Some bits of business…
Future Agendas is the closest thing the City currently has to a calendar of upcoming City Council topics. It’s not dynamic, ie. you have to click it every time you want to see a new version. And it’s not always accurate. But until we develop a genuine calendar, this can be very useful if there is a particular issue you don’t want to miss.
Important change: City Manager Caffrey has adopted a new format. Good news? Much more colourful! Bad news? Super short-term. However, thanks to moi, you can track each committee’s planning calendar here. 🙂
City Manager Stuff
City Manager’s Report February 7, 2025
No recipe. Just a piccie of some kid being forced to shred paper. However, this is, hands down, the best Des Moines City Manager report since about 2012. Not. Kidding. I highly recommend you read it carefully. It is far from perfect. However…
- It even-handedly presented the current status of ‘the bond projects’ which you would not get by watching the last meeting, or by reading the mayor’s, or anyone else’s social media. Well done.
- Also, getting into the weeds, this version is a better ‘piece’ as they say in the print biz. In addition to the useful content, the graphics, typography, presentation, are all improving. I can see these letters moving towards a consistent and usable template for our City’s digital presence. To be clear: Ms. Caffrey is neither a brand or logo or communication specialist. But one thing you don’t want is ‘design by committee’ and this is a good interim step. In my opinion, the longer she works this, the more she gets to know the City, the likelier these pieces will get to where we need to be — organically.
This Week
Tuesday: Port of Seattle Commission (Agenda)
Wednesday: Olympia for lobbying on airport bills.
Thursday: Environment Committee – 13 Feb 2025 – Agenda – Pdf Highlight: Estuary Project update.
Thursday: City Council Regular Meeting – 13 Feb 2025 – Agenda – Pdf
Meeting Highlights:
City Managers Presentations King County Metro South Link Connections Mobility Project Engineering, Presentation on The Last Mile, Des Moines Creek Estuary Project
Black History Month Proclamation
Barnes Creek Trail – South 240th Street Consultant Contract
Senior Center Roof Contract Amendment
Field House Playground Equipment Upgrade Project Agreement
Boat launch: In the packet it’s listed as ‘sling’ launch, which was extremely unfortunate. I don’t have to tell all you 1master boaters out there that there are many types of launch systems. A ‘sling’ being the common term for the dual system the City removed in 2008. That is not what we’re talking about. Anyhoo, the Council will consider rebuilding something on the spot of the current small boat launch, which was flagged for review in 2018, then removed from service in 2022. I have proposed a different type, which is necessary for a dry stack system. Yes, it’s complicated. Hopefully all will be explained next week — including the fiscal urgency.
Last Week
Wednesday: King County Flood Control District (Agenda)
Thursday: Â Finance Committee – 06 Feb 2025 – Agenda
Highlights:
We established our planning calendar. I asked that we put a specific Marina Plan of Finance in there. Kinda like this. A funny thing about our Marina. In 2023 dollars, the equipment that needs upgrades is over $81,000,000 and we have no way to pay for it. And yet, your Council does not see that info. (A tiny detail for the five people who watch. 😀 I always ask staff to consider time. They often stare. 😀 But I’m always considering ‘load balance’. I have no idea what people have on their plates, so it’s easier to ask for a block of time or a date rather than “Sure we can fit that in there. Somewhere.” 😀
We also discussed Ordinance 1561 – the ‘one-time money fund’. In 2012, the Council wanted the City to start setting aside a portion of the taxes from large projects (over $15,000,000) in a separate account. This is not the same thing as the general reserve we need for operations and emergencies. Part of it was to discipline the City not to depend on one time money, ie. unpredictable revenue. Part of it was to be able to save for some special items (‘wants’). I highly endorse this conceptually. However, we’ve never been able to enforce the discipline because, as I’ve quoted my father-in-law so many times…
You have to have money in order to save money.
As I said, Ordinance 1561 was always a great concept. But if we knew all along we wouldn’t have the money to follow such a policy, maybe that shoulda given more people a clue as to our finances. 😀 Anyhoo…
The committee voted to have the City research ways to improve the ordinance. The dollar amount will likely shift. I also asked the City to reconsider the purpose. As you’ve likely heard, the Marina, as well as a number of other City facilities will require a crap ton of money in the near future. So, the purpose of this fund might shift more to like ‘saving for retirement’ (ie. needs rather than wants.)
Thursday: Public Safety Public Safety_Emergency Management Committee – 06 Feb 2025 – Agenda
First meeting of year: Planning Calendar, Code enforcement update. Apparently Code Enforcement Officer Kory Batterman is out for surgery and should be back soon.
Council Meeting Recap
Thursday: Study Session – 06 Feb 2025 – Agenda – Updated
Public Comment
There were actually two sets of public comment. A very good move by Mayor Buxton. A bajillion people showed up to support rebuilding the Redondo Fishing Pier. Zero people showed up in support of Marina Steps. The Mayor noticed this as well. We agree that this is in no way a stastistically value analysis… but not on much else as to the events of the meeting. 😀
Four Options
This was a heated discussion. It was also unbelievably complicated. I want to apologise in advance for ‘vagueness’. There are a lot of loose ends that will be tied up (hopefully) at the February 13 meeting. I have already read a few compliments to both the City and the Mayor for the meeting and before even trying to explain what happened I will say that this praise is misplaced.
Whenever a meeting and presentation is this chaotic it must be seen as a fail and the process flagged for review. There was simply too much information to prepare on short notice, too many unclear options, trying to fit into too short a time-period, both for electeds and the public. In fact, moving the discussion on ‘the bonds’ forward to February 6, from February 13, far from being ‘responsive’ or ‘transparent’ actually made the process worse.
