Tacoma’s City Council Is Leaving City Hall—and Heading South

South Tacoma residents who want to speak directly to the full Tacoma City Council ordinarily have to travel downtown to the Tacoma Municipal Building. On September 30, the council is coming to them.

Tacoma’s mayor and eight council members will hold an in-district meeting at STAR Center, 3873 South 66th Street. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the meeting begins at 6.

The meeting was originally scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, at City Hall. It has been moved to Wednesday evening and relocated to South Tacoma as part of the council’s effort to hold meetings in the communities it represents.

For South Tacoma residents, the benefit is straightforward: participating in city government will not require finding transportation downtown, locating parking near the Municipal Building or navigating an unfamiliar government building. Instead, the council will conduct its business inside a neighborhood community center many local families already know.

This is not simply a town hall or informal listening session. It will be an official City Council business meeting, followed by a Community Forum that allows residents to raise broader concerns directly with elected officials.

Public comment during the business portion is generally limited to matters appearing on the council’s agenda. The Community Forum is different. It is designed to gather input about city services, policy decisions and other issues within the council’s authority—even if they are not part of that evening’s agenda.

That could give South Tacoma residents an opportunity to speak about concerns involving public safety, street conditions, housing, neighborhood development, parks, transportation or other city services without waiting for those subjects to appear on a future council agenda.

Community Forum speakers ordinarily receive as much as three minutes, although the time may be reduced if many people want to participate. The forum can continue for as long as two hours.

Holding the meeting at STAR Center does not guarantee that South Tacoma concerns will dominate the council’s official agenda. It does, however, lower one of the barriers that can prevent residents from participating: the expectation that they must always come to City Hall rather than City Hall occasionally coming to them.

There is one important limitation. The September 30 meeting will be conducted entirely in person, without the usual virtual attendance option. People who cannot attend may submit written comments to the City Clerk at [email protected]. Written comments should be received at least 24 hours before the meeting to become part of the official record.

The complete agenda will be published closer to the meeting date.

Tacoma’s in-district City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, September 30, at STAR Center, 3873 South 66th Street. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.