City of Tukwila E-Hazelnut Newsletter - May 2022
Quick Links
Tukwila Elected Officials
Mayor: Allan Ekberg

City Council:
Thomas McLeod (Council President)
Kathy Hougardy
De'Sean Quinn 
Kate Kruller
Cynthia Delostrinos Johnson
Mohamed Abdi
Tosh Sharp
The future of Fire and EMS services in Tukwila
Over the past several months a committee comprised of residents and business representatives studied ways for Tukwila to sustainably provide long-term emergency medical services (EMS) and fire services. The Future of Fire/EMS Community Advisory Committee was charged with examining a wide array of information, as well as providing options for moving forward.  This action was necessary due to the high cost of EMS/Fire services and the City’s ongoing revenue constraints. This reality has led to most of our neighboring fire department jurisdictions merging into regional organizations and/or looking to voters for additional resources to fund fire and EMS services.

Information reviewed by the Committee included the Fire Department’s operations, revenues and expenses, along with the City’s overall fiscal health, levels of current EMS and fire services, and more. The Committee also examined a seven-year financial model for the Fire Department and potential service enhancements. 

Using this information, the Committee members reviewed nine potential future EMS/Fire service options. These choices range from no change in the City’s Fire service to immediately becoming part of (referred to as annexation into) a regional fire authority.

Ultimately, the Committee’s preferred option was to annex to the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority (PSRFA). Annexation (or contracting) means our Fire personnel and equipment becomes part of the regional fire authority. Prior to annexation, however, current PSRFA board policy position requires a city to enter into a service contract with them. Although there are downsides to a service contract, it is the first and necessary step to full annexation into the PSRFA. Based on the Committee’s analysis, the consensus view is that the City should immediately engage in negotiations with PSRFA to secure an initial service contract as a bridge to near-term annexation. This will allow Tukwila to benefit from regionalized fire services as experienced by nearly every other jurisdiction in the area, while setting the stage for formal annexation within a couple of years.

The Committee presented this information to the City Council in May. The Council is expected to deliberate in June and provide staff direction as to whether to enter into contract negotiations with the PSRFA. Should the Council provide this direction, it is expected – assuming successful contract negotiations – that the contract would begin early 2023.

The members of the Future of Fire/EMS Community Advisory Committee demonstrated their hard work and tenacity in wrestling with a difficult and critical topic. As is true with Tukwila volunteers, these participants generously gave their time and significant energy to the City on behalf of our community. 
We'd like your feedback on the
upcoming 2023/23 Biennial Budget
Mayor Ekberg and the City Council want community feedback on the City’s upcoming 2023/2024 biennial budget. We are providing an opportunity for you – Tukwila’s residents, businesses and other stakeholders – to express your priorities for distributing the next City budget.

The 2023-2024 budget cycle will be challenging for the City. Revenues are slow to return to pre-pandemic levels. Inflation is at its highest level in 40 years, resulting in higher costs for supplies, materials, and wages. As a service organization, the majority of our costs are for salaries, which pay the people who provide the services, such as public safety, permitting, human services to name just a few. Total revenues are not increasing as fast as expenditures and our current estimate, based on what we know today, is that to provide the same level of service we are expecting a $5.6 million shortfall in 2023. We do expect this estimate to change as we get updated revenue information as the year goes on, but do expect a difficult biennium over the next two years as we continue to climb out of the pandemic and are faced with such high inflation. This is why your ideas about how to balance the budget by sharing with us your priorities are so critical.

A new budget tool is now available at TukwilaWA.gov/BYB where you can increase existing revenue sources or add a new revenue idea, reduce departments’ budgets or increase departments’ budgets, depending on your priorities. Your challenge, like ours, is to develop a balanced budget.

We’ve also created a narrated budget presentation (linked below in English, Spanish, Somali and Vietnamese) that provides information about the policies that guide our actions, an overview of the City’s budget and governmental functions, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), graphics to help you visualize our finances, and an introduction to the online Balancing Act tool.

Want to know more about how Tukwila spends its money or better understand the city budgeting process? These links will provide you with more information:
Stormwater Management Action Planning (SMAP) Public Involvement and Participation
Tukwila is growing. As more people come to call our City home, the river and streams that we enjoy face new pressures. The City is currently developing a Stormwater Management Action Plan, or SMAP, that will select one stream from within Tukwila to evaluate how we can manage stormwater and design infrastructure that reduces pollution and improves water quality. Tukwila residents have the opportunity be part of the selection process. Help the City choose a stream for the SMAP by sharing your ideas and comments about the local streams you enjoy most.

Successful planning and consensus requires your input and ideas and we want your feedback as the City develops its SMAP. Please complete the online survey by June 10th. Any questions can be directed to Surface Water Senior Program Manager, Mike Perfetti at Mike.Perfetti@tukwilawa.gov or, 206-550-4930.
City of Tukwila | 6200 Southcenter Blvd, Tukwila WA 98188 | 206 433-1800