A Waterfront Tug of War
Tacoma’s city council demands a $100,000 fireboat to protect the harbor, sparking a heated debate over whether the Northern Pacific Railway should foot the bill.
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The city is to have plans for a fireboat. McCoy & Spear, naval architects, submitted plans, and Water Superintendent Whitney has others, but the council ordered Commissioner McGregor to hire McCoy & Spear to prepare plans for a $100,000 firetug for $1,000. Councilmen Armstrong and Lynn argued that funds should be secured before incurring expenses. It was noted that the Northern Pacific Railway avoids paying taxes to the city that would amount to over $50,000 a year, and Armstrong argued that if the city must maintain a fireboat to protect the railway’s extensive waterfront interests, the N.P. should help pay for it. Other council members, including Doud, argued for acquiring the boat regardless of financing, while others were concerned about the tax-dodging railway’s contribution. The council eventually voted to proceed with the planning phase.
“If the city is to keep a fireboat to protect the great waterfront of the N.P., which pays no taxes, the N.P. should help on it.”
Tacoma’s long-standing tension regarding the Northern Pacific Railway’s massive, tax-exempt waterfront footprint mirrors ongoing modern debates about how major corporations and industrial stakeholders contribute to the public infrastructure that sustains their operations.
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