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December 17, 2024

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City Council to Decide on December 17 Whether to Place ‘Tacoma Streets Initiative II’ on April 2025 Ballot

– Initiative Focuses on Improvements to Tacoma’s Arterial Streets –

TACOMA, Wash. – The City Council will decide – during tonight’s City Council meeting – whether to place “Tacoma Streets Initiative II” on the April 22, 2025 special election ballot.

“Tacoma Streets Initiative II” focuses on improvements, maintenance, and repairs to Tacoma’s arterial streets, sidewalks, and multimodal infrastructure.

If Tacoma voters approve the initiative, the average household can expect to pay approximately $20 more per year in utility taxes. Property owners can expect to pay $72 more per year in property taxes.

Anticipated to raise approximately $25 million annually, “Tacoma Streets Initiative II” is also anticipated to help the City of Tacoma secure approximately $24 million annually in addition, through matching grants and strategic partnerships.

The original “Tacoma Streets Initiative” focused on improvements to Tacoma’s residential streets.

Approved by Tacoma voters in 2015, the original “Tacoma Streets Initiative” generated $397 million over a 10-year period and helped the City of Tacoma secure over $135 million in matching state and federal grants.

The City of Tacoma’s 2023 Pavement Condition Index (PCI) assessment revealed a decline in arterial street conditions. 

“This streets initiative, if approved by voters, will provide the essential funding needed to maintain and improve our roads, enhancing safety and connectivity for all. It's more than just road maintenance; it's about investing in the quality of life for every member of our community,” said Mayor Victoria Woodards. “I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our dedicated staff for their hard work in bringing this initiative to this point. I look forward to the opportunity to vote on this initiative and working together to build a better, more connected future for our city.”

Tacoma’s population has increased from 207,010 in 2015 to 222,906 in 2023, an approximately 8 percent increase which translates to nearly 16,000 additional people contributing to more vehicles on Tacoma’s streets. 

A community survey conducted in 2024 revealed that only 24.3 percent of Tacoma residents are satisfied with the condition of Tacoma’s arterial streets.

“I am incredibly excited about Streets Initiative II and the potential it has to transform our city,” said Deputy Mayor John Hines. “Our original Streets Initiative has made a significant visible impact on our residential streets in the past 10 years. By turning our focus to arterial streets, we can continue this work to make a huge difference in the ways that our residents get around this city. This will also mean improvements to our city’s sidewalks that are critical for many of our residents and will make our streets safer and more accessible for everyone. Streets Initiative II is a critical investment by our community to help us transform our streets and I am very hopeful that they will see the value in building streets for our future and for everyone.”

“Street Initiative II is such an exciting opportunity to improve the quality of our arterial streets and advance safe and accessible transportation in our city,” said Council Member Kristina Walker. “Working together with our residents, we’re looking at this much needed investment as a chance to reshape how we get around our city and help ensure that everyone—no matter how they travel—can get around safely on our streets. Streets Initiative II will also position us for robust matching grants and create opportunities to build new strategic partnerships. Our Public Works Department is ready to continue building on the success of our original Streets Initiative, and I have full confidence that this new funding would enable Tacoma to keep people moving safely.”

Details on “Streets Initiative II” are available at cityoftacoma.org/SI2.

City Council meetings are conducted in a hybrid format, with virtual and in-person options to attend. They can also be viewed live at facebook.com/cityoftacoma and TV Tacoma.

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