1. Public can meet the City Manager finalists at May 5 forum

The three finalists for the City Manager position – Eric Anderson from Des Moines, Iowa, Gary Jackson from Fort Worth, Texas, and David Moseley from Federal Way, Wash. – will take questions from the public and stakeholder organizations during a moderated forum on May 5 from 4-6 p.m. in the Tacoma Municipal Building Council Chambers, 747 Market St. The public is also invited to attend a reception with the candidates following the forum from 6-7 p.m. in Council Chambers.

TV Tacoma will provide live coverage of the public forum May 5 from 4-6 p.m. on cable Channel 12, and replay the forum May 6 at 10 a.m.
The public may also attend events May 4 as the City Manager candidates are in town, including:

11-11:30 a.m. – Welcoming address: Mayor and Council Performance Review Committee at the Sheraton Hotel, 1320 Broadway Plaza, North Room.

4:30-5 p.m. – Eric Anderson media availability, Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market St., Room 1144.

5-5:30 p.m. – Gary Jackson media availability, Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market St., Room 1144.

5:30-6 p.m. – David Moseley media availability, Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market St., Room 1144.

2. Council may add buildings to Tacoma Register of Historic Places

A resolution on the May 3 City Council agenda would designate three historic buildings to the Tacoma Register of Historic Places. The Lynn Funeral Home, at 717 Tacoma Avenue South, was built in 1917 and operated continuously as a family business for most of the 20th century. The building is the future home of the Tacoma-Pierce County Family Justice Center for victims of domestic violence. The Walter J Thompson Residence, at 7 Saint Helens St., was built in 1885 and is one of the few remaining homes from that period in the Saint Helens neighborhood. The First Swedish Baptist Church at 1201 South J St. was constructed in 1900 and is an example of the community churches that are important symbols of the social and cultural heritage of the Hilltop area of Tacoma. All three buildings were recommended for designation by the Landmarks Preservation Commission following a public hearing on March 23, 2005.

3. Resolution could give tax exemption for Proctor area condos

Members of the City Council are scheduled to consider a resolution May 3 that would give a multi-family limited tax exemption to Proctor Partners, LLC, for the construction of six or more condominium units together with commercial and retail space at 2710 N. Proctor St. in the Proctor Mixed-Use Center. If approved, this would be the first development in the Proctor Mixed-Use Center to receive the limited tax exemption. This resolution was continued from the April 26 Council meeting.

4. Council scheduled to consider collective bargaining agreement

The City Council is scheduled to consider a collective bargaining agreement May 3 for Teamsters Local 313 that would be effective from Jan. 1, 2004 through Dec. 31, 2006. The agreement covers 112 employees. If approved, the employees would receive a 1 percent cost of living (COLA) wage increase for 2004 and a 2.5 percent COLA for 2005. It would also include a COLA in 2006 of an amount equal to 100 percent of the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Seattle-Tacoma area, based on the June index.

5. Report on Environmental Services utilities leads study session

City Council members will hear a presentation on the Environmental Services utilities – Solid Waste, Wastewater and Surface Water – during the May 3 study session. The presentation will include an overview of the financial structures, policies and processes established through City Council direction for these General Government enterprise funds. The public may attend the noon study session in Room 16, Tacoma Municipal Building North, 733 Market St., but the Council will not take public comment. CityPost (Channel 85 on Click!, Channel 77 on Comcast) will air the audio portion of the session live. Replays of the study session’s audio can be heard Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. on CityPost (channel 85 on Click!, channel 77 on Comcast).