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Weekly Update: 03/19/2023

March 19, 2023March 26, 2023599

Airport, Environment, Policy, Weekly UpdatesLeave a comment

Highlight this week: Rules of Procedure Committee meeting Thursday, 3:30PM at the Police Station.

Last week: airport advocacy in Olympia. Port approves more projects leading to expansion. Reach Out Des Moines.

Ad Hoc Rules of Procedure Committee Meeting #3 Pre-game

March 19, 2023March 21, 2023

TransparencyLeave a comment

My thoughts on the draft version of our new Council Protocol Manual (previously known as our Rules of Procedure.) There will be a meeting of the Ad Hoc Rules committee on Thursday March 23 at 3:30PM and I strongly urge you to attend.

Weekly Update: 03/12/2023

March 12, 2023March 13, 20233873

Airport, Environment, Marina, Neighborhoods, Policy, Weekly UpdatesDry Stack, HousingLeave a comment

Last City Council Meeting featured two housing issues. Orcas. An essay on how we got into the mess we’re in with the airport, which is really another land use issue, why we continue to handle it incorrectly… and something about casinos? 😀 Why I’m on the fence about HB1110 and multi-family housing.

Weekly Update: 03/05/2023

March 5, 2023March 7, 20231492

Neighborhoods, Policy, Transparency, Weekly UpdatesLeave a comment

Next City Council Meeting features two housing issues.
Last City Council Meeting featured 3:40 of goal setting.
An essay showing one example of bullying off the dais and how it makes it tougher for residents to get what they want.

Evil and irresponsible actions

March 5, 2023March 7, 2023 JC Harris

Engagement, TransparencyLeave a comment

An essay describing one example of the off-dais bullying, misinformation and why that makes it harder for residents to get what they want.

“We are also aware of your efforts to… create division in the… community. I demand you stop such evil and irresponsible actions.”

Weekly Update: 02/26/2023

February 26, 2023March 3, 20232326

Engagement, Policy, Transparency, Weekly Updates2 Comments

This Week: City Council meeting features ‘goal setting’. I offer a review of last year’s similar meetings–and how the Communications Consultant deal got started.
Last Week: City Council meeting features Future Cities, communications consultant contract and more cop cars.
A follow up to last week’s essay on The Hard Fork, which for Des Moines means not making the same mistakes over and over… and over.

Weekly Update: 02/19/2023

February 19, 2023February 21, 2023528

Marina, Policy, Transparency, Weekly Updates2 Comments

This Week: City Council meeting features Future Cities, communications consultant contract and more cop cars.
Last Week: Port of Seattle Commission Meeting, Highline MAST meeting on Water Quality.

A link to an essay on the Hard Fork. An engineering term referring to the decision to move in a new direction and the most successful case study I can think of: Microsoft.

Hard Fork

February 19, 2023February 20, 2023

TransparencyLeave a comment

A parable on “the hard fork”, an engineering term for making a clean break with a system that has outlived its usefulness. Microsoft took the hard fork about a decade ago and the results speak for themselves. There are some real lessons to be learned here.

Weekly Update: 02/12/2023

February 12, 2023February 13, 2023304

Marina, Policy, Transparency, Weekly Updates2 Comments

This Week: Port of Seattle Commission Meeting, Highline MAST meeting on Water Quality.

Last week testimony on SB5199, a bill to provide funding for Local Journalism co-sponsored by our own Senator Karen Keiser. DMMA Meeting. Meetings with several groups on Des Moines Memorial Drive and SR509.
Thursday: Auditor Exit Interview. Good report except for a minor ding on ARPA accounting.

A link to an essay on Equity, which will sound a lot like another ‘Marina’ thing, but really it’s about spending the largest chunks of money in our City’s history in a way that’s fair for the entire community. Including you. 🙂

Money is the real equity

Marina, Neighborhoods, TaxesLeave a comment

An essay about why dock repairs, are really about Equity–doing what is right for the entire City for a change. The way we are approaching Marina Redevelopment is not only fiscally irresponsible it is unfair to the full community–particularly the younger and more diverse parts of the city.

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. And, And, AND, you can also get free rapid tests here and at KCLS Libraries!

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 you have a Port Package 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.

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.