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 project that leveraged local match to install curb ramps at multiple intersections.

Why it matters: the TBD sales tax renewal runs for 10 years and yields multi‑million dollar revenues that staff say can be used to leverage outside grants and deliver smaller, high‑visibility pedestrian safety projects quickly. Committee members pressed staff on how the priorities would be chosen and how the city would show early results.

Committee discussion and staff plans

Chair Walker and multiple council members emphasized the large, unmet need for sidewalks and ramps across Tacoma and asked staff to provide more specific criteria and an early project list. Council Member Hines asked staff whether signal improvements could include installing new signals, not just upgrading existing ones; Jenkins answered that the city could pursue new signal installations where revenues alone could cover the cost but anticipated pursuing grants for the most expensive signal projects.

Staff said it will spend the six months before revenues begin (January–April) applying the proposed criteria, identifying candidate projects and creating a prioritized list to match the revenue stream. Jennifer Camrazel, transportation division manager, told the committee the project-selection team has begun overlaying missing‑link sidewalks, Vision Zero crash locations and an equity index to create a shortlist of likely projects and that staff will favor projects that do not require complex right‑of‑way work or private encroachment adjustments to allow quicker starts.

Outreach and partnerships

Staff described outreach to roughly 500 residents and engagement with other plans and initiatives — including the Transportation Mobility Plan, Vision Zero and the ADA transition inventory — that will inform project selection. Jenkins said staff plan to use the existing Streets Initiative dashboard and the TBD annual report to publicize accomplishments and the specific outcomes of the 15% allocation.

Council members asked about partnerships and coordination with other agencies. Jenkins said staff recently met with Pierce Transit and will continue discussions about coordinating bus-stop and transit access upgrades. He also described partnering with utility projects so the TBD dollars could pay for pedestrian amenities — for example, paying to add curb ramps alongside a utility trenching project so both can be completed together.

Limits and scale

Staff emphasized the program's scale relative to the overall need: Jenkins noted that sidewalk and ADA needs across the city are large and that "a million dollars goes pretty quick" for curb ramps and small sidewalk segments. The staff presentation showed an estimated unit cost for a basic curb ramp and explained that the city might bundle smaller improvements for quick wins while pursuing grants for larger, costlier signal work.

Next steps and transparency

Staff requested policy guidance from the committee on prioritization criteria. The plan, as presented, calls for finalizing criteria and candidate projects in early 2026 and returning progress reporting to the committee as part of the TBD annual report and the Streets Initiative dashboard.

The committee did not take formal action on the framework at the meeting; members asked staff to return with a prioritized project list and clearer decision criteria that could be reviewed before projects are funded.

Ending

Staff said the TBD set‑aside would be flexible and used to both fund small, quickly delivered pedestrian safety projects and to augment larger projects through matching grants. Committee members asked for more specific prioritization detail and an initial project list when staff return in coming months.