External Articles

Articles from around the area, including re-prints from various newspapers (provided under Fair-Use provision.) These are information only, which means that many, Many, MANY of these do not represent my point of view. (Seriously, they don’t.) I just want you to know what’s out there being discussed by electeds that concern Des Moines.

Now comes hard work of making drug treatment available in WA

May 18, 2023May 24, 2023575

Patients line up to pick up medication for opioid addiction at a clinic in Olympia in 2020. Washington’s new drug-possession law increases the penalty for drug possession from a misdemeanor to a gross misdemeanor. Public drug… (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)More By The Seattle Times editorial board The Washington Legislature needed extra innings to finally come

How Turner’s working to create better, more inclusive job sites

May 11, 2023May 24, 2023

By Marc Stiles – Senior Reporter, Puget Sound Business Journal May 11, 2023 Listen to this article 3 min As racist and other discriminatory actions continue to plague construction sites across the U.S., including the Puget Sound region, the industry has ratcheted up efforts to combat it often in extraordinary ways. When an incident happens on a Turner

Legislative report card: A mix of achievements, progress and failures

April 27, 2023May 7, 2023

By The Seattle Times editorial board The Washington Legislature ended its 105-day session on April 23 with long-fought achievements, some misses and some incomplete work. Gov. Jay Inslee says he wants lawmakers to come back in special session to try again to reach an agreement on the state’s expiring drug possessions law. Here are The

Post McCleary, WA school funding doesn’t add up

April 14, 2023April 19, 2023

By David S. Knight and Kendall Fujioka Special to The Times Washington’s K-12 school finance system remains broken just six years after an overhaul effort. And state education leaders have demonstrated a lack of urgency to address the fundamental problems. The system is not progressive with respect to student race, ethnicity or economic status. While

How to go birding by boat in Western Washington

March 29, 2023April 7, 2023

1 of 7 | A passenger photographing pigeon guillemots off Cypress Island. (Bryony Angell) By Bryony Angell Special to The Seattle Times Typical of outdoor enthusiasts ready for a mid-June weekend in Western Washington, my friend Roniq Bartanen and I were dressed in seasonably appropriate rain gear and woolens. Binoculars and camera in hand, we joined

Misguided Legislature keeps chipping away at Public Records Act

March 16, 2023March 25, 2023814

By Dick Clever Special to The Times “The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know.

Dear people of WA: The case for another voter-enacted open government law

March 12, 2023March 17, 2023

March 10, 2023 at 2:03 pm Updated March 10, 2023 at 3:03 pm By Kate Riley Times editorial page editor Just over 50 years ago, Washington voters approved Initiative 276, which demonstrated the citizenry’s righteous desire to keep tabs on their elected officials. With that vote, the state Public Records Act established the right of the

The next McCleary? Tiny district with decaying school buildings sues WA state

March 12, 2023March 14, 2023

March 12, 2023 at 6:00 am Updated March 14, 2023 at 12:01 am 1 of 22 | Jeff Rooklidge, a science teacher at Wahkiakum High School, talks about the equipment students have to use when they work on experiments. The faucets are not necessary because the sinks no longer work. Rooklidge has made… (Ellen M.

The battle is on to increase housing supply; we’ll see if it works

March 3, 2023March 11, 2023

Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood with the Magnolia neighborhood in the distance as seen from the Space Needle. (Amanda Snyder / The Seattle Times, 2021) By Jon Talton Columnist This may be the year of aggressive efforts to increase the housing supply in Washington and Seattle. A total of 13 bills are moving through the Legislature

Fife officials see planned multifamily project as catalyst for growth

February 26, 2023

South Sound Enlarge The city of Fife is embracing more multifamily development as it looks to accommodate growth. SHAWNA DE LA ROSA | PSBJ IN THIS ARTICLE Banking & Financial ServicesIndustry Derek MathesonPerson Chris LarsonPerson By Shawna De La Rosa – Reporter, Puget Sound Business Journal Feb 8, 2023 Listen to this article 3 min A 126-unit mixed-use

Ongoing Stuff

Get vaccinated! Yeah I know you’d like to forget about it, but there are new variants and the infection rate is climbing. Fortunately, there is an effective booster, which is recommended for people 65 and older and those who are immuno-compromised. It is available now, effective, free and you can get your appointment today here and here , including walk-Ins at SAFEWAY, Walgreen’s, Rite-Aid, SeaMar and Healthpoint.

