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.
We’re doing a six month trial without standing committees, instead doing a monthly committee of the whole. Unfortunately, as the year goes on, items for consideration are veering away from each committee’s planning calendar. But for what it’s worth, each committee’s planning calendar here. 🙂
Project VE
About once a year I write an article about the Marina Redevelopment. I included it in last week’s Weekly Update, but here it is free-standing called Project VE. I encourage you to read it and look at my ongoing Marina Timeline. I moved here for sailing and fishing and the beach park. The marina floor is the biggest deal this city will ever have, and it breaks my heart how little most people understand how the thing works — what it costs, what it’s economic potential really is, what it takes to keep all of it going into the future.
UW AAA study for kids with asthma – free indoor air filters!
The University of Washington is conducting an Asthma, air quality & airports fon children living near Sea-Tac Airport. This is a great opportunity to help improve the air quality for your child and help with important research! Learn more and sign up here.
City Manager Stuff
City Manager’s Report May 30, 2025
Again, no recipe. But again, an important alert: Paid Parking is coming to Redondo, starting next week.. As with the Marina, there will be a free period to work out the bugs, so don’t stress. But it’s happening.
City Manager Caffrey conducted a one hour City Council Candidate Orientation, which I transcribed and added some screen shots to. I urge you to watch! It contains a summary of faqs about the city and the government I think everyone will find interesting.
Restaurants!
There have been more restaurant changes in town. So this is a good time to remind you of the local restaurant guide TakeOutDM.Com or TakeOutDesMoines.Com. There is a sign-up form which emails signees when various establishments are offering specials! If you are a new restaurant owner, you should also let them know when you are having said specials so they can spread the woid.
News Flash! After five years of being only ‘98198’, TakeOutDM is expanding its list to include establishments people think are in Des Moines, but (due to the insane border) are actually in Kent, WA! 🙂
This Week
Tuesday
4:00pm Pacific Middle School Groundbreaking Ceremony & Farewell. After 20+ years of waiting, yes, it’s finally happening.
Wednesday
2:00pm State of the City – Wesley Terrace: Mayor Buxton will be giving a presentation on where we’re at.
Thursday
City Council Meeting
City Council Committee of the Whole/Study Session combo platter Agenda
Committee of the Whole
- Modera Woodmont Development – This is the empty area on Pac Highway just south of 272nd that the previous administration talked about having a hotel at forevehhhhhr. This will be interesting. 🙂
- Draft 2026-2045 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). Quick review, the TIP is the aspirational plan for road projects. Projects are not ‘real’ until they make it into the CIP (capital improvements plan). This is one topic that makes me regret dumping committees. Roads really deserve more than 20 minutes – but otoh, given budget challenges, there may not be more than 20 minutes to discuss. 😀
- Sound Transit Federal Way Link Extension Update. I’m always interested in the wiiiiide variety of opinions on this project. It will likely play a big role in the Federal Way races this fall.
Study Session
- Updating Resolution 1118 Concerning the Process of Public Contracting
- Comprehensive Plan Update
- City Council Protocol Manual Review. We’re going through each Cm’s ideas for changing the ways we run meetings. We haven’t gotten to mine, but the ones we’ve gone through, the conversation was ‘spicy’. 😀
Here are some I will propose. They may take a few more years to accomplish, but they are the right things to do. As I’ve said many times, this is a very long game. You may not win, but you should put the right policies on the table. The push back will always be “we don’t need a rule for that, we can just ‘do it’. No. As we’ve seen so often in recent decades, if you depend on ‘social norms’ to obtain good government, you will live to regret it.
- Minutes shall be kept of every City Council committee meeting as well as all Advisory Committees, listing discussion topics, a summary of key points made, with attribution to individuals, and any final decisions and/or recommendations to the Council.
- “No employee of the City of Des Moines may serve as a member of an organisation that has a contractual relationship with the City.
- New Agenda Items for Consideration (amend) “A presenter should come to the dais prepared with research, be afforded time for a brief presentation, and then offer a specific, concise request. No final decision will be taken on the proposal. If there is support from three members of the Council, the City will prepare an agenda item for a future meeting.”
- At the first meeting of each year, Councilmembers will choose a presiding officer from their number who will have the title of Mayor and another member who will serve as Deputy Mayor. Neither the current mayor or current deputy mayor will be eligible for either the offices of mayor or deputy mayor.
Executive Session
Performance of a Public Employee RCW 42.30.110(1)(g) – 20 Minutes. ESes are supposed to be top secret, but they have to be legally justified. And this law specifically applies to the City Manager, ergo, one does not have to be Sherlock to deduce that… it’s the Katherine Caffrey’s six month review.
Saturday
10:00am Waterfront Farmers Market seasoning opening at the Des Moines Marina. Of course. 🙂
Last Week
Monday
Members of the American Legion, Des Moines Memorial Drive Preservation Association, and City of Des Moines Director of Public Works Michael Slevin (Retired, US Army) raise the flag for the first time on the new pole at the Memorial Flag Triangle Ribbon Cutting.And I hope you note, in particular the Des Moines Memorial Drive Perservation Association‘s plaque – with brick work from the original road.
Here is a gallery of piccies I took at the event.
Tuesday
Port Commission Meeting (Agenda) The Commissioners heard all about StART. What should matter to you is the chronic information desert. The Commissioners are usually in the dark about basically everything to do with the airport community issues. But one could say the same about the Burien Airport Committee (see below). What they finally seem to have keyed in on is the fact that StART was never a ‘community’ round table. It was organised by the former airport director in concert with City Administrators. Good, bad, or indifferent, that policy has led to much of the frustration concerning what StART is and what it can do. The fact is, former airport director Lyttle sold the idea in 2018, it sounded great, and the Commission let him run with it. If it takes the Commission seven years to respond to even this basic community concern, that does not bode well for the entire model.
Wednesday
2:30PM Highline Forum (Agenda) Burien City Hall. Surprisingly, there as another annual report on StART. 😀 But there was also a fascinating economic update from the Port on all the economic grants it provides to our six cities, and updates from other cities – including SeaTac discussing its intent to purchase over 95% of North SeaTac Park (213 acres). Complete transcript and presentations here, totally worth reading.