By Lauren Girgis Seattle Times staff reporter The Burien city manager is seeking a new police chief after the King County Sheriff’s Office halted its enforcement of the city’s anti-camping ordinance while a federal judge decides on the ordinance’s constitutionality. In a succinct letter sent from Burien City Manager Adolfo Bailon to King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall

Burien sues King County, Sheriff claiming breach of contract

March 29, 2024March 29, 2024

External Articles

Burien, Homelessness, Project Homeless, Seattle Times

By Anna Patrick The Seattle Times’ Project Homeless is supported by BECU, Campion Foundation, Raikes Foundation and Seattle Foundation. The Seattle Times maintains editorial control over Project Homeless content. Burien is taking King County to court over claims that the Sheriff’s Office is violating a contract with the city by not enforcing a key part of the city’s

Burien’s anti-camping ordinance is not an answer to homelessness

March 11, 2024March 29, 2024

External Articles

Burien, Homelessness, Seattle Times

By The Seattle Times editorial board If a lawsuit against the city of Burien wasn’t enough to give its leaders pause in its quest to move the unsheltered out of the city, maybe a directive by the King County sheriff to her deputies not to enforce the city’s latest ordinance on “camping’’ is enough to

Burien tightens existing camping law, adds 500-foot ‘buffer’ zones

March 5, 2024March 5, 2024

External Articles

Burien, Homelessness

By Anna Patrick Seattle Times staff reporter The Seattle Times’ Project Homeless is supported by BECU, Campion Foundation, Raikes Foundation and Seattle Foundation. The Seattle Times maintains editorial control over Project Homeless content. In a 5-2 vote Monday night, Burien’s City Council tightened its existing camping ban and added that people can’t sleep within 500 feet of schools,

Firm That Evaluated Burien City Manager’s Performance Resigns, Saying Critical Report “Was Not Met With the Seriousness It Deserved”

January 2, 2024January 3, 2024

External Articles

Burien, Publicola

By Erica C. Barnett A consulting firm that conducted a six-month performance evaluation for Burien City Manager Adolfo Bailon terminated its contract with the city in late December, telling city officials that continuing the contract would be “more detrimental than beneficial” to their reputation. “We have observed that the initial evaluation conducted for the City

Burien chooses site for homeless shelter as county deadline passes

November 29, 2023November 30, 2023

External Articles

Burien, Homelessness, Project Homeless, Seattle Times

Burien has chosen this lot owned by Seattle City Light at South 136th Street and 4th Avenue South as the future site for a tiny home village. The village will use King County money and resources, after months of delay and debate around how to handle a growing number of homeless people in the public

Burien sketches growth vision for busy, diverse Ambaum Boulevard

June 10, 2023June 16, 2023

External Articles

Burien, Housing

By Daniel Beekman and Daisy Zavala Magaña Seattle Times staff reporters BURIEN — He saw this conversation coming. Before Travis Thompson sold out concerts, signed with a major record label and embarked on a European tour, the Burien-raised rapper wrote about change coming to Ambaum Boulevard Southwest. “Won’t always be a man on the corner slinging that roasted

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.