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Home My WebLink About2020-10 Hazelnut Newsletter - Volume 40 No. 5,erttn►. A City of Tukwila publication for our residential and business communities SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 VOLUME 40, NUMBER 5 Tuhwi%a: The City of Opportunity, the Community of Choice Work on 2021/2022 City budget assesses fiscal realities while supporting priorities The summer of 2020 was unusual in that large gatherings like fairs and concerts were canceled as we work to slow the spread of COVID-19. Those customs are missed, but in Tukwila, we hold tight to a tradition of working together for a safe, inviting, and healthy environment for our residents, businesses and guests. A year ago, the City of Tukwila had one of the strongest economies in the state, generating more sales tax revenue for the state than 20 of its 39 counties. As the challenge of the pandemic grew, people have reached out to help each other. In Tukwila, we have seen unprecedented levels of volunteers at the Tukwila Pantry; collaboration across organizations and agencies to ensure Tukwila students and seniors have access to healthy food; and the largest distribution of rental and utility assistance for residents the City has ever undertaken. Like cities across the state, we are eager to meet public health goals that will enable the economy to open up, and for people to be safe and feel confident as we collectively move forward. Until then, as stewards of taxpayer dollars, we will make decisions that are data -based and responsible with public resources. Public health and safety -related work will continue to be prioritized, and as a result, residents have likely experienced reduced service levels on litter pick-up, vegetation control and other non -safety -related activities. As we prepare our biennial budget for 2021/2022, we are relying on regional economic forecasts and monthly revenue updates to make decisions about the coming biennium. The budget process is multi -pronged and involves the entire community providing input and ideas to the Mayor and Council, even as we social distance to help keep one another safe. The Mayor's Proposed 2021-2022 Budget that was presented to the Council on October 5, 2020 is balanced and meets the Council -adopted goals for Contingency and Ending Fund balances. There is no ongoing draw -down of the adopted contingency. This is an amazing achievement by everyone throughout our City and community. Due to the early action of the Council, the tremendous sacrifice by our non -represented staff and most of our labor partners, the City is in a good financial condition in 2020. This budget protects the most vulnerable with no reductions to human services, and maintains the additional rental assistance funds authorized by the Council earlier this year. It maintains our support for feeding our seniors and families, continues our support for small businesses, and assumes the new initiative to support additional affordable housing funds. The Mayor's Proposed Budget offers many other initiatives, including continuing to implement the City's adopted Equity Policy; funding a mental health professional to embed with the Police Department; and thawing formerly frozen positions, such as in the Permit Center and the Streets Department, to bring some City services back up to near pre -pandemic levels. These are just some examples, and while we are pleased to bring many City services back to a higher level, we do expect the effects of the pandemic -related service reductions to linger into next year. In light of unprecedented disruption to the well-being of our community caused by COVID-19, we will share information, answer questions and remain open to solutions that benefit our community. The Council will deliberate on the Mayor's Proposed Budget over the coming weeks. The community is encouraged to weigh in and share ideas on the budget at Mayor@TukwilaWA.gov and CityCouncil@TukwilaWA.gov, or via phone at 206-433-1800. Please continue to check the website at TukwilaWA.gov for up-to-date information on the budget deliberations. Residents can be confident that first responders in the Police and Fire Departments have precedence in our planning. The fiscal realities of COVID-19 are tough, and we will continue to meet them head on. As we move forward, we urge you to take every step you can to keep you and your family safe - wear a mask, maintain social distance, and wash your hands regularly. WE'RE ALL MOVED IN! Get a peek inside our newly -completed Public Safety facilities on pages 4 8 5 Mayor's Message There's a lot going on in Tukwila As we transition into the Fall season during these unprecedented times, I wanted to take the opportunity to update you on some key events. Please also continue to check out the City's social media accounts and website for up-to-date information on these topics. With the retirement of Police Chief Bruce Linton, the City of Tukwila finds itself in need