Inside the City of Tumwater
Date: April 10, 2023
To: Mayor Debbie Sullivan
City Councilmembers
City Employees
From: John Doan, City Administrator
PEOPLE
City Receives Planning Award
The Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association has announced that Tumwater has received the 2023 Excellence in Planning Award in the Sustainability Category for the Urban Forestry Management Plan
The Awards will be presented at the Planning Association of Washington Conference in April. Congratulations to our Planning and Sustainability Team, Planning Commission, Tree Board, City Council, and consultant.
City Clerk Served on WMCA Board
Melody Valiant, the City Clerk, has completed three years of service on the Executive Committee of the Washington Municipal Clerks Association. Melody had also co-chaired the bylaws committee and served on and led several other committees. Thank you, Melody, for your service to the profession.
Eggs, Eggs, Eggs
The City Egg Dash hatched perfectly on Saturday. Even the rain stayed away. Great crowds, a fun/safe event, a Mayor who took the mic away from Todd, lots of kids, and 20,000 eggs all made a special event.
Employees of the WSECU (Washington State Employee Credit Union) who helped stuff eggs in support of the Dash. These volunteers and others at Old Town Center helped stuff the 20,000 eggs which were distributed at the Tumwater High School stadium.
ERP Crosses Major Milestone
One of the City biggest projects is happening right now with no barricades, construction inspectors, or permits. The City Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP) is replacing our operations' 15-year-old computer software backbone After more than two years of planning and cleaning up data, the first phase of the conversion from EDEN to MUNIS went
live on Monday, April 3. This included the general ledger, accounts payable, contracts, and budget.
Next up, later this spring/summer, will be accounts receivable and general billing. Project accounting, human resources, and payroll will move forward in October The final phases will happen over the next two years, including utility billing, cash receipting, asset maintenance, and permitting.
Huge thanks to Matt Ames, our in-house project manager, the ERP leadership team, Troy Niemeyer, Shelly Carter, Bill Sampson, and everyone who has been involved with getting this phase of the ERP up and running! I know it is a big change, but eventually, EDEN will be a distant memory.
It’s the Wellness!
The Wellness Committee is looking at offering a Farm Share Program to City employees in partnership with WSU Extension Thurston County. The program is similar to a Community Supported Agriculture or CSA program, where you pay for a weekly box of produce through the growing season.
This program is fed by over 25 local farms instead of just one, spreading the love to our many local farmers.
Interested?
Take the Farm Share Interest Survey so we can gauge if there are employees who might participate in this voluntary program. Answering the survey does not obligate you to participate in this wellness program; your responses are anonymous
Earth Day Volunteer Work Party
Tumwater Parks & Recreation is teaming up with the PARC Foundation to celebrate Earth Day with a fun and rewarding volunteer work party. Help remove invasive plants and debris at Tumwater Historical Park. Tools, gloves, water, and light refreshments will be provided. Please wear appropriate clothing and shoes for working outdoors.
9 a.m. – 12 noon | Saturday, April 22, 2023
Tumwater Historical Park | 802 Deschutes Way SW, Tumwater, WA
This event will be held rain or shine! Pre-registration is required. Register online.
Celebrate Arbor Day
Find a seedling to take home and plant while you learn more about trees! Enjoy free tree-related giveaway items, activities for kids, tree planting instructions, and tree care information. The Tree Board provides a selection of tree species, and participants may select a free seedling while supplies last.
10 a.m. – 12 noon | Saturday, April 22, 2023
Tumwater Historical Park | 802 Deschutes Way SW, Tumwater, WA
For more information on the Arbor Day Celebration, contact Sustainability Coordinator Alyssa Jones Wood.
Fresh vegetables at a farm stand. City staff at the 2022 Earth Day work party.Art in the Parks!
The Parks & Recreation Department is hosting a new series of workshops – Art in the Parks! These classes are offered by the new Tumwater Arts program and funded by the Metropolitan Park District.