I am certain that will be super-disheartening feedback to all concerned. There is always the notion of ‘praise in public, criticise in private.’ However, the public needs to understand these process issues because they are so chronic here.
Some of this had to be decided on February 6. But at least some of this was possible to control for. In the previous regime there would be absolutely no doubt as to the bad intent. In this case, perhaps it is just that Ms. Caffrey jumped on board a freight train of decisions.
At the risk of leaving a ‘cliffhanger’, I’ll provide just one example and have a separate note on this soon because this article is already running long.
As I said, the City offered four broad decision options in addition to one requested action to spend $100,000. So, of course, the Deputy Mayor argued with the City Attorney, not once, but twice, that making any decisions other than the $100,000 action was out of order. This despite the packet item’s explicit instructions to the contrary. It was ridiculous. How does one say nicely, “Read the item. Go back to parliamentary school.”
I’m being harsh for a couple of reasons
- If you’re confused as to the above, get in line. But the material was already complicated enough without having repeated distractions.
- The current Mayor has included the Deputy Mayor in agenda setting meetings, which no other Cm gets to do. So the DM should know what’s coming. In fact, the new City Manager has already noted the followings: in other cities, to at least some extent, every Cm is involved in Agenda Setting. As with a planning commission and in so many other ways, we are outliers.
- People running for office very rarely understand any of this. Most new Cms have no idea how parliamentary procedure or our budget works, let alone in other cities. Instead, they ‘learn by osmosis’, by watching a few meetings, and just assuming that the process they see here is ‘standard’ — like a Starbucks. When in fact, every city is run more like its own boutiquey coffee shop.
I’ve received half a dozen letters this weekend asking about the meeting, the dry stack, the Marina finances, the bonds, and they all read like this:
Great presentation! But… I’m confused!
That sums up Des Moines politics and what made this meeting a fail. I don’t care how ‘great’ the presentation seemed. Any meeting where so many people — including decision makers — walk in and then out more confused than when they walked in? Fail. Sorry.
That said, you don’t care about that. All you care about is Redondo Fishing Pier or Marina Steps, right? 😀 The Council voted, as expected to try to have it both ways. The majority voted, 4-3, to spend $100,000 to redesign the Marina Steps in a process called ‘Value Engineering’. This week’s cover image kinda says it all. “Take away the sprinkles”. We also voted to spend the lion’s share of the money to prioritise the Redondo Fishing Pier — which may (or may not) begin construction this year. But that is the current top priority of the Council. If the Marina Steps design (minus the ‘sprinkles’) fits whatever money is left? It moves forward. If not? I guess there are more food-themed discussions ahead.
I voted against everything in a vain attempt to get the Council to pay attention to the fact that the Marina still needs $81,000,000 by 2040 for repairs. One tool to pay for at least some of it, without going to the taxpayers, is called ‘dry stack’. The Council will discuss that, this Thursday, which is another reason I did not want any of this discussed until the 13th.
Sound confused? I get it!
But watch this Thursday February 13 at 6:00pm. Things can only get clearer. 😀
Circling back to the Fishing Pier. Apparently, the piccie of the deck is not as I depicted last week! It will, instead be ‘see through’ across the entire width. The Director of Public Works has promised to bring a sample of the deck material to show us what it actually looks (and feels) like. 🙂Planning Commission
The Council moved forward (with ‘head nods’) to have the City bring back an ordinance to re-establish a planning commission 5-2? (With head nods, who can tell, right?) Thanks to everyone who showed up and wrote in support!
Again: it should never have gone away. However, the packet narrative was entirely accurate, if somewhat limited in options. A planning commission is no panacea. But it can provide some form of nexus for concerns residents have about everything ‘planning’, including what we now refer to as ‘municipal facilities’ – ie. the Marina, Redondo, etc. The residents show have visibility on all planning across the City; not some artificial boundary between City-owned and public/commercials. Residents, potential residents, realtors and developers need one place they can go and see our vision over the next twenty years.
What I never want to hear again is someone screaming “If I had known (x) was coming I never would have moved/opened a business here!”
Airport Committee
In the worst decision of the night nobody stuck around for, the Council voted 6-1 to create an airport advisory committee with literally five seconds before time ran out. 😀 What could possibly go wrong?
Having this on the same agenda, after three hours, with a Council that struggles to stay awake past 8:45 was part of the terrible.
But Sea-Tac Noise.Info has full coverage here.
I would much prefer that interested residents help create a joint committee with Burien – the city we share interests with when it comes to Sea-Tac Airport.
Each committee takes staff resources. If this actually moves forward, the same person who runs the Planning Commission would also be tasked with running this. She is a highly paid planning expert, but someone with zero experience around airports — and she is the official voice of the City now on airport issues with the Port of Seattle. Oy.
I am 100% certain that the community supports having a highly regarded professional planner supervising a Planning Commission in her area of expertise. I doubt they would support using any City staff for any task that is so far out of their depth. Sorry.
If you truly wanna do something meaningful about the airport? Please subscribe to STNI. And participate in the Burien Airport Committee. Turn that into a shared committee that works for both cities.Des Moines City re-establishes an airport committee. Sort of. – Sea-Tac Noise.Info
So the gist of last Thursday’s meeting is: The house needs a new roof..the old is caving in. The house needs the foundation shored up before it crumbles and the house falls over. The house has a good front walk, but lets build new steps, a rockery, and put some fresh paint on the mailbox. But lets go ahead with rebuilding that old lawnmower storage shed and make that she-shed with curtains, windows and AC…like the one shown in House Beautiful in Beverly Hills…
We need those stairs like a grey whale needs to be in Angle Lake.