Tacoma committee outlines plan to use 15% of TBD sales tax for pedestrian safety

Tacoma city staff presented a framework Sept. 10 for directing the Transportation Benefit District (TBD) sales-tax revenues toward pedestrian safety, proposing a 15% set‑aside of TBD receipts to fund sidewalks, curb ramps, signals and lighting.

The proposal, delivered by Jeff Jenkins, Public Works director, laid out two program areas: an “ADA and sidewalking” category that would receive about 60% of the set‑aside and a signal-and-streetlight category scheduled for about 40% of the funds. Jenkins said, “we're going to be collecting around $750,000” in the first partial year after the new TBD begins collecting in April, and that in a typical year the pool would be “just over a million dollars.”

City staff told the Infrastructure Planning and Sustainability Committee the 60/40 split would prioritize curb ramps, missing-link sidewalks, crosswalks and bulb-outs under the ADA/sidewalking bucket and would direct the signal/streetlight funds toward pedestrian signals, crosswalk illumination and other intersection improvements. Jenkins noted the program would also support grant matching. "We received a HUD grant, I think it was $3,000,000 and our match was about a $100,000 for that $3,000,000," he said, citing a past…