City of Tukwila E-Hazelnut Newsletter - May 2021
Quick Links
Tukwila Elected Officials
Mayor: Allan Ekberg

City Council:
Kate Kruller (Council President)
Verna Seal
Kathy Hougardy
De'Sean Quinn 
Thomas McLeod 
Zak Idan
Cynthia Delostrinos Johnson
City of Tukwila receives AWC Municipal Excellence Award
With this year’s Municipal Excellence Awards, the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) honored five cities putting creative ideas to use for their communities.

“This year’s winning projects demonstrate just a few of the ways that Washington’s city leaders are finding innovative solutions to a diverse range of challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and racial equity movement,” said Peter B. King, AWC CEO. “Each year, AWC’s Municipal Excellence Awards provide ideas and inspiration to communities around the state, showcasing successes that can be replicated in other cities.”

Chosen from 22 applications, the 2021 AWC Municipal Excellence Award winners include the City of Tukwila for its Equity Policy Implementation Committee (EPIC).

The City of Tukwila created EPIC in 2019 to provide city elected officials and staff with tools to lead through an equity lens when making decisions for Tukwila residents, community members, and businesses. EPIC identified four equity priorities for implementation in 2020: providing consistent equity training; incorporating equity into city hiring processes; developing an equity toolkit; and creating a guide to equitable outreach. In early 2020, EPIC’s collaboration process led the human resources department to implement changes to the hiring process such as antibias training for interviewers. EPIC has also developed toolkits to enable city staff to normalize and operationalize equity throughout all city departments. EPIC plans to host ongoing training throughout the years to ensure long-term positive impacts for Tukwila residents.

AWC’s Municipal Excellence Awards recognize innovative city projects that significantly improve the quality of life for their communities. The competition is open each year to any Washington city or town. Projects will be recognized at AWC’s Annual Conference online this June.
Trailhead Direct service
will be returning for 2021
Hit beautiful hiking trails on summer weekends and holidays with Trailhead Direct. Reach destinations like Tiger Mountain and Little Si by transferring to a shuttle vehicle at the Mt. Baker Transit Center or Eastgate Freeway Station. Find more information and schedules here.

Trailhead Direct costs the same as your Metro bus fare and uses ORCA card payment transfer from rail or bus. Riders can feel confident in safety measures such as a facial mask requirement, passenger limits and daily vehicle disinfection.  
 
Need an ORCA card? Contact the South King County Trips team to get set up at (206) 433-7140 or skctrips@tukwilawa.gov.   

Puget Sound Energy
COVID Bill Assistance Program
We all know it has been a tough year, and Puget Sound Energy recognizes that for many families, the financial struggles associated with COVID-19 are not by any means over. So, PSE created the COVID Bill Assistance Program to help customers with their energy bills.

The COVID Bill Assistance Program offers:

  • Up to $2,500 in additional utility bill payment assistance.

  • Up to $2,500 to forgive past balances for customers who received energy assistance in the past.

  • Extended payment plans up to 18 months.

  • The option to change your energy bill’s due date to help with monthly budgeting.

PSE is committed to being a trusted community partner and doing whatever it takes to get our Puget Sound families through this challenging time. In 2020, they made over $9 million in bill assistance available to over 15,000 customers, and now they’re ready to do even more. If you in any way need financial assistance or have questions on any PSE assistance program don’t hesitate to get in touch with them. 

If you are a PSE customer, learn if you qualify by visiting www.pse.com/assistance.
Federal Communications Commission  Launches Emergency Broadband Benefit
The Federal Communications Commission has launched a temporary program to help families and households struggling to afford Internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emergency Broadband Benefit provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.

Eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or directly with the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) using an online or mail in application.

You can learn more about the benefit, including eligibility and enrollment information, by visiting www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit, or by calling 833-511-0311.
City of Tukwila | 6200 Southcenter Blvd, Tukwila WA 98188 | 206 433-1800