402 Tacoma 1019 Pacific Avenue, Avenue S., Suite Suite 1216 200 PO Box 1303, TACOMA, WA TACOMA, 98402 WA 98401 PHONE (253) 627-4853 FAX (253) 627-2253
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014
Vol. CXXIII, No. 227
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE CITY OF TACOMA Devoted to the Courts, Real Estate, Finance, Industrial Activities, and Publication of Legal Notices Visit our Web site at at www.tacomadailyindex.com
Published Published Since Since 1890 1890
Pierce County News Pierce County Council approves 2015 budget Pierce County Council voted unanimously on Mon., Nov. 17, to adopt Pierce County's budget for 2015. Budget highlights include an additional $200,000 to the Sheriff's Department to hire two more fulltime deputies; preserving two deputy prosecutor positions that were set to expire due to the loss of grant funding; hiring eight additional corrections deputies at the Pierce County Jail; earmarking $100,000 to implement performance audit recommendations aimed at reducing overtime costs related to Pierce County's Corrections Bureau; $75,000 for the new Parkland-Spanaway Sheriff's Precinct, including $25,000 for Safe Streets programs; adding four case managers in response to the growing need in the Aging and Disability Resources program; keeping the total number of county staff positions at 3,000, the same as 2014 and 14 per cent less than 2009 levels; funding for an additional ferry run to Anderson Island, pending the results of a study currently being conducted; numerous road improvements to Canyon Road East between Frederickson and Waller; and improvements to Crystal Mountain Boulevard between State Route 410 and mile marker 3.25. The budget also calls for General Fund spending to increase by three per cent, to $281.8 million, due to an improving economy that results in higher collections in sales tax revenues and higher property values, according to Pierce County Council. Total county spending — including specific funds for roads, the airport and ferry system, stormwater and sewer systems, and more — would drop by 5.72 per cent, to $928.7 million, mostly due to lower spending on the multi-year expansion of the Chambers Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, according to Pierce County Council. The budget has been forwarded to Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy, who has 10 days from receipt to approve or veto it. The new budget takes effect on Thurs., Jan. 1. More information is available online at pierce-
LEGAL NOTICES BANKRUPTCIES LIENS ORDERS FEDERAL COURT AUDITORS OFFICE NEW BUSINESSES editor@tacomadailyindex.com
Port of Tacoma
4.7-acre tide flats site available for lease Port of Tacoma officials announced Friday a 4.7acre site on Tacoma's tide flats will be available for lease beginning in January 2015. The paved and fenced parcel (pictured), located at 1202 Port of Tacoma Road, is near shipping terminals, zoned Port Maritime Industrial, and accessible via Interstate 5 and State Route 509. More information is available online at portoftacoma.com. countywa.org. Pierce County Superior Court adds remote video appearances through CourtCall Attorneys and litigants now have the ability to appear remotely before Pierce County Superior Court through CourtCall Video, a private service that aims to save time and travel-related costs, Pierce County officials recently announced. Superior Court began using the video service this month for approved civil, criminal and family law matters. "We are happy to provide an additional service to attorneys and litigants that we believe will help speed processing of cases, make court appearances more convenient and reduce costs to participants," said Presiding Superior Court Judge Ronald Culpepper. CourtCall Video is browser-based and requires only a computer with Internet and a webcam. The company began a telephonic court appearance program in 1995 and expanded to video appearances to provide judicial officers, litigators, witnesses and jurors a convenient way to participate, according to Pierce County officials. There is no cost to participating courts and no equipment for courts to purchase. CourtCall's program is voluntary and those lawyers or other remote participants who wish to use the service pay a reasonable fee to do so in order to skip an expensive trip to Court.
Pedestrian improvements planned near Murray Morgan Bridge The City of Tacoma is accepting bids from contractors for a public works project to replace a handrail on the north side of South 11th Street between A Street and the Murray Morgan Bridge. Bid documents prepared by City of Tacoma staff show the project involves removing the existing metal handrail, guardrail, and associ-
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ated supports and bracing; patching the existing concrete structural walkway; and installing new galvanized metal guardrails and handrails. The project is estimated to cost between $30,000 and $40,000. The bid deadline expires at 11 a.m. on Thurs., Dec. 11. More information is available online at cityoftacoma.org.
The CourtCall Video service adds the visual element while retaining the flexibility and portability of its telephonic appearance system. "We always knew that video would be the next frontier and we are thrilled to have created a proprietary system designed specifically for Judges and lawyers," said CourtCall President Mark Wapnick. CourtCall has completed millions of telephonic court appearances for more than 2,500 judicial officers across North America, according to Pierce County officials. Pierce County celebrates #GISDAY with free Open Data Portal In celebration of International GIS Day, Pierce County is launching a free new site that aims to make it easy to research census data, zoning, local parks, property parcels, and more. The new Open Geospatial Data Portal makes the County's GIS data widely available to the public. Users can choose from categories such as census data or places of interest, search for specific topics, filter for desired data, and view data on the interactive map. Best of all, this data can be shared or saved as a spreadsheet, KML file for Google Maps, or shapefile. According to Pierce County officials, the new portal will help increase economic development, improve everyday decision-making, and enhance educational opportunities for County residents. Pierce County launched the new open data site on Weds., Nov. 19, in conjunction with International GIS Day, a celebration of geospatial technology and its power to better lives. The new site is online at gisdata.piercecowa.opendata.arcgis.com.
NOTE TO READERS
In observance of Thanksgiving Day, the Tacoma Daily Index will not be published on Thurs., Nov. 27 and Fri., Nov. 28. Publishing will resume on Mon., Dec. 1.