Office of Jani Hitchen, Pierce County Council, District 6 announcement.
As many of you know, there are some changes in the makeup of the Council. I shared that we would have a majority woman-led Council for the first time. I am excited to introduce and work with the new District 4 Councilmember, Rosie Ayala. Although her committees are yet to be determined, her legislative priorities include:
- housing and homelessness service
- safety and violence reduction
- workforce and employment
- social, emotional, and mental health support
- environmental justice
Ayala is a resident of South Tacoma and a first-generation Chicana Mexican-American joining the Council in 2025. She is leaving a vacancy on the Metro Parks Tacoma Board of Commissioners and her work as the Director of Operations for a non-profit that works with youth and young adults, focusing on improving education and life outcomes based on opportunity.
I am excited to have her experiences on the dais, as she grew up with a family that picked fruit and provided farm labor. She was the first in her family to obtain an education beyond elementary school, and she didn’t stop there, earning a master’s degree in organization systems. Her energy in her professional and volunteer spaces has continued to be about removing barriers and improving systems to create pathways for success.
We will also appoint a new District 5 Councilmember on Jan. 7. With Councilmember Campbell leaving us to become our next Assessor-Treasurer, we must fill the vacancy. The democratic precinct committee officers (PCOs) living in Council District 5 selected three names. We will interview the candidates during the first meeting of the year and then choose one to join us.
What’s to Come
Once we know the entire makeup of the Council, we can set our new committee assignments and our outside boards and commissions. We will also hold a Council retreat to set our budget priorities for this year. Because we are on a biennial budget, one of the significant tasks we have before us this year is setting the 2026-2027 budget. This project starts with the Council identifying areas of interest, priorities, and possible reductions.
We know we have allocated all of our American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and have less revenue. We also know that the state will have a funding gap, and there is a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the funds from the federal level. That said, we still must find a way to run our county government services, of which over 70% is public safety. It takes time to bring two new members along in how all the different departments work, and we also have a new Executive. There’s lots of change all around.
Changes in District 6
I have a couple of highlights to share that impact those who call District 6 home.
- Our ferry fares have traditionally increased annually to adjust for cost increases. There has been some excellent dialogue with our new ferry director, island residents, the school district, and the town of Steilacoom about our 2-boat service. We are looking at shifting the days served to be more in line with the weekends, which genuinely need more service in the summer. For the first time I could find, we had to turn away walk-on customers last summer during a holiday weekend. The Planning and Public Works team will lead the efforts to share the changes, but I will get them out as soon as they are final.
- Blue Zones is starting the new year with a new calendar of events in the Parkland-Spanaway area. They are continuing their cooking classes (in English and Spanish) and walking moais but are adding volunteer events, Zumba, and financial literacy opportunities. They also have welcomed a new Executive Director, Queena Tupou. It was an amusing coincidence, and we didn’t realize this until further into her work with Blue Zones when she was one of my students at Lochburn Middle School over 20 years ago. We truly live in a small world.
- Several construction projects, including the closure of Spanaway Loop Road, have caused inconvenience but should be wrapping up soon. We are also looking at projects along Steele Street, C Street, and other projects for trail work in the Parkland, Chambers Bay Canyon, and DuPont areas.
While these are not the only changes, I wanted to inform people of some of the important highlights. If something is going on that you want me to be aware of, please send me an email or contact my office. I am always happy to use the available tools to keep people informed.
Jon Harrison says
Go Trump!
Timothy Johnson says
Amen!
Valerie says
Janie, thanks for sharing. Good to know the current plan.