Tacoma City Council is scheduled to meet Tuesday at City Hall to hear from City of Tacoma staff on information related to Proposition 1, a ballot measure slated for the Nov. 5 election that will ask voters to consider a proposal that would authorize the City of Tacoma to levy an additional two per cent tax on natural gas, electric and phone company earnings for the sole purpose of funding basic Tacoma-wide neighborhood street improvements and safety upgrades. If approved by voters, the additional tax earnings would generate an estimated $10 to $11 million in sustainable annual funds for the basic maintenance of neighborhood streets, bridges and safety improvements, according to City of Tacoma officials.

So far, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber has emerged as the leading opponent of the proposal. According to Chamber President and CEO Tom Pierson, the Chamber supports efforts and investments to improve roads with responsible and sustainable planning, but the City of Tacoma estimates that it needs roughly $800 million in additional revenue to fix existing transportation infrastructure inadequacies.

“An 80-year long ‘road fix’ is not acceptable,” said Pierson, who urged councilmembers to consider more analysis on impacts to its citizens and businesses before councilmembers approved a resolution last month to place the proposition on the ballot this fall. “Not only is it an unnecessarily excessive time period to implement such a fix, but there has been no accountability put in place for a solid plan. Why not consider a proposal that would actually provide sound investments for the needed road repairs and maintenance in our lifetime while including transparency in the process.”

The Chamber also argues the impacts of a tax increase on the local community and economy are unknown; the process has not taken advantage of the system of citizens’ committees Tacoma City Council recently put into place; and the tax is just a small increment to the financing needs for Tacoma’s roads and is not part of a comprehensive plan.

During Tacoma City Council’s study session this week, City of Tacoma staff will share a plan to roll out 10 city-wide informational sessions at various locations across the community on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings between Mon., Aug. 26 and Weds., Oct. 30. Staff will provide a schedule of public information session, media press releases posted on the City of Tacoma’s Web site, and signage and notices posted at all City of Tacoma facilities.

Also on the agenda Tuesday, councilmembers will hear from Tacoma Regional Convention and Visitor Bureau President and CEO Bennish Brown on the organization’s recent activities, including long-range sales partnerships for the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center.

Councilmembers will not take public comment during the study session, which will be held on Tues., Aug. 13 at 12 p.m. in Room 16 of Tacoma Municipal Building North, 733 Market St. Audio from 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.