Interim city manager presents draft work plan, highlights permitting pilot, shelter funding and urban canopy effort

Interim city management presented a draft work plan to the OSAC committee on Sept. 12 that lays out near‑term deliverables before the end of the calendar year and a set of multi‑year initiatives including a concurrent permitting pilot, support for the Rescue Mission men’s shelter expansion, and a proposed Tacoma Urban Canopy project.

The interim city manager told the committee the draft is organized around four expectation categories set by the council: council relations, organizational performance and internal administration, communications, and council initiatives. “Vision 2035 is the new issue of our 10‑year strategic plan,” the interim city manager said, calling for updated onboarding materials and a study session presentation to the full council later this year.

Why it matters: the work plan frames where staff will focus during the city manager transition and sets expectations for when the council will see proposals. The draft outlines specific timelines and pilots that could affect permitting timelines, homeless services capacity, and neighborhood environmental investments.

Key items discussed

- Concurrent permitting pilot: The city manager said staff plan to launch a pilot Jan. 1 that consolidates permit reviews across planning, environmental services and public works for certain housing projects. The pilot aims to test combined or concurrent review timelines for site review, traffic, building and land‑use reviews that now can require “6 to 8 reviews” for a single residential project. The first report back to council is planned for June 2026. The interim manager emphasized this is a learning pilot: staff “want to come back on this innovative program” and will report findings mid‑2026.

- Rescue Mission men’s shelter: The manager noted the council previously appropriated $3,500,000 for the Rescue Mission men’s shelter expansion and said a further roughly $4,000,000 in federal funding is “in jeopardy.” Staff will continue to monitor cash‑flow and reimbursement issues and support the Rescue Mission’s project team.

- Tacoma Urban Canopy Project: Staff said they are pursuing an interlocal agreement (ILA) with the Washington Department of Ecology to access settlement funds tied to the South Tacoma area. The Department of Ecology fund was described as roughly $9,000,000, with approximately $2,000,000 already restricted for air‑quality monitoring; that leaves up to $7,000,000 potentially available through negotiation, though staff said the city should not expect the full amount. Staff framed success for this effort as executing the ILA this year so planting or demonstration projects could occur in 2026 if timing allows.

- Budget and mid‑biennium timeline: The manager told the committee staff expect to bring mid‑biennium (mid‑mod) budget materials to council beginning in October, with potential continuation into November if more time is needed for analysis. The manager framed the mid‑mod presentation as the start of a longer effort to address structural gaps in future budgets.

Other items and next steps

Staff said they will brief council members ahead of a study session and produce onboarding and communication materials for new council members by year’s end. The manager also described organizational assessments with department directors planned for December to clarify capacities ahead of a February strategy session.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes (08/22/2025): Motion carried (ayes). Mover/second and roll call tally not specified in the transcript. - Motion to adjourn: Motion carried (ayes). Mover/second and roll call tally not specified in the transcript.

No formal council actions beyond procedural votes were taken on the work plan at this OSAC meeting. The interim city manager will return the draft through OSAC before scheduling a presentation to the full council.