Tacoma City Council
Study Session
Noon, Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Room 234
(Tacoma Municipal Court)
County-City Building
930 Tacoma Ave. South
Tacoma Municipal Court overview
The study session will be a joint meeting with the Municipal Court Judges. The topic for the study session will be an overview of the Tacoma Municipal Court.
The public may attend, but the council will not take comment. Due to the location change there will be no audio on CityPost – Channel 85 on Click! and Channel 77 on Comcast.
Tacoma City Council
Regular Meeting
5 p.m., Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Tacoma Municipal Building
747 Market St.
Tacoma Dome naming rights
The City Council will consider a resolution sponsored by members Bill Evans, Connie Ladenburg, Sharon McGavick, Bil Moss, Doug Miller, Kevin Phelps and Rick Talbert proposing that the Tacoma Dome will become the Comcast Dome. The naming rights proposal, valued at up to $7 million over 10 years, calls for the City of Tacoma and Comcast to work closely together on co-promoting the Dome and its events. Comcast would pay the City of Tacoma up to $350,000 cash per year and up to $350,000 in marketing benefits per year. The rate of payment is dependent upon final interpretation of messaging regulations for the I-5 marquee from the Department of Transportation. Comcast employs nearly 1,000 people located in offices in Tacoma, Fife and Puyallup with more than 700,000 customers in Western Washington. The Superlative Group, a consultant hired by the City Council to complete a naming rights study in 2002 and as a sales agent in 2003, will receive commissions of eight percent on the cash portion and five percent on the advertising trade portion of this agreement.
2003-2004 Mid-biennium budget
The City Council plans to vote on an ordinance to adjust the revenues and expenditures for the 2003-2004 operating budget. Public comment was taken Dec. 9 and will also be taken during Tuesday evenings meeting when the council plans to vote.
TUI support agreement for 2004
The City Council is scheduled to review and vote on a resolution on a proposed $1.692 million Professional Services Agreement with TUI Consulting Inc. for support for the citys new SAP software system through December 2004. On Dec. 31 the Business Systems Improvement Project will come to a close, as will the existing agreement with TUI. If approved, this resolution would implement an agreement with TUI to provide additional end user support; develop and revise reports, forms and invoices; make changes to the system configuration and more. The funds are provided for through the 2004 BIS Department operating budget.
Food and beverage contract
Continued from the Dec. 9 meeting, the City Council is scheduled to vote on a resolution that could approve a five-year contract with Aramark/G-S Inc. to provide food and beverage services at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. The City published a Request for Proposals (RFP) the week of Aug. 4, 2003 seeking a vendor to provide food and beverage services at the new convention center. On Oct. 7, four firms submitted proposals for consideration and presented their proposals later that month in an interview process. Aramark/G-S Inc. was selected as the recommended vendor. Aramark provides food and beverage services at 50 convention centers in the United States and purchased more than $350,000 in goods and services from Tacoma area businesses in 2002.
Pump station improvements
The council will take public testimony and vote on a proposal to increase by $699,732 the citys engineering contract with Brown & Caldwell for engineering and design services for two critical wastewater capital projects. If approved, the first project will reduce the amount of water flowing into Leach Creek during periods of heavy rain by increasing pumping capacity. The project also calls for improving existing automated monitoring and control systems associated with the Leach Creek Pump Station. The second project is relocating the Memorial Park Pump Station to make room for the approaches to the new Narrows Bridge.
Public Utility Board vacancies
The Public Utility Board, Urban Policy Committee, Tacoma Arts Commission, and the Planning Commission are hoping to fill vacancies at Tuesday nights meeting. Seven people could be appointed by the Council: David Curry to the Public Utility Board, K. Laura Malone to the Tacoma Arts Commission, two members to the Urban Policy Committee and three members to the Planning Commission. Public comment will be taken and the council plans to review and vote on the resolution.
Paid leave for active duty
A new ordinance, if passed, will grant paid leave to city employees called to active duty as a member of the armed forces or organized reserve. Amending the Compensation Plan as of Jan. 1, 2004, the ordinance would extend all employee medical, retirement and other benefits during involuntary military service and/or deployment. The goal of the ordinance is to lessen the financial impact on employees who currently experience a drastic drop in benefits and earnings when called to active duty. This would apply to every officer and employee of the City who is a member of the Washington National Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard or Marine Corps Reserve who receives written orders for active duty for more than 15 days. The public may comment at Tuesday nights meeting when the council plans to vote on the ordinance.
WaterForest supplemental
The City Council will review and vote on a resolution proposing a supplemental agreement with Pinwheel, Corp., of Seattle for $65,385. The agreement would cover the Phase III, IV and V professional design and artistic restoration services related to the re-engineering and repair services for WaterForest, the piece of artwork installed on the East side of the Museum of Glass that was accidentally pushed over by a child. A December 2002 study evaluated the failure of one of the columns of the WaterForest and repairs needed for restoration. In May 2003 a contract was issued for Pinwheel Corp to re-engineer and repair the WaterForest in the amount of $46,697. During the restoration work, it became known that the WaterForest also needed glass tube replacements. The artist has agreed to pay $30,000 toward the repairs, less $8,502 owing under his current contract. If approved, the work will be completed in February 2004. The funding will be provided through the 1 percent for the arts commitments of current Thea Foss construction contracts and a cost settlement with Howard Ben Tre, the artist. The public may comment.
Comprehensive Plan amendments
An ordinance to amend the Comprehensive Plan is on the agenda for the Dec. 16 City Council meeting. A public hearing was held at the Nov. 18 City Council meeting. If approved, the ordinance would replace existing plans for the Northeast and Central neighborhood areas with revised goals and policies, and change plan designations and zoning classifications for certain properties within these neighborhoods. The council considered the ordinance at its Dec. 2 meeting and public comment was taken. The ordinance was continued over from the Dec. 9 meeting and the City Council plans to vote on the ordinance at its Dec. 16 meeting.
This is an incomplete agenda. The Index prints as much as space allows.
Note: There are no scheduled meetings of the Pierce County Council through the end of the year. The next meeting is set for Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2004.
