Some bits of business…
Future Agendas
Future Agendas is the closest thing the City currently has to a calendar of upcoming City Council topics. It’s not dynamic, ie. you have to click it every time you want to see a new version. And it’s not always accurate. But until we develop a genuine calendar, this can be very useful if there is a particular issue you don’t want to miss.
New Contest! Report Card! Prizes!
At the next City Council meeting (see below), the Council will be updating a document called Vision/Mission/Values. This is the first time we’ve done this since 2018. I converted that 2018 statement into a Report Card. I’d like you to give each item a grade–how well you think the Council has done over the past six years, then email it back and I’ll share with the City. jcharris@desmoineswa.gov. As usual, best answer wins a tasty dinner. Everyone else wins undying gratitude.
2018 CITY OBJECTIVES REPORT CARD
Election Results
Proposition #1 (the tax levy lid lift) has failed. Again. Since I did not support it, I should be happy. I’m not. It needlessly caused even more division in Des Moines. Some observations:
The turnout was 70%. The thing lost by 20%–7-ish points worse than last time. But that increase was simply an amplification due to the higher turnout, not some ‘bigger message’.
As before, it only had majority support in three precinct, the three most elderly communities (Marina, Judson, Wesley). Taken as a whole, the Marina District (ie. ‘the down town’) surely does have sketchy late night behaviour. But the Marina floor has a private security service (provided by the City). The other two constituencies are not property owners and arguably in the safest cohort in the City. Make of this what you will.
IMO, the con side did not do themselves any favours. However, I read major mis-information on both sides which breaks my heart. Yes, I mean you. Shame. There were enough fair arguments on both sides that such exaggerations were completely unnecessary. And since everything is about me, when anyone does that just to ‘win’ it makes my job that much harder.
In other good news, I-2217 also failed, which means that the Climate Commitment Act stays in place–and for that I am very grateful. This will mean more money for Des Moines. Over the decades, the State has been keeping more and more of the tax pie and giving less and less back to cities. Anything that shifts that balance is a good thing.
City Manager Stuff
Here is the first Weekly Report from incoming City Manager Katherine Caffrey. It is very good. Ms. Caffrey comes to us from Texas and in getting to know here I would encourage you to read a bit about Cedar Park, a place where 1men are men… and councilmembers run for re-election every two years. From what I’ve read of their politics so far, she is obviously much tougher than my delicate PNW sensibilities. 😀 Which is probably a very good thing. Welcome.
https://jcharrisfordesmoines.com/bookmark/city-manager-report-11-08-2024/
As has become something of a habit, I’m publishing a replica, because the City has made the questionable decision of switching from PDFs to pages which don’t allow one to look back. And I am all about looking back. 😀 Every document the City generates should persist. And as soon as it’s not Ms. Caffrey’s first week on the job 2I will mention it.
This Week
Tuesday: Port of Seattle Commission Meeting. The Commission will approve the 2025 budget, which I discussed a couple of weeks ago. The top line: they are rolling in money, due to record airport operations. We get zilch. And we should start wondering why we haven’t gotten in on the gravy train.
Wednesday: SAMP Open House Mt. Rainier High School I’m borrowing a flyer from our friends at Sea-Tac Noise.Info because it really sums it up. The Sustainable Airport Master Plan (aka ‘the SAMP’) Public Comment period has opened. The SAMP is the environmental review for the airport’s next major expansion–which has already begun and will increase flight operations as much in the next ten years as they have in the last ten years.
Learn how this process works and how YOU can comment!
Thursday November 14: SR-509 Community Presentation for Blueberry Lane If yer short on time, here is a direct link to the info most Des Moines residents will want to see: SR 509/24th Avenue South to South 188th Street – I live in, work in, or travel through Des Moines, SeaTac, and southern Burien. If you have questions or concerns about construction at any time, you can contact their 24-hour hotline, 206-225-0674, or SR509Construction@wsdot.wa.gov.
Thursday: City Council Study Session: Note the extra-special time of 5:00pm. City Council Retreat – 14 Nov 2024 – Agenda This is four hours of Mission/Values and whatever. 😀 Sorry, but there’s only so much I can take of platitudes like this from the 2018 version:
“Create a vibrant, inviting, livable, safe and sustainable waterfront community, while enbracing change for the future and respecting our history.”
I too long for world peace, an end to hunger, and a decaf that tastes as good as the real thing. But for now, I’d prefer we limit this thing to a very short list of things with measurable goals.
Again, I ask you to read the 2018 version, and participate in my little contest above. Tell me how you think we did.
Last Week
Wednesday: I had my first one-on-one meeting with new City Manager Katherine Caffrey. She graciously consented to take the Sea-Tac Noise.Info Tree Tour. Actually, I totally misled her and gave her the APE tour. 😀 Basically, I drove her to the south end of town and showed her where the noise boundary (the DNL65) used to end—near Woodmont Elementary. And then showed her where it ends now, which is just north of Des Moines Elementary.
The APE is the Area Of Potential Effect in the SAMP Draft EA document. That’s the blue region immediately around the airport. The APE is basically the only area being studied for impacts to air, noise, water, etc.
The red area is the old DNL65–the region within which many of you were able to get Port Packages–this is more like the real impact area for people living in Des Moines.
The graphic shows you the main reason the SAMP is calling for no mitigation of noise or air pollution or community impacts. The go-to move regulators is not to say ‘no’. Instead, they simply make the rules something totally legal, and completely unjust. That’s the SAMP. The Port doesn’t need to do anything about airport operations over Des Moines, because the ‘impacted area’ does not include Des Moines. Well played, Port of Seattle.
This is why we must push back. Please subscribe to Sea-Tac Noise.Info. And show up for the Open House this Wednesday @ 6:00pm at Mt. Rainier High School.
PS: If you’d like the real tree tour, a one hour walking/driving tour of the history surrounding the airports–and what is coming in the next decade? We now have three different ones because there’s (literally) just too much ground to cover. STNI a message: trees@seatacnoise.info
1jk 🙂
2Along with about TWO BILLION other IT and communication bitches. 😀 I kill me.