In 2010 I moved away for a year and rented out my house here. Now back then, in order to rent out yer house, the City required aspiring landlords to do a few things: you paid an $80 fee and you became part of a database with your current address and phone number so that
... continue reading.Policy
Categories Transparency
Better City Council Meetings #3: Informality
This is the third in a series of changes to our City Council Meetings I’d like to see. This particular change has to do with ‘relationships’ so it may well sound crankier than usual. It’s not meant to. Honest. 😀 But there is a thing that tends to happen with group meetings that is kinda
... continue reading.Categories Airport
Puget Sound, Lead and Sea-Tac Airport
1 Comment on Puget Sound, Lead and Sea-Tac AirportI can guarantee you, in twenty years, people will look back at us and go, “How the hell did you live with all that noise and pollution? Didn’t you realize what it was doing to your kids?” At last Saturday’s beach Clean-Up event I had a fairly typical conversation about Puget Sound with the owner
... continue reading.City of Kent to add large, outdoor warehousing activities to B&O tax
Extension will increase revenue by about $2.1M per year by Steve Hunter Wednesday, September 16, 2020 5:28pm Business The city of Kent expects to receive an additional $2.1 million per year from its business and occupation (B&O) tax when it extends the square footage component of the tax to include outdoor warehousing activities. “The purpose is
... continue reading.Categories Transparency
OPMA violations for dummies
Leave a comment on OPMA violations for dummiesCategories Transparency
Better City Council Meetings #2: Questions
2 Comments on Better City Council Meetings #2: QuestionsThis is the second in a series of changes to our City Council Meetings I’d like to see. This particular change has to do with questions from Councilmembers about both how the government works and the legislation to be decided on at each meeting. This series began as a result of the especially problematic at
... continue reading.Categories Transparency
Better City Council Meetings #1: Eliminate the presentations!
2 Comments on Better City Council Meetings #1: Eliminate the presentations!This is the first in a series of changes to our City Council Meetings I’d like to see. This particular change has to do with managing the length of meetings, which was especially problematic at the August 6th ‘Budget Retreat’ (Video). And before we dive in, I don’t want to be a tease, but I
... continue reading.Tearing down the Van Gasken House makes Des Moines poorer
Categories Public Safety
Port Of Seattle Special Meeting On Policing and Racism (Public Comment)
Leave a comment on Port Of Seattle Special Meeting On Policing and Racism (Public Comment)FROM: JC Harris PO Box 13094 Des Moines, WA 98198 (206) 878-0578TO: Commissioners Of The Port Of Seattle: Peter Steinbreuck, Fred Felleman, Stephanie Bowman, Ryan Calkins, Sam ChoJune 29, 2020 Commissioners, I am writing to you in this context as a private citizen. I applaud the Port’s efforts at self-reflection on matters of policing and
... continue reading.What can Des Moines learn from George Floyd?
6 Comments on What can Des Moines learn from George Floyd?I’m in the not unusual position of being a white guy in a black family. So I’ve been an unwitting participant in a decades long sociology experiment. I’ve gotten to see how I get treated differently from my family members in all sorts of shared situations. Unfortunately, that also applies to dealings with the police.
... continue reading.