of a new, permanent Chief of Police. Last month the Council urged me to implement a search process that includes community involvement, and I intend to do just that. The City will host a series of listening sessions with various stakeholders to gather input on attributes we should seek in a new Police Chief. Our outreach to groups will include the Equity and Social Justice Commission, Community -Oriented Policing Citizen Advisory Board, faith leaders, young people and more. We will also hold public listening sessions during which anyone can provide feedback. Due to the pandemic, these sessions will be held online. Community members can also weigh in by emailingTukwila@ TukwilaWA.gov, calling 206-433-1850, or sending a letter to me at 6200 Southcenter Boulevard, Tukwila, WA 98188. This will be an important process that will shape the future of the Tukwila Police Department. I appreciate the Council shining a light on the importance of community involvement in this process and am committed to achieving this goal. I expect the listening sessions to go from late October through late November. This will allow the City to identify and work with a search firm in December, publish the job announcement in early January and hire the new chief during the first quarter of 2021. On another note, I wanted to again thank the Tukwila community for voting in support of the City's Public Safety Bond. In August we opened the new Fire Station 51 at the intersection of Southcenter Parkway and South 180th Street. In late September the new Tukwila Justice Center was opened on Tukwila International Boulevard. Due to the pandemic, we were unable to host the ribbon -cutting that we all wanted and the community deserves. We are steadfast in our commitment to hosting events at these great new community resources once the pandemic has been resolved. These new facilities - and the new Fire Station 52 that is scheduled to be complete in early 2021- are true community assets that will improve services to the Tukwila community. Please go online to TukwilaWA.gov/PublicSafetyPlan to view videos on the Justice Center and Fire Station 51, which include tours of the facility. Once again, thank you to the Tukwila community, for your support of the Public Safety Plan and our ongoing shared desire to improve our community. al -ea Mayor, City of Tukwiia In this time of physical health awareness, taking care of our emotional well-being King County Public Health offers some resources for managing mental/emotional health during the pandemic (and beyond). Many in our community are having a hard time right now. These resources can help you or someone you know. Crisis Connections provides many resources and support for anxiety, loneliness, recovery and more. Language interpretation is available in more than 155 languages. Call 866-427-4747 or text HOME to 741741 for support. SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline provides trained counselors and support for stress, anxiety and more. Support is available 24/7, 365 days a year. Call 1-800-985-5990, or text TalkWithUs to 66746. Spanish -speakers can call the hotline and press "2" for bilingual support. Interpreters are available for 100 other languages. The Boys Town National Hotline is a free resource and counseling service that assists youth and parents 24/7, year-round, nationwide. Spanish-speaking counselors and translation services for more than 100 languages are available 24 hours a day as well. Call 1-800-448-3000, text VOICE to 20121, or email hotline@BoysTown.org to connect. King County's Department of Community and Human Services provides publicly -funded mental health and substance use services to low-income people in need. Go to TukwilaWA.gov/KingCounty-mental-health. Additional resources and mental health resources can be found on Washington State Coronavirus resources website. If you want to learn more about the behavioral health data and services that King County has available, please check out TukwilaWA.gov/KingCounty-behavioral-health. Best budgeting for our community By the time you read this, the Mayor will have formally delivered his proposed 2021-2022 Budget to the City Council. It's now up to us as the legislative branch to work through it. We will study it intensively, consider how the proposal meets the needs of the community members we represent, and will make adjustments as we see fit. Always in the forefront of our minds is the importance of these decisions. Being elected citywide means we must balance the needs, interests and challenges of the entire city. That is our role, even in times of budgetary challenges like we are facing now. We cannot ignore the lessons we're learning during the COVID-19 pandemic about disparities in the communities we serve. There is no denying that some people face dispropor- tionately harmful impacts. However, as a community we are all in this together. Our goal with budgeting is to not leave any- one behind, so we must apply these lessons