Community Government
City council approves buying 11 more acres for new conservation area
The Gig Harbor City Council on Monday approved a proposal to purchase 11 additional acres to add to the city’s txwaalqəł conservation area. The purchase includes approximately 500 feet along North Creek and more than three acres of wetlands.
This brings the total area of the txwaalqəł conservation land to 51.95 acres, according to Parks Manager Jennifer Haro. It’s located on Harborview Drive north of Donkey Creek Park.
The Great Peninsula Conservancy negotiated the purchase from Walter and Carolyn Brooks of Federal Way. A $607,134 grant from the Pierce County Conservation Futures Fund covered most of the cost.
Three smaller grants – from the Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation, Gig Harbor Rotary and the KGI Watershed Council – also supported the $676,000 purchase.
The only cost to the city was for city staff time and an environmental site assessment, Haro said. The city did not use general fund money for the purchase.
The city will create a management plan for the property, which will remain undeveloped.
The txwaalqəł Conservation Area along North Harborveiew Driec.
Financial update
City Finance Director Dave Rodenbach reported that general fund revenues are “really tracking well” with the budget. Sales tax revenue is at 73% of the 2023-24 biennial budget and property tax revenue is at 77%, he said.
Building permit revenue for the second quarter of 2024 is $375,921, compared to $283,158 in 2023. General fund expenditures are at 62% of the budget: actual expenditures are $24,471,353, compared to $39,655,597 budgeted. Water, Sewer and Storm fund revenues and expenditures are also tracking as predicted.
Lodging tax grant to Chamber of Commerce
The council approved an annual Lodging Tax grant of $480,000 to the Chamber of Commerce to provide marketing services for the city in 2025 and 2026. The chamber will use the money to attract visitors to Gig Harbor, particularly targeting tourists from Portland, Southern California, Arizona and Idaho.
The chamber’s grant application indicates it also plans to target soccer fans visiting the region for the 2026 men’s FIFA World Cup. Six matches of the international tournament will be played in Seattle.
The chamber has served as the city’s direct marketing organization since 2022.
Upcoming meetings
The council meets for a study session at 3 p.m. Thursday, July 25, at the Civic Center on Grandview Street. Agenda items include discussion of updated financial policies, aquifer levels at city wells, a potential signage donation from Rotary and appointees to the arts commission and the Design Review Board. The meeting can also be accessed via Zoom.