Weekly Update 02/02/2025

Some bits of business…

Unusual weather we’re having, ain’t it?

By the time you read this DPW crews will have already been up for hours spreading truckloads of deicer, sand, and ¹opium poppies just like this. All to keep you sleeepy… er… safe. It is a very challenging job. But in my time here, this is one of those core functions our City has always seemed to do particularly well. It’s especially notable because it’s not like this happens every day. However they do it, this is a very good thing considering that even a sixteenth of an inch of snow can be enough to turn half the town into a bumper car lot.

Snow Plow Information

Contest

I had only one entry. But since there were no right or wrong answers, everyone’s a winner! The prize? A gift card to Iris and Peony, which just opened! (I keep tellin’ ya – the prizes are cool. And with Valentines Day coming? You really should be making more of an effort. 😀 )

The contest was “…watch the last Economic Development Committee Meeting and write at least two sentences on how different the last Econo it was..”

Two things I was hoping someone would notice were:

• New City Manager Caffrey mentions performing an economic analysis of the revenue potential for various land uses! Gobsmacked was I.
• New City Manager Caffrey (I’ll stop saying ‘new’ as soon as residents stop saying it 😀 ) suggested that the ongoing revenue potential of residential (non-commercial) property tax is not great. Also gobsmacking. For her! 😀

This has tremendous implications. We all want this City to have the money to provide great services. But for a very long time, I’ve honestly struggled to understand how much money we need for various tasks. We’re not unique in that way. But most, smaller cities here don’t aspire to be ‘the premier waterfront destination in Puget Sound’, either. Despite those pretensions, we’re a ‘bedroom community’ which does not make enough from the bedrooms to pay the bills. As such we need to know what the real income potential of this six square miles really is. Sooner would be better. 🙂 Anyone who expresses a desire to quantify these things, like a for-realz management system, makes my heart swell three sizes. And inspired a contest. 🙂

Highline School Board Director Opening

One other thing while I’m on a roll (tax roll, get it?) Last week I bemoaned the resignation of HSD Directors Hagos and Petrini. If you want to ‘blame’ someone for high taxes, schools have got to start being in that mix. They get far more of your taxes, and in fact, over fifty percent of the State budget.

I’m not saying you are not taxed to death. What I’m saying is that you should hold every taxing authority to account – not just in terms of dollars, but in terms of quality.

Last year, you told us to try and provide more value for money. Message received. But we must have good schools here to be a great city and currently, by any metric, we do not. And to fix that, we will need a School Board that demands the same improvements you expect of us. Please apply for the open Position #5 on the Highline School Board now!

City Manager Stuff

City Manager’s Report January 31, 2025 What, no recipe? However, some good information on Animal Control.

No Comment

Speaking of which, I want to reiterate something I said last week. I like when the City gets ahead of information because people freak out. Especially about animals. This banner image from the Waterland Blog says one thing while the article headline says “City of Des Moines reduces animal control services amid budget constraints.” One is accurate. The other is not. Which one do you think people wig out over? The City has not ‘canceled’ animal control services. Yes, they are reduced – temporarily. Not ideal. But not ‘canceled’. What I find frustrating is that the WB seems to have stopped accepting comments on their articles – so how does one correct errors like this?

This Week

Wednesday: King County Flood Control District (Agenda)

Thursday:  Finance Committee – 06 Feb 2025 – Agenda Highlight: Ordinance 1561 (rescinding limits on using one-time money

Thursday: Public Safety Public Safety_Emergency Management Committee – 06 Feb 2025 – Agenda First meeting of year: Planning Calendar, Code enforcement update

Thursday: Study Session – 06 Feb 2025 – Agenda – Pdf Highlights:

1. Marina Steps/Redondo Fishing Pier financing
2. Airport Committee
3. Planning Commission

Is that all? 😀

February 6 by the numbers…

#1 Marina Steps

The City’s recommendation is to spend another $100k on a Value Engineer process. Essentially, you pay someone to fit the project to your budget – either by finding efficiencies or scaling back the ‘nice-to-haves’ in order to preserve (or perhaps even improve) the core product. The dream of such an exercise produces a diamond even more valuable than the original… er… rock. 😀 (Sorry. I’m trying.)

To paraphrase what I wrote the (new) City Manager…

The preferred option is to spend another $100,000 of public money on a train going in the wrong direction?

…which I’m sure she appreciated. 😀

To her credit, she’s a far better sport than previous management. I’m just particularly snippy today because before her arrival when I asked super-nicely if we could evaluate the project in separate pieces, I was told over and over and over…

“But nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo”

That’s my John Belushi voice.

This is not Ms. Caffrey’s fault. VE is a responsible option. Here’s another

1. Put aside a small amount of money into the boat launch, during the current permit window, so we can move forward with a dry stack boat storage system. Every other Marina has had one for a long time. In fact, it’s the only new money maker in the entire master plan and it’s been on the board for 25 years. That is the baseline for my support on anything in this discussion. Marina. Redondo. Anything. If we cannot set aside even small amounts of money to do what other businesses already do, and generate revenue to reduce future dock replacement costs, and thus protect the future of the Marina? We should all resign.