as we assess the Mayor's budget proposal. Getting to final approval of a City's entire budget is never easy. It requires many meetings and late nights. It requires gathering meaningful public input and actively listening. It requires revisiting past decisions on community priorities to see if they still make sense, and making adjustments if they don't. For guidance, we'll look to documents like the Strategic Plan, the Equity Policy, the work of our Commissions, lessons from our bond counsel, work sessions and listening sessions. Over the years we've had budgets that we accepted Council Corner by De'Sean Quinn, 2020 Council President without changes. There have also been budgets that we've had to deconstruct and reconstruct, based on what we've learned from the community. Either way, it's quite a process. The Council started our work in February with its annual retreat. While the term "COVID-19" was becoming known by then I don't think any of us saw what was coming with the devastating impacts to our community members, businesses, and city budget. We spent all spring and into the summer discussing those impacts and figuring out how to mitigate them. While the immediate focus was 2020 we were thinking about 2021 and beyond too. In June we convened a special meeting to provide City Administration with our input even before they started drafting the budget. We held a public listening session in August to gather comments from our neighbors in the community. Common themes have emerged: emphasis on equity and social justice, defining an affordable level of service in a time of reduced revenues, focusing on the needs of the residents, organizational efficiency, and ensuring transparency to the community. We know how to operate lean with increasingly tighter budgets. We must operate more efficiently and to protect our quality of life we are going to have to make key decisions about the types of investments we'll make. No community can survive without making investments in itself. City Council Actions - Highlights from July -September 2020 ■ Approved lodging tax funds for the "Southside Promise" and "Experience Tukwila" initiatives, helping businesses recover from COVID-19 impacts. ■ Approved special allowances for business outdoor seating and signage to help provide flexibility under COVID-19 operational restrictions. ■ Adopted the Tukwila Hazard Mitigation Plan. (Res. 1987) ■ Awarded bid to Miles, Inc., for the 2020 Overlay Project. ■ Affirmed support of unbanked money transfer operators, and urging the Washington State Legislature to pass a financial inclusion law. (Res. 1996) ■ Adopted interim Flood Plain Management regulations. (Res. 2633) ■ Authorized submission of an application to Washington State for grant funding for the Duwamish Neighborhood Trail Park Project. (Res. 1997) ■ Convened a Listening Session to gather public input on the 2021-2022 Biennial Budget The complete text of all legislative items is available online in the Digital Records Center at TukwilaWA.gov. For additional information about any of these actions, call 206-433-8993. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 Tukwila Justice Center -15005 Tukwila International Boulevard Police Department Briefing Room Municipal Court Lobby TUKWILA'S NEW PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITIES: Tukwila's new Justice Center is home to the Police Department, our Municipal Court, and the City's Emergency Operations Center. City of Tukwila 0 8 PUBLIC SAFETY PLAN Patrol Division work area Tukwila Emergency Operations Center THE HAZELNUT UP AND RUNNING! Our new Fire Station 51 is a modern facility, designed to ensure fast response times and safe working conditions for firefighting staff. Tuhwila's Mission: To provide superior services that support a safe, inviting and healthy environment for our residents, businesses and guests. Fire Station #51 -17915 Southcenter Parkway Fire Truck Bay Area Self -Contained Breathing Apparatus Workroom Kitchen and Dining Area Equipment Room See more of these new public safety facilities online at TukwilaWA.gov/PSPfacilities SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 City of Tukwila Parks &Recreation MARCH — AUGUST 2020 BY THE NUMBERS Park n' Play Mobile Recreation Program: Essentials Distribution ADOPT -A -SPOT Parks 3100 Bags of Trash Removed, 25% more then 2019 5352 Breakfast Partners UPOWER Seattle King County Library System L41 King County Veterans, Seniors Human Services Levy United Way United Way of King County neighbors rmnnoanr&4rr/ tf ibwdo Tukwila Children" - FOUNDATION THE HAZELNUT Tukwila Community Center Fitness Room OPENS and Group Fitness Classes BEGIN! Tukwila Parks and Recreation staff are pleased to be offering the fitness room at the Tukwila Community Center as well as in -person group fitness classes again. "We are in the business of helping people feel good, and one way to feel better - physically and emotionally - is through exercise," said Marius Francis, Athletics