Port of Tacoma Seeks General Legal Services with Request for Information (RFI)

The Port of Tacoma (Port) is seeking information from law firms interested in providing Outside General Legal Counsel services. 

The Port is interested in understanding the availability, experience, capability, and costs for, qualified law firms to provide general legal counsel to the Port. The Port will use the information to make an informed decision how best to proceed in obtaining its legal services.

The Port will inform those who respond to the RFI of its intentions no later than sixty (60) days following the response due date. This action is intended to seek information regarding market conditions for Outside General Legal Services and should not be construed as an evaluation of the performance of the current provider.

Click here for the RFI. The due date is September 18, 2013.

Chamber Advocates for Fairness in Tax on Trade

Yesterday, the Chamber joined with many other advocacy organizations for the promotion of our ports and international trade in a letter that states our strong support for legislation to reform the Harbor Maintenance Tax.

Signed by more than 40 businesses and organizations across Washington state, the letter is available online here.

The Chamber has been a consistent advocate for greater fairness in the federal Harbor Maintenance Tax, promoting the issue before our Congressional members during the Chamber’s annual Washington-to-Washington, D.C. Conference. 

The signatories urged support for efforts to address this issue that is so vital to Washington’s trade economy. Changing this policy to be more reflective of current trade flows and freight investment needs has the potential to significantly increase the international competitiveness of Washington businesses, and to ensure the long-term success of our state’s ports.

For additional information, please contact Eric Schinfeld, Pres., Washington Council on International Trade or at 206.389.7273, or Kristin Meira, Executive Director of the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association or at 503.234.8556.

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Chamber's Online Registrations are Down - Call to RSVP

The Chamber's online Business Directory and Events Calendar web pages are currently unavailable to access. While we are working to resolve this issue please contact Janice Hutchins, 253.683.4882 to register for events. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we work on a solution.

Click here for a copy of the August 2013 Chamber Calendar (pictured above) to reference for this month’s events.

Tacoma Proposition #1 For and Against Committee Recommendations

In a special meeting of Tacoma’s Government Performance and Finance Committee held this morning, Committee Chair Joe Lonergan, Mayor Marilyn Strickland, Deputy Mayor Marty Campbell, and Councilman Robert Thoms voted unanimously to recommend:  

• Mark Martinez, Harold Moss, and Clare Petrich to the “For” Committee and  

•  Thomas Oldfield, Rachel Hanson, and Robert Casey to the “Against” Committee regarding City of Tacoma Proposition Number 1. 

Proposition Number 1, which would add a two percent earnings tax on utility companies for Tacoma street improvement, would fund the following: basic maintenance and safety upgrades for city roads, arterials, and bridges; permanent pothole repairs; pedestrian safety improvement to crosswalks near schools, sidewalks, and intersections; repaving of neighborhood streets; improved signal timing; and repairs to bridges. 

Applicants who were not recommended include: Mark Bubenik, Gary Romero, Kimberly Seely, Dave McEntee, and Sharon Benson, all nominees for the “Against” Committee.

Recommendations will be presented for adoption to the City Council tonight. 

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. 

UPDATE JULY 31:  The Chamber's Government Affairs Committee meets Tues., Aug. 6, 8:00 a.m., in the Chamber offices to review the City of Tacoma's Prop. 1 ballot issue proposing a 2% increase in gross earning tax on select utilities for Tacoma street infrastructure.

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

Tacoma Council Scorecard for 2Q2013

For the last two years the Chamber has been working to hold our elected officials accountable.  Over this time, we have opened up a more continuous dialogue with electeds while also creating tools to better highlight their stances to our members.  The scorecard does this as straightforwardly as possible – by reporting the actual votes taken.  However, it can be challenging to keep up with all of the last minute changes made with little or no notice.

Click on Image for a Larger View. For a Print View click here.

For example, the Tacoma City Council’s recently passed legislation creating a Transportation Commission to help guide infrastructure improvements.  This proposal was circulated in advance and the Chamber expressed support for a comprehensive perspective on transportation. However, the Chamber also recommended that the legislation needed to recognize the significant role freight mobility plays by including a freight representative on the Commission.

With no advance notice to the public, Council made an amendment to the legislation which asked for commissioners to be in all of those categories representing moving people.  There was no mention of commissioners for any categories representing the movement of goods. Since new language did not include a freight-oriented commissioner, the Council failed to recognize the reality of our economy – we are dependent on goods delivered to stores, to the Port of Tacoma and to customers around the world.

While the Chamber initially supported this legislation, we could not support something that so readily ignored a crucial part of our economy.  This could have been rectified if the amendment had a transparent and public vetting. There may be times when Council feels speed trumps transparency, but currently this happens too frequently.  If the Council truly values an engaged business community we encourage them to be more transparent in their actions.

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.