City Manager Weekly Report December 6, 2024
Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Public Meeting
On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, the City hosted a public meeting during which City consultants delivered a PowerPoint presentation on how the public can provide comments to the Port of Seattle regarding the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Environmental Assessment. The event saw an impressive turnout, with attendance equally balanced between in-person participants and those joining via Zoom.
Comments due to FAA by December 13, 2024.
• Email: samp@portseattle.org
• Mail (must be postmarked by Dec. 13):
Mr. Steve Rybolt
Port of Seattle, Aviation Environment and Sustainability
P.O. Box 68727
Seattle, WA 98168
Click here to view the powerpoint from the meeting, which provided helpful ideas on comments that will be most relevant to FAA for this process. We will also have a template letter posted on this page on Monday.
City Budget Update
At the City Council study session on December 5, the revised draft budget was presented. If you have been following city news over the past few months, it is clear that the city is facing a serious budget shortfall. Moreover, the results from the Proposition 1 election have sent us a strong message: the community wants us to make tough decisions to achieve financial stability and establish a truly balanced budget.
I had several goals when approaching the budget:
•Develop a structurally balanced budget (which means our revenues cover our expenditures; in other words, our income should cover our basic living expenses).
•Use one-time funds only for one-time expenses (similar to how we would use a one-time $500 birthday check from Grandma for a new TV, instead of using those funds to cover our mortgage).
•Implement necessary cuts now to achieve financial stability. This will allow us to concentrate on growing new revenue streams and strengthening existing ones in the future (we’re tightening our belts now and looking for additional income so that we can be financially successful moving forward).
Thanks to the hard work of our senior management and finance staff, we were able to meet these goals as outlined in last night’s presentation. I am pleased that we have developed a two-year budget that only includes expenses we *know* we can afford, while also contributing to our fund balance (which serves as our savings account and had been getting alarmingly low in recent months).
Achieving a structurally balanced budget involves two key components: generating additional revenue and cutting expenses. Over the past few months, the City Council and staff have worked diligently to identify new revenue sources through a warehouse tax, updating the city’s fee schedules, and reviewing miscellaneous fees to ensure they are aligned with the market. These efforts have yielded approximately an additional $1.63 million each year. Significant work was also done to reduce expenses. Major areas for cost reductions include: consolidating non-critical services primarily in community enrichment programs, reducing internal activities and services (such as cutting contracts for various services we need to operate), and workforce reductions.
As you can imagine, all of these decisions were challenging because we know our community expects a high level of service and enjoys the programs and amenities we provide. However, without additional funding, we had no choice but to make these difficult choices.
Moving forward, a few service areas will be reduced, and I want to bring these to your attention: (This is not a comprehensive list—but does highlight the primary items)
•A reduction in the number and variety of parks and recreation programs, senior services programs, and other community enrichment events. We will focus on programs that have the highest participation rates, particularly youth activities, sports, and some senior services.
•Closing the Redondo Police Substation.
•Reduced downtown beautification efforts (such as fewer flowers on street poles during the spring and summer).
•Reduced Animal Control services. More information will be provided on this. We will continue to deliver services through Burien Cares for the most critical incidents, but overall services will be reduced.
•A hiring freeze for non-critical positions.
•Workforce reductions in community enrichment services, programs, and parks maintenance, and city administration.
•Freezing two vacant Police Officer positions.
•Due to limited staffing within the Police Department, our officers will focus on calls for service and traffic enforcement. You may notice reduced efforts in proactive policing and community policing programs. Public safety remains my top priority, and I aim to add staff as funding allows.
Despite these reductions, there are a few areas that are additions to the budget, which I believe will be of particular interest to the community. Most of these items will be funded by dollars that are legally earmarked for specific purposes, meaning these funds must be used for certain initiatives rather than for general operations:
•Continuing the July 4th community event.
•Developing a new city website with enhanced features, better organization, and mobile-friendly design.
