City of Tacoma News: Tacoma City Council

Tacoma City Council
Study Session
Noon, Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Room 16
Tacoma Municipal Building North
728 St. Helens Ave.

Downtown parking, charter review
A consultant will provide the results of a recent study of downtown parking. The group will discuss future options and the direction of the downtown parking system. The council also will discuss any issues regarding the appointment of a Charter Review Committee and the process for selecting members. The charter review committee application period runs through Oct. 1. 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 live.

Tacoma City Council
Regular Meeting
5 p.m., Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Room 105
Centre at Norpoint
4818 Nassau Ave.

Location change, Town Hall
Citizens who want to attend this week’s City Council meeting will need to take a scenic drive to Northeast Tacoma to do so , as the City Council will not be meeting at its usual location (see address above). Also, the Town Hall portion of the meeting, which begins at 6 p.m., will focus on issues facing Northeast Tacoma, including:
– Hylebos Bridge closure;
– Commercial development in NE Tacoma;
– Kobetich Library;
– Permit issues and nuisance code violations; and
– Future growth/annexation.

Citizen comment rule changes
How much time will citizens have to address their concerns in front of the City Council at its Tuesday evening meeting? The council will consider changes its rules, allowing citizens to speak for up to five minutes on any item on the council agenda near the beginning of the meeting. The current policy allows citizens to speak for up to three minutes on each agenda item. Council members Kevin Phelps, Mike Lonergan and Rick Talbert who formed the group that analyzed the council rules proposed the changes to give more citizens the opportunity to speak. The council will take public comment on the proposed rule changes and expects to vote on the measure at its Sept. 30 meeting.

Future of Murray Morgan Bridge
Will the City Council formally oppose the demolition of the Murray Morgan Bridge? After public comment and discussion, the Council will decide. The structure, also known as the 11th Street Bridge, has spanned the Thea Foss Waterway for the past 90 years. The state Department of Transportation owns the bridge and has proposed its demolition in 2006. The resolution before the council proposes keeping it open mainly for historic and economic reasons.

“Wired City” campaign wins award
The Tacoma Economic Development Department has received another award for its “Wired City” advertising campaign -this time among international competition. The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) awarded the campaign, featuring comic strip characters Natt Worth and Mr. North, the organization’s top “Overall Marketing Campaign” award at IEDC’s annual conference in Cincinnati on Sept. 16. This is the campaign’s fourth award and its first from an international audience.