2. Assuming there is support  among my colleagues, I’m open to setting aside sufficient moneys to do the Redondo Fishing Pier in 2025. (This week’s cover image is from a 2023 presentation called ³Des Moines: Journey To Our Future which is the last overview of all this stuff I could find.) I have not pressed for several reasons, not least of which is that the Council majority has repeatedly prioritised the Steps. However, even if there were such agreement, nothing is that simple. Say it again: the City may not make the 2025 ‘fish window’. The bid process will take time. So, we could vote for that, make the fish window, and still find higher costs in a couple of months. Or, not make the fish window, plan on 2026, and costs will likely again change. And as if that weren’t enough variables, maybe it’s nothing, but this week’s headlines are filled with jazz about tariffs and immigration and general economic uncertainty.

3. The current design does not kill me, but I have always supported some form of connectivity between 223rd and the Marina Floor. But I want that as part of a holistic design that integrates the Marina, Dry Stack, the 223 Green Streets and the Estuary (Beach Park.) All. One. Thing.

Whatever the Council decides, my hope is that all my colleagues (and you, dear reader) understand that all four of those projects must happen at some point. Apart from design, stop stressing about sequencing and start focusing on not wasting money. We bought these bonds. This stuff is like water in the desert. It’s too precious to waste. So rather than fighting about what goes when, let’s use the money we have to get whatever done as efficiently as possible.

This is the same problem we ran into last week — an ongoing lack of compromise. There is a compromise path on almost every issue — including the toughest ones. I just put one up for one of my least fave issues.

Apart from everything else, what may make everyone even more stubborn is the notion, “If we don’t get this done now, it’ll never happen!” It’s a reasonable fear. I just watched my hope for Barnes Creek Trail — something I assumed was happening for a decade — evaporate in six days. It hurts.

Planning Commission: Yes

At least a partial solution is a Public Planning Commission. It should never have gone away. However, the packet narrative is entirely accurate as to some of the weaknesses of what we had. To paraphrase Ben Franklin, “A planning commission, sir. If you can keep it.”

A planning commission is no panacea. My main interest is in having some form of digital presence, which I’m calling ‘Virtual City'(tm) where residents, potential residents, realtors and developers can go and see what we have planned.

What I never want to hear again is someone screaming “If I had known (x) was coming I never would have moved here!”

Re-instating the PPC will help prevent that. And my hope is that it might also reassure electeds that when we decide on a ‘vision’ it has a good chance of coming to fruition — even if that cannot not happen while they are still in office.

Circling back to the Fishing Pier. I’m pretty sure that Journey To Our Future image of the Fishing Pier deck is wrong. IIRC, this is the current design. See how the floor is no longer 100% ‘see through’? Although the salmon love it, a surprising number of humans hate it. Gives ’em vertigo. We went through multiple re-designs to get this split design so that people have an opaque section. I’m just putting this out there to demonstrate that these things really do change.

#3 Airport Committee: Meh

I would much prefer that interested residents help create a joint committee with Burien – the city we share interests with when it comes to Sea-Tac Airport.

This brings up this constant narrative of ‘talking out of both sides of your mouth’. Why on earth would you be against an airport committee, Mr. Airport Guy? For the same reason I was against having a special meeting of the City Council to discuss FIFA. Because I actually know something about the subject. 🙂 (Who said I can’t be brief? 🙂 )

I am ‘the airport guy’. However, I was not consulted on this proposal. And it is terrible, which is unsurprising having been proposed and written by the most pro-Port people on the Council. I know how much some of you want to do ‘something’ about the airport. Me too. It’s the reason I ran for office in 2019. But this is not it. That may sound snippy, but we need to stop treating this like a participation prize where everyone who wants to be involved is a winner. There are right answers and wrong answers. We tried this in 2018-2019 and it was a disaster.

I ran for office, literally, to change this approach, after decades of insincerity. The incumbent I ran against was a Port employee, members of the last airport committee opposed me, and a recent mayor now works for the Port as their lobbyist to us. In 2022 the current mayor and last mayor went to the Port of Seattle and offered up Des Moines Creek West with both hands. We are infested.

Like StART, a failure of a group advocated for by the last airport committee, this new committee must be seen as greenwashing; a bad faith attempt to continue to prevent positive change. That is no reflection on any community members who may want to participate. As with StART, people sign up with the best of intentions. But this is a bigger game and we cannot allow ourselves to continue to be used like this.

The only reason we don’t get anywhere with the airport is that they have people who work these issues continuously over many years and we have… well… moi. 🙂

If you truly wanna do something meaningful about the airport? Please subscribe to STNI. And participate in the Burien Airport Committee. Turn that into a shared committee that works for both cities.

