No Levy Lid Lift in November, say CoT Staff

Mayor Strickland

“City staff has made a strategically sound recommendation that is financially responsible and will maximize taxpayer investment.” -Mayor Marilyn Strickland


Yesterday, Tacoma's City Manager - T.C. Broadnax - updated the citizen task force charged with developing a plan for street improvements.  There had been a plan on the table for a Levy Lid Lift, but, as the City Manager explained, after a 10% decline in property tax values, the revenue from such a measure was bound to diminish - leading staff to recommend that the measure be taken off the table.  Whether that remains the case will be a matter for the City Council to decide.

How this impacts transportation options in Tacoma:

While this doesn't change Tacoma's $800m road infrastructure backlog, nor does it help the build out of Tacoma's Mobility Master Plan, it should present an opportunity for Pierce Transit to make its case to voters without having to compete with another local transportation measure in November.

Here's part of the release from CoT:

City recommends forgoing proposed Levy Lid Lift 

On July 10, City Manager T.C. Broadnax updated the Citizens Neighborhood Street and Safety Improvement Task Force on the recently released assessed property values for Tacoma and the fiscal impact on the proposed Levy Lid Lift and staff's recommendation to not move forward with the November 2012 ballot measure. A briefing to City Council regarding next steps will be held on Tuesday, July 17, during the City Council Study Session.

In 2011, City Council passed a resolution that created the Mobility Stakeholder Funding Task Force to develop recommendations to address the Tacoma’s current infrastructure needs. As a result of the task force’s recommendations, the City created the Citizens Neighborhood Street and Safety Improvement Task Force charged with developing a balanced neighborhood plan for street maintenance, creating criteria that addresses the overall safety of Tacoma residents and recommending strategies to ensure accountability and oversight.
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“Our City’s streets and infrastructure remain a high priority for staff as well as Mayor and Council,” said City Manager Broadnax. “We will continue to work with the task force to develop the criteria for street maintenance as part of our 2013-2014 Proposed Biennium Budget. These recommendations will be valuable as we move forward with existing maintenance funds and pursue future funding options.”