Healthy Council

After hearing the recommendations of a citizen’s committee earlier in the day, the Tacoma City Council voted Tuesday to grant City Council members the same access to the city’s health care program as part-time city employees. Previously, Council members were allowed to buy into the program for the full price of $1,030 per month. Now, after agreeing with recommendations from the citizen’s committee, City Council members will be able to obtain health insurance through Tacoma for a monthly premium of $189.40. City Council members are paid $36,026 a year and typically work 32 hours a week.

Voting to grant themselves health benefits obviously made some members of the Council a little uneasy — if for no other reason than appearance — but Councilman Rick Talbert cast the lone “no” vote Tuesday.



Allowing Council members access to the City’s health program was originally suggested by former Councilman Bill Evans, who at the time was one of the only Council members paying for health insurance out of his Council salary. The citizen’s committee was created to review the idea.



“When I made the decision to run for City Council, I did so with the understanding that affordable health care benefits would not be available through the City,” says Councilwomen Marilyn Strickland, who left her job at the Tacoma Public Library to run for office.



“Even if I had not run for office, I would support the idea of providing access to affordable health care to City Council members,” she continues. “Most Council members are already covered through their employers or spouses. I don’t anticipate a stampede of City Council members leaving their current health care plans to join the City’s plan, but I’m sure a few will consider it and compare plans. This decision is as much about the future of the City Council as it is about the current group that serves. This could affect our ability to attract a broad base of qualified candidates for future elections. Access to affordable health care may not be an incentive to run for office, but offering it may remove a potential barrier.” — Matt Driscoll

No Link to Seattle

More than 9,000 people responded to Sound Transit’s call for feedback that will help shape mass transit in the Puget Sound region.



Sound Transit officials suggested that voters overwhelmingly support expansion of public transit, despite rejection of Propostion 1, which would have funded a host of transportation improvements and projects. The agency is working to reformulate a package that would emphasize just transit expansions, and would seek to emphasize projects that are cheap and fast.



The new package is expected to leave out a component crucial to Tacoma residents — connection of Link Light Rail lines in Tacoma to lines that would connect the city to Seattle. Tacoma-area advocates struggled to get Sound Transit officials to extend the Seattle line to Tacoma. Sound Transit officials seemed to hope that substituting “Tacoma” for “Fife” in documents and conversations about the terminus would have been enough. Tacoma-area improvements often take a back seat to Seattle-area improvements because funding and bragging rights depend on ridership increases.

Sound Transit officials are currently exploring a new voter package that may end up on the ballot in November. The package is still under review, but would likely include money for expansion of Sounder Commuter Rail Service and extension of Light Rail service in Tacoma to Tacoma General Hospital. — Joe Malik

Digital trim

A long time broadcasting instructor at Bates Technical College has been accused of storing improper material on his computer, at least according to a report published in the News Tribune on Tuesday. Since the investigation is still ongoing, officials at Bates Technical College wouldn’t comment on the nature of the accusations, except to say the instructor is currently on administrative leave and will remain so until the conclusion of a hearing being carried out by three Bates faculty members, a student and a college administrator to determine the validity of the accusations. Such hearings are provided for by the faculty union’s collective bargaining agreement. Those involved with the hearing will make a determination on the issue and then make a recommendation to Bates’ board of trustees.



As of deadline on Wednesday, the hearing was still ongoing according to Bates’ Publication Specialist Mary Coffee.



“It’s a closed door hearing since it’s a personal matter. I don’t have any new information today. I don’t have a clue when the hearing will conclude, but when it does, the decision will be sent to the board of trustees and a decision will be made.”

Keep an eye on our blog, Spew, for updates. —MD