Last Week

Tuesday: Port of Seattle Commission (Agenda). The Port did not keep its promise to report back on the SIRRPP (Port Packages). However, they signed an international tourism marketing agreement that will gin up more flights.  A last minute amendment by Commissioner Mohamed to limit the agreement to not promoting additional operations failed. Boo. 🙁

Wednesday: Highline Forum (Materials) All the cities shared their various legislative agenda re. the airport. Spoiler alert: the only City with anything even remotely useful SAMP-wise? Des Moines. 🙂

City Council Recap

Thursday: 6:00pm    Study Session – 30 Jan 2025 – Agenda – Updated

Executive Session

We discussed real estate having nothing to do with the WSDOT Surplus. The City Attorney provided a useful detail. A City cannot have an ES on a piece of property unless it would jeopardise the sale price. In the case of the WSDOT parcel, they already gave us the price. 😀

Public Comment

Several public comments, all on the 216th Surplus. And at the risk of pandering, one of the commenters, who is undergoing cancer treatment, spoke up. Ladeez and Germs, when someone demonstrates that kind of courage, attention must be paid.

216/Barnes Creek Surplus

The Council voted 4-3 not to pursue acquiring this property. Therefore, WSDOT will offer it at fair market value to the adjoining property owner. If that doesn’t work, it will go for auction. As I wrote above, this was yet another case of no compromise.

I actually agree with my colleagues who said they supported more housing. Much of the property along 216th is zoned for apartments and town homes and that is as it should be. However, this one swath is unique.

But frankly, the real arguments seemed based more on revenue than housing, and by that I mean one-time money. My concern is that so many people long for a world of economic development here that is impossible; the car dealership that will never come, the ferry that brings in tens of thousands of paying customers, a in this case a land where construction returns every few years like migratory birds. In case you hadn’t noticed? Our geese don’t bother migrating anymore! 😀 We must find a new revenue path. One that does not hide NIMBYism behind ‘open space’ and one that does not mistake one-time money for money we can actually depend on.

I also stand by something else: I know the City tried, but significant information was not revealed until during the meeting, including: the width of the existing Barnes Creek Trail and the intended use of the forested area south of the parcel in question. (Yes, it’s currently indicated as ‘Public Facility’. So what? So was this parcel until 2023.)

FIFA

This was originally the only item on the agenda. Last week I wrote “…my first thought was, for the first time in five years, I should try to book an evening dentist appointment.” Ironically, I left the meeting about fifteen minutes into this item, but not for a minty-fresh cleaning. I left because I cannot look at that big screen for long periods. The City knows this. I bring a special tablet reader when I know there will be presentations. I had no idea what to expect. For some reason, Cm Grace-Matsui seemed aware it was a webinar and also split. Anyhoo, I went home and watched it, mostly in real time. It was a bit odd. Sorta like what ²life will be like when I’m done being on the Council.

Special meetings are a unique authority of the Mayor and should only be called for under truly extraordinary circumstances.

I am a pretty big footb… er… ‘soccer’ fan.  But I misunderstood the purpose. I assumed it was to discuss promotional opportunities during the 2025 and 2026 World Cup events. But the discussion I heard did not go there. Apparently, neither my colleagues or the City were expecting revenue. The first question that came up, and the majority of the discussion, seemed to concern the possibility of public safety threats from tourism. Wow.

But fwiw, https://www.lumenfield.com/fifa-world-cup/2025-fifa-world-club-cup-seattle is pretty fantastic – three of the best clubs in the world will be in Seattle and seats are available. Paris St. Germain (France), Atletico Madrid (Spain), Botafogo (Brazil).

Bord Fáilte

It’s been a while, but if memory serves, didn’t the Seahawks actually win something a while back? I wonder if anyone recalls a flood of oval-sports-ball hooliganism back then? I do not. But just to be safe, we definitely shouldn’t let that happen again!

How can you promote Des Moines as ‘the premier waterfront destination…’ if, when we have chances to promote, we immediately think in terms of defense? That’s not rhetorical. It’s a real question. If we did get a ferry, do we really think every person coming off the dock would be someone’s gran bringing cookies over from Kitsap? 😀 Tourism is a mindset that welcomes all.

Fun fact of the week: In Ireland, the tourism agency is called Bord Fáilte. The Irish word fáilte literally means ‘welcome’. Ireland created a great tourism program not because we’re such swell guys (newsflash: a lot more of us are like moi than those ahppy people in the deodorant soap commercials.) We did it because we really needed the money! The government worked really hard to foster that sense of welcoming. Do we have a similar desire? Because more than a ferry or any building project, that is what it would take to be ‘the premier waterfront destination…’ It’s a mindset.

¹jk

²Except that I will likely never watch another public meeting in my natural born life. 😀

³That was not the title of a Moody Blues record. Close, though. 🙂