Poetry in the Park
A celebration of National Poetry Month. Attendees will meet up and talk about poetry, what it can do for us, and the many forms it can take. Attendees will set off to take a poetry walk and write a poem. They will then gather back together and those who want to share will have a chance.
1 - 3 p.m. | Saturday, April 29 | Historical Park.
Ages 14 and up. Fee: $15.
Photography in the Park
Take a photo walk through Historical Park and Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls. Network with other photographers, take photos throughout the two parks, then share what you have captured.
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Saturday, May 20 | Historical Park.
Ages 14 and up. Fee: $15.
Painting in the Park - Mount Rainier
In this workshop, Tara Hodge of The Travelling Artist will lead attendees through the creation of their own painting of Mount Rainier. All supplies are provided, as well as refreshments. Enjoy a pampered painting experience while taking in the breathtaking views at Overlook Park.
1 - 4 p.m. | Saturday, June 17 | Overlook Park.
Ages 14 and up. Fee: $40
More event info and online registration.
PLACES
Landlord-Tenant Page Up and Running
In conjunction with a number of new regulations and programs to assist with affordable housing, the City has launched a Landlord-Tenant Law webpage that includes the Renting in Tumwater Guide. This Guide was mailed to landlords with 5 or more units. Those
larger rental units must also register through the City business license system.
DRC Looks at Projects
The pace of pre-applications has slowed a little, but some proposals have still come to the Development Review Committee:
• Feasibility Review for a single family house at 3320 Sapp Road
• Preliminary Review for the Tumwater 30 Project – a 5-story multi-family project with 44 residential units and 70 parking spaces at 723 Israel Road.
• Feasibility Review of a 146 unit apartment complex on Tyee Drive, just west of the Toyota dealership.
• Feasibility Review of the expansion of International Wood Products at 3239 Kimmie St. SW. The project would include 66,000 s.f. of warehouse and office, storage yard, parking and landscaping.
INSIDE THE CITY
I seldom get to write about the City Attorney, but I’m going to this time. Karen Kirkpatrick has served as the attorney since 2006. Attorneys like to stay low profile; their primary task is to keep the rest of us out of trouble. Most of the time, that involves advising and guiding us for meetings and on ordinances, official actions, contracts, etc. Sometimes, it turns out that people and organizations take us to court. Karen and our litigation partners have a vital part in that response. To be clear, litigation risk happens across the organization and includes sewer issues, car accidents, police and fire, sidewalks and crosswalks, land use decisions, and even other jurisdictions that want a share of the City utility revenue.
Illustrating our Mission, Vision, or Beliefs in Action.
A recent example is the Hopkins Ditch District which attempted to claim a portion of City revenue to support District activities. Karen and her team negotiated a settlement that settles the Open Public Meeting Act claims, pays attorneys’ fees, and prevents the District from including properties in the City in the District, now or in the future.
Other examples of good work representing Tumwater are the dismissal of Tumwater from a case against Join Animal Services, settlement of litigation coming from land acquisition for the Trosper/Capitol Project, representing the City and joining several labor organizations in complex litigation involving the release of personal information about employees at the City and other jurisdictions, and representation of the City, City of Seattle, and others against the FCC before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The most recent case involves a 2020 incident that happened in the Tumwater Fred Meyer store, where Tumwater Police responded and issued a Trespass Warning to someone at the store’s request. The case was dismissed in Federal District Court, but we recently learned that the decision was also appealed.
Thank you, Karen, Sharleen, and your team, for working to keep us out of trouble and helping us when we are.
UPDATE: City Administrator Recruitment
The recruitment for a new City Administrator continues. The interview pool has been narrowed, and interviews will happen on the 14th and 18th of April. Additional details will be coming out about the schedule, including a tour of the City, panel interviews, and a public reception. Information about the candidates will be released prior to the interviews.
In other City Administrator news, a golf instructor for the soon-to-be-former City Administrator is shown helping him improve his game.