Sign up for the King County Code Red Alert program. When you sign up for Code Red you’ll be notified immediately when there is a possible health threat. After the recent ‘Boil Water Notice’ I received just a few grouses that ‘it did not work’. I’m 99% certain that the problem is that you have to actually sign up for an account. Do It! There is this ‘guest’ option which is stupid and should not even be an option. Everyone who had an account in their system was notified. If you’re like me and signed up ten years ago (after the last notification), go to the site immediately and verify your account. Ten years is a long time for any computer system.
Check out the 223rd Green Street Project web site and take the 223rd Green Street Survey before December 11th!
Check out the Des Moines Marina Steps web site and take the Marina Steps Survey.
If you’re interested in any of our Kids or Senior activities, you can sign up here.
Learn more about our Comprehensive Plan and take the Housing Action Plan Survey.
Take the City Communication and Engagement Survey
Give blood! Schedule an appointment today. There is a CODE RED emergency shortage.
Masonic Home! There is a petition for those who are interested in historic preservation of the property. If you have questions, don’t contact me. Contact Barbara McMichael and Lloyd Lytle Jr
Community Service Officer Tonya Seaberry wants to hear from neighborhood groups interested in establishing block watch programs: Tseaberry@desmoineswa.gov or 206-878-3301.
City Of Des Moines Minor Home Repair Program: Low to moderate income households can get grants to do all sorts of necessary repairs. Email Tina Hickey (206) 870-6535.
Every home should have a Carbon Monoxide Detector–especially during the colder months! Full stop. If you need one but money is tight, South King County Fire And Rescue will get you one. Just call their Community Affairs Office at 253-946-7347.
And last, but not least: If your home has Port Package (sound insulation system) that is having issues, please go to SeatacNoise.Info

How to attend meetings and provide Public Comment

City Council Meetings are scheduled for Thursdays at 6:00PM at City Hall 21630 11th Avenue S., Suite #C Des Moines WA 98198. They can also be viewed live on Comcast Channel 21/321 or on the City’s YouTube channel. Committee Meetings are either at 4:00PM or 5:00PM, also on Thursdays.

You do not have to sign in to attend a meeting!
The sign-in sheet is only for people wishing to make a Public Comment.

There are three ways to provide Public Comment:

In person: Show up a few minutes before the meeting and sign the sheet. Public Comment is usually conducted at the beginning of the meeting.
By e-mail: All e-mails sent to citycouncil@desmoineswa.gov are considered public comment. They are instantly available to all members of the City Council and the City Clerk who includes them into the record of public comments at the next meeting.
By US Mail: Attn: City Clerk Office, 21630 11th Avenue S., Des Moines WA 98198 no later than 4:00 p.m. day of the meeting. Please provide us with your first and last name and the city in which you live.

All letters or e-mails requesting a specific action are referred by the City Clerk to the appropriate City department.

If you would like a follow up from me, personally please indicate that or call me (206) 878-0578.

The Clerk does not read e-mails to the Council in full; only the subject line. However, we do see them as soon as you send them. Your comments are added to the Agenda Packet available on the City web site following each meeting.

How to view public comments, correspondence and meeting materials

The City publishes a meeting agenda on the Friday (six days) before city council meetings. On the day after the meeting (Friday) the City updates that same file with all the slide presentations, the correspondence, and a list of the people who signed up to give public comment at the meeting. Currently, there is no button on the web site that says Show me the meeting comments for xx/xx/xxxx. You just have to know that this is the procedure. Below is a recipe to get you there.

Go to www.desmoineswa.gov
Once there, hover over Your Government and then click Council Meeting Center. (Or, you can skip Step #1 and just click on Council Meeting Center.)
Select the meeting date you’re interested in from the Schedule Of Meetings calendar.
Click on Regular Meeting for the meeting date you want. In this case, December 1, 2022.
Click the Agenda Packet link under “Print Verson”.
You can also select a meeting using the list near the top. You can also use the left and right arrows to select older meetings.
Once the agenda packet loads, there are two links we’re interested in:
- Correspondence to view all e-mails received by the City Council since the last meeting.
- Comments From The Public to view a list of the people who spoke in-person at the meeting.