Results of the July City Council Decisions
The bad news: None of the proposed Charter Amendments broadly supported by commenting residents were allowed to move on to the November ballot for a vote of the people. We’re not surprised, but we’re still disappointed.
Many were sent to various committee’s for “further study”. Time will tell if any real actions materialize or if this was just a way to kick the can down the road, hoping people forget about things like creating a Climate Commission, empowering neighborhood councils, allowing ranked choice voting, and protecting the citizen’s ballot initiative. There is a graphic below that shows what happened to each proposed amendment. Policing accountability, one of the top two priority concerns, was sent to committee with the stated purpose of having time to bargain with the police union and create the new accountability measures with them together. It’s hard to hold out hope that any strong measures will come out of such negotiations, which create the true independent oversight and accountability to the public that Tacoma desperately needs.
Of the few proposed amendments that are moving forward to the November ballot, some are concerning. Allowing the sale of waterfront property at the top of that list. There were concerns that the stated intent–preserving the land for public use in perpetuity–was not guaranteed with the current language of the amendment. Despite these concerns being voiced by the public & some Councilmembers, the amendment was voted to move forward anyway.
The proposed amendment to change the form of government, getting rid of the unelected city manager, was voted down from being allowed to move onto the ballot. (It was also not sent to a committee.) Councilmembers Diaz & Hines created an updated amendment from what was drafted by the Charter Review Committee that received support from the public & former Charter Review Committee members. Unfortunately, Mayor Woodards and CM’s Walker, Bushnell & Daniels voted not to allow it on the ballot, with the other four CM’s voting in favor of it passing.
The Good News: We can, and will, get the change we need for Tacoma, with or without the Mayor and City Council! Progressive changes have always come from grassroots movements and communities rising up together.
Getting rid of the city manager position for a more accountable form of government:
A group has already formed, that includes some former Charter Review Committee Members, to get the form of government change on the ballot by citizens initiative next year! The group is called Accountable Tacoma. Follow them on Instagram & Facebook. Stay tuned for upcoming events to learn about the campaign, raise the needed funds, and build the volunteer base needed to collect signatures in early 2025. They can be contacted at accountabletacoma@protonmail.com
Taking Meaningful Action to Address Climate & Sustainability:
Tacoma is a ground zero community in the global climate fight–industrial pollution, superfund sites, toxic waterways & South Tacoma residents facing a 25-year lower life expectancy. It’s clear that we are now in climate collapse, in the midst of catastrophe.
Climate Catastrophe Ground Zero, is a new coalition forming, created by Native Daily Network, which will tackle these issues head-on and leave our community better than we found it. The two year plan is centered around community mobilization, reducing industrial pollution, enhancing public health, and the rehabilitation of natural areas. Check out the informative slides on this webpage to learn more!
Next Steps in the 2024 Charter Review:
Selecting people to write the “for” & “against” statements for the November ballot:
To be considered for appointment, submit a letter of interest to the City Clerk’s Office by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, July 26, 2024, to the City Clerk’s Office. Letters may be sent by email to cityclerk@cityoftacoma.org or by mail to 747 Market Street, Room 220, Tacoma, WA 98402.
Each person must submit their own letter of interest. If you are interested in more than one proposed amendment, you may submit a single letter that lists each specific measure you are interested in.
Include this information in your letter: Your full name; Where you live (home address); Each proposed Charter amendment you are interested in; Whether you are advocating “For” or “Against” each amendment listed in your letter; and Why you would like to serve on each “For” or “Against” Committee(s) listed in your letter.
The Government Performance and Finance Committee will consider the letters of interest at a special meeting on Monday, July 29, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. The special meeting will be conducted in a hybrid format that includes in-person and remote options. To attend in-person, the special meeting will be held at the Tacoma Municipal Building in Conference Room 248, located at 747 Market Street. The meeting can also be heard by dialing 253-215-8782 or through Zoom at www.zoom.us/j/84416690206 and entering the meeting ID 844 1669 0206 and passcode 614650 when prompted.
Learn More:
Here are the results from July Council Meetings, of what happened to all the Charter Amendments proposed by the Review Committee and the additional amendments created by City Council (These have a “C” in the amendment number).
The full language of all amendments created by the Charter Review Committee can be found here.
Check out this slideshow put together by The Charter Review Committee that covers Police Accountability, Democracy Vouchers, Campaign Finance, Ranked Choice Voting, Neighborhood Councils, Initiatives & Referendums, Form of Goverment(City Manager), & Climate Commission.
