Tacoma City Council
Study Session
Noon, Tuesday, October 7, 2003
Room 16
Tacoma Municipal Building North
728 St. Helens Ave.
Narrows Airport update
The first portion of the study session will focus on issues facing the Tacoma Narrows Airport. Staff will review negotiations with Pierce County regarding development at the airport and the plans to move forward with amendments to the Pierce County Comprehensive Plan.
Street population initiative
Strategies for changing the negative environment surrounding the citys chronic street population will be the topic at hand for the second part of the study session. Members of a coalition charged with developing long-term solutions to the impact the chronic street population brings to businesses, human services, medical emergency and criminal justice systems will share the information gained after a year of study and system analysis.
The public may attend, but the council will not take comment. CityPost-Channel 77 on Comcast, Channel 85 on Click! – will air the audio portion of the study session.
Tacoma City Council
Regular Meeting
5 p.m., Tuesday, October 7, 2003
Council Chambers
Tacoma Municipal Building
747 Market St.
New public comment policy
Citizens who want to comment on items on the City Council agenda will have a chance to do so at the beginning of each council meeting. A resolution passed by the council on Sept. 30 stipulates an up to five-minute time period for citizens to comment on any agenda item. The new policy will take effect at the Oct. 7 council meeting. The new streamlined process will give more citizens the opportunity to share their thoughts.
Puget Sound police patrol
The City Council will vote on a proposal to accept a Port Security Grant for $258,234, from the Transportation Security Administration, to buy a patrol boat. If approved, the police department will acquire a patrol boat to provide harbor security starting as early as May. The police department does not anticipate needing additional personnel resources, since the police department will divert two officers, on a part-time and emergency response basis, from other duties to train and staff the patrol boat.
Matricula Consular ID card
Mexican immigrants with concerns about accessing city services because of a lack of acceptable identification may soon be able to use their Mexican Consular Identification Card (Matricula Consular) as proper ID. The City Council will take public comment and vote on a proposal, introduced by Councilman Rick Talbert, to accept the Matricula Consular as an acceptable form of identification in Tacoma. If passed, Tacoma would join at least four other Washington cities -including Seattle, Renton, Bellevue and Yakima – that have adopted similar measures. The Mexican government began promoting the new Matricula Consular cards following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Carlton Building
The City Council will determine the fate of the American Cancer Societys proposed expansion and Michael Bishops desire to move into the Carlton Building, 1551 Broadway. Lease space became available in the building in September when the General Services Administration located at another facility.
