Tacoma City Council to discuss third-quarter financials, public library budget

Tacoma City Council is scheduled to meet Tuesday at City Hall to receive an update on the city’s third-quarter financial results and discuss the budgets for the finance department, public libraries, community and economic development department, and the planning and land services department as they relate to the proposed 2013-2014 biennial budget.

The meeting is part of an ongoing schedule of budget workshops to finalize the city’s biennial budget. Earlier this month, Tacoma City Manager T. C. Broadnax presented a budget proposal that calls for a variety of measures in order to close what is projected to be a $63 million general fund shortfall over the next two years.

City Councilmembers will not take public comment during next week’s meeting, which will be held on Tues., Oct. 30 at 12 p.m. in the Council Chambers on the first floor of the Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market St. The meeting will be broadcast live on TV Tacoma and online at tvtacoma.com. On-demand audio archives are available on the Web within 24 hours of the meeting online at tvtacoma.com.

A tentative schedule of upcoming budget workshops (and topics), which will also be held in the Council Chambers on the first floor of the Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market St., includes:

Weds., Oct. 31 at 1 p.m. — Police Department
Tues., Nov. 6 at 12 p.m. — Fire Department
Tues., Nov. 13 at 12 p.m. — Municipal Court; Information Technology Services; Public Assembly Facilities; Non-Departmental; Budget Wrap-up
Tues., Nov. 20 at 12 p.m. — Council Budget Workshop
Tues., Nov. 27 at 12 p.m. — Council Budget Workshop
Tues., Dec. 4 at 12 p.m. — Council Budget Workshop

Additionally, the city will host a series of community budget input meetings over the next two months:

Mon., Oct. 29 between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Tacoma Main Library (Olympic Room), 1102 Tacoma Ave.
Thurs., Nov. 1 between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Lincoln High School, 701 S. 37th St.
Mon., Nov. 5 between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Center at Norpoint, 4818 Nassau Ave. NE

City Hall is also collecting comments through its online community budget input box until Nov. 30.

More information about the City of Tacoma’s 2013-2014 proposed biennial budget is available online at cityoftacoma.org.