•Producing the Currents magazine (we will look to reduce costs through increased advertising in the magazine).
•Providing dedicated funding for economic development efforts, which is critical for our long-term revenue generation.
In summary, the community’s call for the city to achieve greater financial stability has been heard loud and clear. The proposed budget is structurally balanced for the next two years and will grow the city’s fund balance. While the reductions in services and programs will undoubtedly affect community members, we will do everything possible to minimize these impacts. Additionally, we aim to grow revenues in order to expand services in the future as funding becomes available. On a personal note, I am grateful for the support of the City Council, City staff and the community during this challenging process.
If you are interested in watching the full budget presentation or viewing the presentation information, please click here.
Squid-A-Rama
On November 23rd, we hosted the 12th annual Squid-A-Rama at the Des Moines Beach Park. Put on by the MaST Center, the Des Moines Arts Commission, the City, and various community partners, the event was a resounding success. Squid-A-Rama celebrates the annual squid run in Puget Sound.
We started with a hands-on squid dissection, had wonderful library story time, and then watched the successful live squid release, which was livestreamed from the Highline MAST Aquarium at Redondo. We enjoyed a delicious cooking demo, where we learned how to prepare squid in various tasty ways and got to sample it all. The event was well attended, and we gained some new insights into the fascinating world of squid. Thanks to the Highline MAST Aquarium at Redondo, our Des Moines (WA) Arts Commission, King County Library System, IBSS Corps, and Mark the Squid Guy!
We hope you’ll join us next year!
Suite D-New Main Entrance to City Hall
I am pleased to announce that the doors to Suite D at City Hall (Community Development) are now officially open to the public. With a few modifications to the lobby area, Suite D is now fully operational and ready to serve the public. Suite C will remain open to accommodate customers accessing the Municipal Court, and Council Chambers during after-hours. Moving forward, Suite D will serve as the primary entrance to City Hall for all other business. We believe this will help us provide you better customer service when you visits us in person!
KHAOS Winter Break Camp
Looking for something fun to do over winter break?! KHAOS Winter Break Camp is now open for registration at www.desmoineswa.gov/daysmart!
December 23, 26, 27, 30, 31, Jan 1, 2 (no minimum # of days)
8am-6pm, Des Moines Field House: 1000 S 220th St
School Age Kids, 5-12
$45 Resident/$50 Non-Resident Daily Fee
Register early to reserve your spot!
Staff Kudos
Thank you, as always, to our wonderful and hardworking staff. This Staff Kudos section will serve as a way to recognize and celebrate the hard work and dedication of our City of Des Moines employees, volunteers, Council Members, and more. If you want to share a staff kudos with me, email me at kcaffrey@desmoineswa.gov.
As many of you may know – from trying to send us an email, to having a meeting scheduled that suddenly wasn’t on your calendar, we had a citywide email failure mid-November. It affected everything we do! It truly makes you appreciate the seamless operating of our network and all of its systems by our dedicated Information Technology (IT) department.
This kudos comes for our IT Director, Chris Pauk.
Kudos to Terryann, Max and Michelle for helping to fix and repair the email failure. They did an amazing job getting email restored and rebuilding everything.
And another kudos—for our Surface Water & Environmental Engineering Manager:
I want to note in particular Tyler Beekley for his service–including his patience with all my dumb questions. He helped organize a Des Moines Creek Basin Plan tour a few months ago which was very helpful. It would be very difficult to summarize what that is in two sentences, but it is a key piece of the City’s ecosystem.
-Councilmember JC Harris
Holiday Story Time with the Des Moines Police Department
Join DMPD on Thursday, December 19th from 5-5:45pm or 6-6:45pm for a fun story time evening! This event will be held out the Des Moines Activity Center, 2045 S 216th St. Free, but space is limited. Please preregister by contacting Tonya Seaberry at tseaberry@desmoineswa.gov or 206-870-7619
Winter Ready: Snow Plow Training in Action!
