roads and is not part of a comprehensive plan.

The Chamber has not yet taken a position on the proposed tax increase.  In arriving at its decision on this issue, the Chamber will follow its committee procedure and seek its Board’s approval for adopting policy.