Colleagues,
The Tacoma City Council Study Session at noon on Oct. 29 includes two items of interest:

1.   The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Housing and Human Services have notified Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) staff that they are researching how communities are responding to homeless encampments with the goal of developing a roadmap or toolkit for communities across the U.S. They have engaged a consulting firm that will be studying four cities including Tacoma. The other communities are San Jose, Chicago and Houston. The firm has indicated to us that Tacoma was selected due to the availability of data related to our response to encampments.

NCS staff is tentatively scheduled to meet with the consultant here on October 28th . The consultant has already begun collecting information from the City's website regarding the State of Emergency Declaration and recent study session presentations on homelessness. NCS will provide an update following the site visit.

2.  For the second topic at Tuesday's Study Session, staff from Environmental Services' Solid Waste Management will present multiple strategies to address blight, litter, and unsecure garbage containers to improve Tacoma's downtown streetscape. In addition, Tacoma Police will provide information related to public safety concern


The Tacoma City Council Meeting at 5pm on Oct. 29 will consider the MDC contract.  Here is the agenda language and I have attached the resolution and the accompanying Contract and Award Letter.  This award is an increase to an existing MDC contract with the City of Tacoma.  This is a Purchase Resolution and I don't know if there is public comment on resolutions designated as "Purchase Resolutions." 

Agenda language:  Resolution 40460:  A resolution increasing the contract with Metropolitan Development Council, in the amount of $150,000, plus applicable taxes, for a total of $1,442,269, budgeted from the General Fund, for a convening of faith-based organizations, non-profit organizations, and community stakeholders for the purpose of identifying and implementing temporary shelter sites in Tacoma - Contract No. C676.

At the very end of the Council agenda, the Community Vitality and Safety Committee will report.  I'm guessing this will include the discussion they had last week on changes to the Temporary Shelter ordinance but I really don't know.  

Remember - you can attend, you can watch in real time, you can review when the videos are posted.  I use this link https://cityoftacoma.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx but there are others on the City's main website.  

Thank you for your work,

Maureen

Maureen Howard
Tel:  253-756-8146 (LL)
Cell:  253-255-2200
3320 S. 8th Street
Tacoma, WA 98405