On Tuesday, you might have spotted snow plows driving through the City. Our dedicated Public Works Maintenance Crew spent the day planning, training, and preparing for the upcoming snowy weather. This training session was a fantastic opportunity for our experienced Streets team to cross-train with their Parks and Stormwater Management (SWM) colleagues. By cross-training, we’re able to have more staff ready to respond quickly when snow hits, helping to improve our response time and keep the crew on standby for a smoother winter season.
To keep Des Moines safe during snowy weather, we’ve posted a list of priority roads on the City’s Public Works Maintenance website. These key roads, including Pacific Hwy S., Kent Des Moines Rd., Marine View Drive, S. 216th Street, Des Moines Memorial Drive, 16th Ave. S., Redondo Beach Drive, and Redondo Way, are de-iced and plowed first to keep them clear for everyone. For a full list of snow plowing and sanding routes, visit the City’s website at Departments > Public Works > Maintenance > Snow Plowing & Sanding Information.
How Residents Can Help:
We can all pitch in to make the roads safer during snowy weather. If you’re able to, staying home is the best way to help. However, if you need to be out on the roads, please give our Public Works Crew some extra space to work. This helps them keep the streets clear and safe for everyone. By staying a little farther apart and being patient, we can all contribute to safer driving conditions this winter.
Katherine’s Fun Stuff Section
This is my go-to for quick weeknight dinner—and you can prep the meatballs ahead of time. I like to serve these on their own—I just pour some marinara on them, and do a veggie side with garlic bread. Also, don’t skip the lemon zest or fennel- it makes it! I originally came across this recipe on a blog—and the full recipe is from the cookbook “Dinner: A Love Story”…which is a great cookbook. Speaking of cookbooks, my VERY favorite ones are anything by Ina Garten. As Ina would say, storebought is just fine. (IYKYK)
Chicken Parm Meatballs
(Makes about 20 meatballs)
Ingredients
• 1.25 lb ground chicken
• ½ c breadcrumbs
• 2 Tb chopped onion
• 1 Tb chopped parsley
• ½ c. Pecorino cheese or Parm (use the real stuff—not the grated in a jar. It makes such a difference!)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 egg, whisked
• Zest of half a lemon
• 3 Tb olive oil
• 14 oz jar of pizza sauce or marinara sauce (we love Rao’s…but any brand works)
• 4-6 oz fresh mozzarella (you will slice this into thin slices—you’ll melt this onto the meatballs and it is what makes it yummy…and kid friendly)
Directions
• Preheat oven to 400F, setting rack to upper third part of oven. In a large bowl, using your hands, gently mix together first 11 ingredients. Shape into lacrosse-ball size balls (that would be somewhere between golf and tennis) and place a few inches from each other on a foil-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix one spoonful of your pizza sauce with olive oil. Brush this mixture on top of each meatball. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove meatballs from oven, spoon some sauce on top of each meatball, and cover each with a slice of cheese. Broil another 3 to 5 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden. Heat remaining sauce in a small saucepan. Serve meatballs with a dollop of sauce.
(Photo from the blog…my sauce doesn’t look that neat in the bowl!)
Community Events Calendar
South King Fire Santa Parades:
12/9 & 12/10, 12/16 &12/17, Federal Way, 5:30-8:30pm
Breakfast with Santa:
Saturday, December 14th
Seating 1: 9-10:15am, Seating 2: 10:45am-12pm
Des Moines Activity Center
South Sound Chambers of Commerce Legislative Coaltion Breakfast 2025: Tuesday, 12/17, 7:30am-9:30am,
Dave and Busters, Auburn Outlet Collection
Storytime with DMPD:
Thursday, 12/19, 5-5:45pm and 6-6:45pm
Des Moines Activity Center
12 Days of Goodness with Football Legends:
Monday, 12/16, 2:30pm
Des Moines Activity Center
Burning Boat Festival:
Tuesday, 12/31, 5-8pm
Des Moines Marina