Budget cuts, limits on warehouses, tourism promotion fees, building regulations – Tuesday was a busy day for the Pierce County Council. Here’s an update on several issues affecting county residents.
BUDGET CUTS
Last week County Executive Pat McCarthy proposed a 1.25 percent spending cut for most county departments to help plug an $8 million budget hole in the county’s $281 million general fund. McCarthy also would rely on pension savings and lower department contributions to some internal service funds to balance the budget.
On Tuesday, the council endorsed much of the executive’s plan, approving an amendment to a budget ordinance that includes the spending cut. The council’s plan would cut the sheriff’s department less than McCarthy proposed.
The amendment also adjusts other spending. For example, it would boost spending on paths and trails by nearly $700,000 to address several problems that have arisen in building the Foothills Trails from Buckley to South Prairie.
The council postponed final action on the budget ordinance until next Tuesday.
WAREHOUSE LIMITS
The council recently endorsed additional review requirements for large warehouses. The move was in response to concerns that mammoth warehouses – some more than 800,000 square feet – are gobbling up precious industrial land but providing relatively few jobs for the space they require.
The proposed rules would have required additional review of warehouses larger than 250,000 square feet. But on Tuesday the council decided to go back to the drawing board.
Without comment, the council voted unanimously to strip the new warehouse requirements out of a larger package of development regulations. It plans to revisit the warehouse regulations in the future.
Local economic development leaders have complained that any restrictions on warehouses would hinder expansion of the Port of Tacoma.
HOTEL FEES
A group of local hotel owners wants Pierce County to impose room fees ranging from 50 cents to $1.50 a night to fund tourism promotion. If approved, the plan would raise an estimated $1.1 million to $2.7 million annually for promoting conventions and trade shows, recruiting sports events and marketing Pierce County to the travel industry.
The fee would be collected in a new “tourism promotion area” that includes unincorporated Pierce County and the cities of Tacoma, DuPont, Fife, Gig Harbor, Lakewood, Sumner and Puyallup. Proponents say the county needs to spend more promoting tourism to compete with other Washington communities.
On Tuesday ,the council heard public testimony on the proposal. Most spoke in favor, though a representative of Extended Stay America said her guests wouldn’t benefit from more tourism promotion and questioned whether all hotels would benefit.
The council postponed final action on the measure until next Tuesday.
DEVELOPMENT RULES
The council unanimously approved a plan to launch a review of county development regulations. The multiyear review would try to bring consistency to conflicting rules and trim the overall volume of regulations, which has grown from 370 pages to about 1,500 pages over the last decade.
Proponents say trimming the code would make it easier to develop properties and stimulate the economy.
Despite reassurances, some community groups worry the review is an attempt to undermine design standards and other rules in various community plans. Council members pledged a fair and open process.
David Wickert: 253-274-7341
david.wickert@thenewstribune.com
blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics
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