By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch An attempt by citizens to block construction of a new office building for Pierce County government is moving forward without the threat of being sued by the county. The County Council last week canceled a lawsuit that County Executive Pat McCarthy requested in an attempt to stop a citizen-launched referendum against the $126.9 million office project.-á The county prosecuting attorney's office filed the lawsuit Feb. 27 against Jerry Gibbs, a Gig Harbor resident who initiated the referendum two days earlier. The council's action March 10 means if Gibbs and fellow petitioners collect at least 24,427 signatures of registered voters within 120 days, the referendum will be added to the general election ballot in November, giving voters the say on whether the general services building project should go forward. The council voted Feb. 17 to authorize the start of construction in March of the building at the county-owned site of the former Puget Sound Hospital in Tacoma. If it stays on schedule, officials expect the nine-story building, which would be a central location for many county departments, could be finished and fully occupied by November 2016. Before the council approved the project, Councilman Jim McCune unsuccessfully requested an advisory vote by the public on whether it supports the project. He and other opponents questioned the cost and location of the new building and its projected savings in county office costs. McCarthy claims the latter would go down because of less leased office space and centralization of county agencies. At last week's council meeting, a 4-3 vote by council members derailed the lawsuit. McCune was joined by Doug Richardson, Joyce McDonald and Dan Roach in the majority. They contended that it's wrong to challenge citizens' use of the referendum process. After the vote, McCarthy continued to defend the lawsuit and criticized the council for not standing by it. She said the prosecutor's office "advises that this particular issue does not meet the scope of the referendum power under the Pierce County Charter. There is case law to support that. Unfortunately, a majority of the County Council bowed to political pressure, even though this could set a terrible precedent that the most basic administrative actions of government can be derailed by the simple act of signing a piece of paper.GÇ¥ According to McCarthy, no tax increases are necessary to cover the cost of the new building because it will save taxpayers money by: "Getting the county out of eight commercial leases for 150,000 square feet, and spending that $3.2 million on the new building. " Eliminating 38 county positions through centralization that reduces the need for redundant jobs. That would add up to $120 million in savings over 30 years. Also helping pay for the building will be rent money from Tacoma-Pierce County Department of Health, which plans to move its offices to the new building, and retail space that will be rented to a coffee shop and deli. Money will also come from the eventual sale of the Pierce County Annex, a building in Tacoma that houses the auditor, assessor-treasurer and other county agencies.
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