Tacoma faces two legal challenges over new business model for Click

Two parties have gone to court to try to put to a vote of the public the city of Tacoma’s proposal to enter into a private-public partnership to manage Click, the municipal cable and internet network. Both cases, filed recently in Pierce County Superior Court, contend the proposal violates the city’s charter, a charge the city rejects. The section of the charter in dispute is Section 4.6, titled, “Disposal of Utility Properties.” It states: “The City shall never sell, lease, or dispose of any utility system, or parts thereof essential to continued effective utility service, unless and until such disposal is approved by a majority vote of the electors voting thereon at a municipal election in the manner provided in this charter and in the laws of this state.”