Effective service on the City Council requires the judgment, knowledge and experience Linda has acquired over 14 years as your University Place City Council Member.
Linda’s priorities:
Linda’s record as your Council Member and Mayor for 14 years speaks for itself.
Public Safety
Fourteen years ago, the community had an average of .68 deputies on duty per shift each day. Adding additional police officers has been a top priority for Linda. In 2009 the city averages between 3-5 deputies on duty per shift. Since incorporation, crime has dropped over 30% and University Place continues to have one of the lowest crime rates in the region.
With Linda’s guidance and direction the City has organized 78 neighborhood watch programs, and offers a Multi -Family Crime Prevention program for all local apartment complexes that wish to participate. A “School Resource Officer” is on site at Curtis Jr. and Senior High School throughout the school year. Last year, as Mayor, she implemented a “Code Red” emergency notification program. Over 8,000 households have already signed up to receive free emergency and safety notifications.
Balanced Budget
Linda’s leadership and consensus building skills helped balance the City budget in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. In this challenging economy, Linda’s knowledge and years of experience in city budgeting are critical to ensuring the financial integrity, and stability of the City.
In 2008, the city received its fifth consecutive “Distinguished Budget” award, and is eleventh consecutive Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. The City’s bond rating remains among the best in Washington. Moody’s credit rating board states, “ The City has “strong financial leadership from the City Council”.
Accessible and Accountable Government
Linda Bird is accessible and accountable to the concerns of citizens in the community. One of the first changes Linda implemented when she became Mayor was, broadcasting all regular council meetings on UPTV. She instigated a monthly “Cookies with Council” forum at 6:30 PM on the last Tuesday of each month to personally answer questions and listen to citizen concerns.
When citizens became concerned about delays in the Town Center Development, she initiated a performance audit of the entire project. All of the recommendations from that report have been implemented in the Town Center project.
Keeping Government Small and Efficient
University Place, with 62 full time employees, has one of the smallest employees to citizen ratios in the Puget Sound region. Most Puget Sound cities of comparable size have around 60 employees per 10,000 residents. By comparison, University Place has 20 employees per 10,000 residents.
Building Community
Linda believes that city council members must promote activities that a build a strong, “connected” community. She is a co- founder of the Friends of Homestead Park, and coordinates the University Place Spring Flower Show and Plant Sale. She serves on the committee that sponsors Duck Daze/Treasures in the Park, and helps sell ice cream at the Orchard concerts to raise money for park projects. Whether it is “Make a Difference Day” or “Parks Appreciation Day”, you will find Linda pulling weeds or planting flowers in Homestead Park. Linda and her husband Albert are also University Place Festival sponsors.
Linda is the Co-Chairman of the “Playground By the Sound” Committee, a volunteer group working to build a community playground in the North Meadow of the Chambers Creek Project. The children of the community are designing the playground. Linda will help community volunteers build it in June of 2010, at the conclusion of a community fundraising drive.
Sensible Land Use Planning
In 1995, years of explosive growth had eroded the “sense of community” that had been the hallmark of University Place. Between 1980 and 1990 the community grew by forty-two percent. The County Comprehensive Plan was out of date. University Place needed a community plan and zoning code that was fair, predictable, and less prone to special interest manipulation.
Linda has been an advocate for sensible land use planning since 1987. Her knowledge of zoning and land use issues were key to the development of the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code. A core policy throughout the entire plan is to “protect local neighborhood character and values” and “protect natural areas, green belts and open spaces within the City of University Place.”
Expanded Parks and Recreation Programs
14 years ago University Place had only five acres of developed parks and seventeen acres of open space. There were no city playgrounds or tot lots. The local park district provided recreation services (youth softball) to about 1,000 recreation customers per year.
Today there are 121 acres of parks and open space in the City, including ball fields, a skate park, three playgrounds, a community orchard, a spectacular Rhododendron Garden, and the beautiful Kobayashi property on Leach Creek. A joint partnership with Pierce County has resulted in approximately six miles of walking trails, and open space in the North and Central Meadows at the Chambers Creek properties near the Chambers Bay Golf Course.
The City recreation department offers approx 1,050 classes and programs and serves over 16,000 participants per year. They offer programs for children, teens and adults, and seniors. The City also provides a full service Senior Center offering weekly drop-in programs, trips and tours, classes, health and fitness programs and lunch each Friday!
Sidewalks, Street lights and more...
Linda has made traffic and pedestrian safety a priority throughout her service on the City Council. She has been a strong supporter of building sidewalks along all the major streets in the city. (She was lobbying the county for sidewalks long before incorporation) Since 1995, under her guidance and leadership the city has built over TWENTY THREE MILES of sidewalks, installed 1,072 street lights, planted 2,445 street trees, & built bike lanes along most of the arterial roads in the City.
Low City Tax Rates
Linda promised the voters in 1994 that if we incorporated as a City it would result in a “lower city property tax rate and higher service levels then if we had remained in Pierce County.”
In 2009, University Place has the lowest CITY TAX RATE of any city our size in the state. The average homeowner has saved over $1,500 in property taxes during the past 14 years as a result of incorporation.
In 1995 the city tax rate was $2.10 per thousand in assessed value (AV). In 1996 it dropped to $1.60 per thousand AV. It has continued to decline. In 2009 the City tax rate is 1.06 per thousand AV. The city gets about 10% of the property tax you pay each year. The rest of your property taxes are distributed among the schools, the state, and the fire and library district. In 2009 a house valued at $280,000 paid about $300 per year in City taxes.
Economic Development
Surviving the current economic situation will require communities to tackle the challenges of creating jobs, developing their economies, and competing regionally for tax dollars to provide services in the community.
Growing a long-term tax base is essential for University Place. Initiatives such as I695 eliminated the state Sales Tax Equalization Program. The 1% limit on property tax collection increases have had a significant impact on the City’s ability to hire additional police, build more sidewalks, parks, and street lighting.
The solution to this problem is not higher taxes. Linda believes we must “re-capture” the sales taxes our residents are paying for goods and services they purchase outside of our city. A redeveloped town center business district that offers goods and services not currently available in the City will keep local spending and tax dollars working for the citizens and businesses of University Place.