Coordinator. Staff has implemented several safety measures to help protect one another's health. Reservations must be made in advance, and participants will undergo a basic temperature check and health questionnaire prior to entering the facility. Once inside, an overview of safety protocols and expectations is reviewed, and then guests are on their way to getting their hearts pumping and muscles burning! Group fitness classes include yoga, cycling, power, and centergy. The benefits of a personal fitness routine are endless - increased energy levels, less stress, better sleep, focus, and a positive change in attitude. Learn more and reserve time at TukwilaWA.gov/Wellness. FREE COVID-19 TESTING IN TUKWIL COVID -19 II 3455 South 148th Street Tukwila, WA 98168 Open 10 to 6, Mon —Sat, 9:30am-5:30pm • King County in partnership with St. Anne Hospital, a part of CHI Franciscan and local Fire Departments. • Located at the Church By the Side of the Road. • Registration is encouraged but not required. Walk-ups welcome. REGISTER ONLINE: CHIFranciscan.org/freetesting • • o21 0 Have questions? Contact our King County COVID-19 Call Center at 206-477-3977 (open daily from 8 am to 7 pm). If you need language assistance, we will connect you with an interpreter. 1._ 1f CHI Franciscan Public Health Seattle & King County ALTIUS INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 THE HAZELNUT City ofTukwila 6200 Southcenter Blvd. Tukwila, WA 98188 I PRESORT STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SEATTLE, WA PERMIT NO. 12698 Postmaster: If named addressee has moved, deliver to current resident. To help us correct addresses or eliminate duplicates, please call 206-454-7573. SI NO TIENE ELECTRICIDAD PREVENGA LA INTOXICACION POR MONOXIDO DE CARBONO ► SOLAMENTE use un generador afuera y lejos de ventanas abiertas y rejillas de ventilacion ► NUNCA use un generador dentro ► de la casa, en garajes o cocheras ► NUNCA cocine dentro de la casa en una parrilla gas o carbon de Lena ► HADDII AADAN LAHAYN KORONTO KA HORTAGSAN SUMAYNTA CARBON MONOXIDE ► KELIYA u isticmaal koronto-dhaliye bannaanka iyo ka fog daagadaha iyo hawo furan WALIGE ha ku isticmaalin koronto- dhaliye gudaha, garaashyada ama meelaha baabuurta la dhigto WALIGAA gurigaaga ha ku karinin adoo isticmaalaya dhuxul ama shoolad gaaska dibedda ah IF YOU DON'T HAVE ELECTRICITY NEU QU?VI KHONG Co DIEN NGAN NGUA NGO 0OC TU CACBON MONOXIDE Chi slf dung may phat dien d ngoai trdi va tranh xa cac c1ta so va to thong hdi clang and KHONG BAO GId st;t dung may phat dien trong nha, trong nha de xe hoac trong bai clau xe ► KHONG BAO GId nau an ben trong nha tren to nitong gas hoac than cui PREVENT POISONING FROM CARBON MONOXIDE ► ONLY use a generator outdoors and far from open windows and vents ► NEVER use a generator indoors, in garages or carports ► NEVER cook indoors using a charcoal or gas grill TUKWILA CITY HALL 6200 Southcenter Boulevard Hours: Monday-Friday,8:30AM-5:OOPM Telephone: 206-433-1800 Fax number: 206-433-1833 E-mail: Tukwila@TukwilaWA.gov Website: TukwilaWA.gov MAYOR Allan Ekberg 206-433-1850 Mayor's Office Administration Offices 206-433-1850 David Cline, City Administrator206-433-1851 Economic Development 206-433-1832 Municipal Court 206-433-1840 Administrative Services Rachel Bianchi, Dep. CityAdm206-454-7566 City Clerk's Office 206-433-1800 Human Resources - Personnel 206-433-1831 City Job Line 206-433-1828 Human Services 206-433-7181 Community Engagement 206-454-7564 The Hazelnut newsletter is published six times a year by the City of Tukwila Community Development Dept. Jack Pace, Director 206-431-3670 Code Enforcement 206-431-3682 Finance Department Vicky Carlsen, Director 206-433-1835 Fire Department Jay Wittwer, Chief 206-575-4404 Jason Konieczka, Emerg Mgmt206-971-8740 Parks/Recreation Department Rick Still, Director 206-767-2342 Police Department Eric Dreyer, Interim Chief 206-433-7175 Public Works Department Hari Ponnekanti, Interim Director206-433-0179 Technology Services Department Joseph Todd, Director 206-454-7575 Emergency - Fire, Police 911 TUKWILA COMMUNITY CENTER 12424 - 42nd Avenue South Recreation Division 206-768-2822 Senior Center/Services 206-767-2323 FOSTER GOLF LINKS 13500 Interurban Avenue South Pro Shop 206-242-4221 TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL De'Sean Quinn, President 206-331-5939 Desean.Quinn@TukwilaWA.gov Kathy Hougardy 206-571-0007 Ka thy. Ho ugard y@Tuk wi l aWA. go v Verna Seal 206-492-4819 Verna.Seal @TukwilaWA.gov Kate Kruller 206-678-7885 Ka te. Krull er@Tukwil waWA.go v Thomas McLeod 206-492-4821 Thom as. Mcl eod @Tukwil aWAgoy Zak Wan 206-889-0743 Zak.ld an @Tukwil aWA.gov Cynthia Delostrinos Johnson 206-595-5469 C.DelostrinosJohnson@TukwilaWA.gov To email the entire Council at once: CityCouncil @Tukwil aWA.gov Laurel Humphrey, Analyst 206-433-8993 CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS 7:OOPM in Council Chambers ReguEar Meetings lst/3rd Mondays Committee of the Whole 2nd/4th Mondays