Sent: Tuesday, February 9, 2021 9:36 AM
Subject: HB 1590 - Letters of support to the City Council from AHC and THA 4
Dear Members of the Tacoma-Pierce County Affordable Housing Consortium, and some others:
HB 1590 (RCW 82.14.530) allows the City, by a vote of its Council, to impose a 1/10th of 1% sales tax for affordable housing. This would add a penny of sales tax to an eligible $10 purchase. We understand that it would generate about $5 million a year. This would create a meaningful local housing trust fund to finance the affordable housing and services that the City badly needs. The City’s need for this housing and these services is well known to the Council. The Council will also recall that creating such a fund for these purposes is a prominent recommendation of the City’s Affordable Housing Action Strategy (2018) and the Affordable Housing Policy Advisory Group (2010).
Passage of the HB 1590 is a priority item on the AHC’s Advocacy agenda.
We are pleased to report that the City Council is considering a vote to approve this tax. We attach our two letters expressing appreciation to the Council for its consideration of this measure:
● Letter from Peter Ansara as President of the Tacoma-Pierce County Affordable Housing Consortium;
● Letter from Michael Mirra as Executive Director of the Tacoma Housing Authority.
For reasons they explain, our letters also urge the Council to approve the tax measure.
We ask AHC members to write their separate letters of support to the City Council. We especially ask this of those members who are from the private sector such as our members who are banks, design firms, philanthropy, construction companies, and private individuals. That will help the Council appreciate the range of support for the proposal. For this reason, we are pleased to report that the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce has written the Mayor expressing support.
Thank you!
Peter Ansara, President of the Tacoma-Pierce County Affordable Housing Consortium (and Executive Director of Korean Women’s Association)
Michael Mirra, Chair of the AHC’s Advocacy Committee (and Executive Director of the Tacoma Housing Authority)
Michael Mirra
he/him
Executive Director
Tacoma Housing Authority
902 South L Street, Tacoma, WA 98405
(253) 207-4429
(253) 651-3289 CELL
“Housing Tacoma Forward”