As is true of many jurisdictions, Tukwila is projected to experience a misalignment of revenues and expenditures in the coming biennium. Sales tax - which makes up 1/3 of the City's revenue- has flattened, and revenue growth is not keeping pace with the cost of ongoing expenditures. Additionally, the State funding of sales tax mitigation, established to compensate cities like Tukwila that were hard-hit by the change to destination-based sales tax, will end by 2020.

 

Tukwila's Police and Fire Departments were directed to identify 1.5% in budget reductions, and the remaining departments produced 3% reductions in their budgets. Also, implementation of Priority-Based Budgeting has begun, which enables the City to examine programs and provide transparency to the process. Along with these reductions, the Administration is currently exploring new revenue options in order to maintain a high level of services for the City's residents, businesses and guests.

 

As with other City business, all budget deliberations will occur in public meetings. At the November 5 Regular Meeting the Council will be reviewing the proposed City departmental budgets, and at the November 13th Committee of the Whole Meeting they will hold a Public Hearing on the budget and review potential increases to the business license fee and gambling tax.The Council meets every Monday (except for fifth Mondays) at 7:00pm in Council Chambers at City Hall.  The Council Finance Committee meets on the first and third Tuesdays each month at 5:30 in the Hazelnut Conference Room at City Hall (next to the east entrance). At least one Council workshop on the budget is expected, if not more. All meetings are posted on the City's online  calendar at TukwilaWA.gov/events.

SeeClickFix is a web and mobile application used for reporting issues that need attention to local governments, including Tukwila. On September 18 and 19, the City of Tukwila hosted the SeeClickFix Summer Workshop at the Tukwila Community Center. Attendees came from as close as SeaTac, and as far away as Topeka, Kansas. Just this month, the cities of Sammamish, Washington and Sandpoint, Idaho both celebrated going live with SeeClickFix.

 

Before the City launched the Tukwila Works app on the SeeClickFix platform, residents had complained that issues went into the City but didn't come back out again, thus leaving the users unsure if their issue was being resolved. Now we have a feedback loop that keeps residents in-the-know and engaged. In 2016, the average number of days to acknowledge an issue was 3.29. We had set a 3-day goal for acknowledgement; now in 2018, it averages 1.13 days. Similarly, the average number of days to close an issue in 2016 was 40.08, and now it is 9.67 days. Since the launch of Tukwila Works in mid-2016, 2,659 issues have been reported, mostly via smart phone.

 

At this workshop, City of Tukwila staff from Police, Public Works, Code Enforcement, and Community Services and Engagement participated on a panel discussing how we handle difficult issues such as homeless encampments. Other workshop topics included new platform features, increasing community adoption of SeeClickFix, best practices learned from other communities, and more.

 

See something that needs fixing? Tukwila's residents, businesses and guests can report issues via the Apple or Android apps, as well as on the City's website, TukwilaWA.gov/TukwilaWorks. The City looks forward to hearing from you!