City Manager Weekly Report

November 1, 2024

Welcome New City Manager Katherine Caffrey

On Monday, November 4^th our new City Manager Katherine Caffrey will be sworn in to lead the City into the years ahead. Ms. Caffrey was unanimously selected by the City Council after an extensive recruitment and interview process that involved the entire community. Please reach out and engage when you can, she is excited to get to know our community and what makes it great!

November 5 is Election Day!

This coming Tuesday is the deadline to get your ballots in for the November 5 election. On the ballot this year in Des Moines is Proposition 1: Public Safety Levy Lid Lift. The State of Washington is ranked last in the nation for police officers per 1,000 residents and the City of Des Moines is well below the State average. Given this disparity, during the global pandemic, the Des Moines City Council made a strategic decision to utilize federal relief funds (ARPA) to hire additional police officers and support staff with a goal of aligning our department staffing with the state average and to increase public safety. The federal funds were temporary however, and will no longer be available after 2024. A long term funding source is needed in order to retain existing public safety service levels.

To ensure a sustainable funding source for retaining these officers and adding more public safety positions, the City Council has placed a Levy Lid Lift measure (Proposition 1) on the November 5 general election ballot.

If passed, the Levy funds would provide a dedicated source to retain existing police officer positions as well as add additional officers. The funding would also preserve our mental health crisis responder and crime analyst, also funded by ARPA, who have been crucial in providing compassionate responses to individuals facing homelessness, helping them access resources and shelter, and moving them off City streets and out of City parks. Without additional revenue, these vital roles will no longer be funded in 2025, therefore impacting the City’s ability to respond effectively to those in crisis.

The City has prepared an informational website on Proposition 1 which can be accessed here.

Get Involved! Sustainable Airport Master Plan Update

The Puget Sound region is expected to grow by another one million people by 2035. The Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) is the blueprint for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) development, guiding the strategic design and development to meet future forecasted demand.

The SAMP includes Near-Term Projects (NTPs) for SEA that are planned for construction upon completion of the environmental review and Commission approval. The SAMP also includes a Long-Term Vision for SEA.

Currently, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental review is underway, with the draft NEPA document being released on Monday, Oct 21, 2024. The public comment period is open from October 21 through December 5, 2024. Commenting on a draft Environmental Assessment is an important way for the public to participate in the environmental review process and contribute to the decision-making process. You can submit comments throughout the comment period at a public meeting, online, by email, or postal mail.

There are four upcoming public meetings, including one in Des Moines on November 13^th. Please attend, submit a public comment, and stay involved. More information can be found here.

Emergency Management – Power Outage Safety Tips

Power Outages can cause a number of safety concerns! Be prepared for inclement weather with these safety tips.

Power Outage Safety Tips

12^th Annual Squid-A-Rama, Saturday November 23

Join us for the 12th Annual Squid-A-Rama, hosted by the MaST Center and the Des Moines Arts Commission.

Date Date: Saturday, November 23
Time Time: 4-7pm
Location: Des Moines Beach Park

Dive into a hands-on experience! Dissect squid and learn about these fascinating creatures, and then witness a live release of squid by local divers. Fun for all ages! Squid-A-Rama is a FREE community event focusing on the annual squid run that takes place each year in the Puget Sound. Hope to see you there!

2^nd Grade Field Trip to City Hall!

This past week City Hall welcomed 30 second-graders from St. Philomena’s for a special field trip focused on city government. We kicked off the visit with a fun introduction to the basics of local government from Mayor Buxton. The students learned about the roles of the Mayor, City Council, and other important figures in our community. They learned about the Court, Emergency Management, and then toured through Human Resources and the City Manager’s office. Despite the rain, we made our way up to the Field House for all things Parks and Recreation, and then ended our tour with a visit to the Police Department. The highlight of the tour was the ongoing lively Q&A session, where the students asked many thoughtful and brutally honest questions.

Field Trip

Their enthusiasm and genuine interest reminded us of the importance of nurturing civic engagement from a young age. Thank you to all of our wonderful City of Des Moines staff for participating and making this a day to remember!

City Council Meeting Summary

There was no City Council meeting this week as the Council does not generally meet on the fifth Thursday of the month. The Council will also not meet next week.

Sports Update

How epic it would have been to close out the final sports update with a full recount of how the Seattle Mariners won the World Series and finally brought a baseball championship to the Northwest. It could have been a script for a movie. But this is Des Moines, not Hollywood, and in our ending the Mariners missed the playoffs entirely and went to Cabo over a month ago. Fittingly, it was Los Angeles who ended up taking home the title this week so congratulations to the Dodgers and their fans on winning their first real championship since 1988. The red hot Cougars have a bye this weekend while the Huskies take on the Trojans Saturday at Montlake and the Hawks battle the Rams at Lumen on Sunday. The Sounders take on Houston in game 2 of the Western Conference Playoffs on Sunday as well. Finally, since the 2024 Major League Baseball season wrapped up this week, and we are now officially in the “off-season,” it means we can now start looking ahead to Spring Training and the 2025 season. And based on what I’m seeing, I can confidently say, I think next year just might be the Mariners’ year.

Have a great weekend!

Tim George

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.