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Tumwater council seeks clearer sustainability language, neighborhood clarity in draft strategic plan
Summary
Councilmembers asked staff to add explicit sustainability language, remove "small city" phrasing, highlight responsiveness and timeliness in service commitments, and ensure the legislative role and boards/commissions are visible in the strategic plan. Council also requested clearer graphics and outreach related to the East Street project.
At its Oct. 28 work session, the Tumwater City Council reviewed a draft city strategic plan and asked staff for targeted edits to reduce confusion and better reflect the city's current size and priorities.
Councilmember Angela Jefferson said the draft should explicitly include sustainability and move away from describing Tumwater as a "small city." "We're we're not a small city anymore. We passed that a long time ago," Jefferson said, urging language that recognizes the city's larger scale and service demands.
Councilmembers asked the staff to add words that convey responsiveness and timeliness to the pledge about delivering city services with "excellence, integrity, and efficiency." One councilmember suggested specific references to solid-waste diversion, greenhouse-gas reduction and green procurement under environmental stewardship so those ongoing departmental efforts are clearly documented in the strategic plan.
The council also discussed public outreach and communication on the East Street connection project. Several councilmembers and staff acknowledged a gap between prior public messaging and the technical status of feasibility and alternatives analysis. Staff said the feasibility analysis identified a corridor but that final alignment and specific connection points require funding for additional design and permitting. Staff proposed updating graphics and conducting direct outreach to the neighborhood so residents understand the project remains preliminary and that refined design could reduce neighborhood impacts.
Councilmembers asked that the plan's annual work plans clearly indicate which department is the lead for each action while also showing collaborative roles for council, boards and other partners. Staff said the annual work plans attempt to show collaboration and that final edits can make the legislative/council role clearer.
Next steps: staff will incorporate council edits, explore adjusting graphics and outreach materials for East Street, add Tumwater Chamber of Commerce as a partner on tourism actions, and bring a revised plan back for final consideration at upcoming meetings.
