This Week
Monday: Delrose Manor BBQ, hosted by Stephen Dziadosz.
Thanks for the invitation to this evening’s Delrose Manor BBQ, hosted by Stephen Dziadosz.
When I arrived there were already large contingent of residents and a ton of mighty tasty looking food which I did not get a chance to eat,
Also in attendance were Mayor Mahoney and Deputy Mayor Buxton and a surprising number of very small children running around which is always nice to see.
Also on the plus side, I got to chat with several residents, which was great–but not everyone as I had to cut out to get to another thing. So if I missed anyone, please feel free to contact me any time (206) 878-0578.
Again, I want to mention how much I appreciate these events. In addition to making friends, it makes for a safer neighbourhood. It also helps keep the City’s attention on the area. All good things.
Best.
Wednesday: Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. The agency is deciding on a location for the first fixed-site air quality monitor dedicated to Sea-Tac Airport and aviation-specific emissions. I’ve written that sentence dozens of times and still it amazes me.
In the ’70’s, soon after the Clean Air Act and NEPA were passed, the public was outraged by the dramatic increase in noise and pollution. What is interesting to me is how an entire region can become acclimated to a situation.I often bore people by mentioning Clair Patterson, the chemist who first demonstrated how much lead was present everywhere. Sky. Ocean. Land. As with the noise and pollution from the airport, slowly people got so used to having lead everywhere it wasn’t possible to understand how much damage it was doing to public health. It was only after we stopped using leaded gas and paint and so on that scientists understood the hundreds of thousands of deaths and illnesses every year. People had just learned to live with it.
Thursday: Economic Development Committee Meeting (Agenda) (Video)
- Masonic Home Demolition EIS Update (moved to July)
- Housing Action Plan
- Quarterdeck Lease Extension presentation by owner Ken Rogers. Mr. Rogers is requesting a five year extension, with a further five year option.
Thursday: Municipal Facilities Committee Meeting (Agenda) (Video)
- Fieldhouse Lightpole
- CIP grant opportunities
Thursday: City Council Meeting (Agenda) (see below)
How to participate in our meetings
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.
Last Week
Tuesday: Port of Seattle Commission Meeting (Agenda)
Wednesday: Puget Sound Regional Council Comprehensive Plan Workshop
Wednesday: Mt. Rainier High School Graduation at ShoWare Center
Thursday: King County Flood Control District
Friday: South King County Housing and Homelessness Partners (SKHHP)
City Council Meeting Preview
Last meeting featured thirteen Consent Agenda items that were not exactly ‘routine’. This one has seven significant presentations.
I once again nagged the City Manager to publish his four presentations ahead of the meeting. It drives me a bit nuts to see those things cold. We’ll see.
City Manager Report
- SAMP UPDATE
- SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER PRESENTATION
- MARINA REDEVELOPMENT UPDATE
- PARKS, RECREATION & SENIOR SERVICES UPDATE
New Business
- Public Hearing on Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) The TIP is something at least one person in every neighbourhood should read. It shows you a prioritised list of all our road projects along with their budget and timeline. If you’re on the Transpo Committee, you should be thinking about possibilities to move items around based on new grant opportunities or community need.
- Draft Ordinance 21-064 – National Pollution Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) Source Control Best Mamagement Practices - Passenger Ferry Pilot Test Implementation. Last month we voted to approve $975,000 for a pilot project. What came back is less than a third of that. It’s a sixty three seat whale watching boat called the Chilkat that will have four sailings a day from the Marina to Bell Harbor and back.I know you’re getting all hot and bothered. But needless to say, I have questions. Including:
- Why is there no suggested fare price in the proposal?
- How do we gauge succcess?
- From the few invoices I’ve seen, we voted on the thing on April 14 and then another paid consultant chose this vendor almost immediately. We have no idea who, if any, other options there were. And the Council has no clear idea who all the players are we’re working with.
- Seriously. how does this make money? It’s beginning to look like a $90,000 ‘marketing expense’ that we simply eat in order to be the ‘cool marina’. OK, let’s say I buy that. What does being cool do for us?
Pet Licensing (PRR 16116)
| Year | Dog Licenses | Dog Revenue | Dog Licenses with Penalty | Cat Licenses | Cat Revenue | On-Line Licenses | On-Line License Revenue | Total Pets | Total Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1013 | 26,707 | 8 | 203 | 4,100 | 1224 | 31,097 | ||
| 2018 | 980 | 25,823 | 3 | 207 | 4,140 | 1190 | 30,023 | ||
| 2019 | 554 | 14,511 | 2 | 90 | 1,762 | 646 | 16,233 | ||
| 2020 | 757 | 19,020 | 2 | 165 | 3,300 | 49 | 5,940 | 947 | 28,320 |
| 2021 | 226 | 6,602 | 6 | 42 | 840 | 198 | 13,770 | 973 | 21,342 |
Roughly speaking, how much annual revenue does the City receive from pet licenses?
I asked that question from the dais months before I filed Public Records Request #16116 with the City. It was information I thought would be useful in deciding whether or not to move Animal Control Services to Burien C.A.R.E.S.
When I originally posed the question, I just assumed it was routine information the City would have at its fingertips. After all, we’ve had an on-line licensing system now for two years.
Now I have some follow-on questions:
- How difficult is it to gather this kind of information?
- How does our compliance track with other cities?
Dirty Laundry
I’m also posting some ‘dirty laundry’ because residents frequently tell me the issues of good government I raise can be difficult to follow. This is hopefully a more straightforward way to illustrate some of those issues.
- As I said, l originally asked this question from the dais. A staff member agreed to provide the answer off-line but did not do so.
- As usual, I did not get an explanation as to why it went unanswered. It was just ignored.
- That’s the reason for most of my public records requests.
Background
The City does not and has not responded to virtually any of my off-line requests for information for over two years. Both the administration and the majority repeatedly blame me for this state of affairs, alleging that I overburden staff with 1“thousands of pointless questions”; while providing no examples to back up their claims.
Fortunately, there is a fairly simple way to judge for yourself.
By our Rules of Procedure and the RCW, when a Councilmember asks a question from the dais, the administration is required to respond.
Now: nobody expects staff members to have every piece of information available at the drop of a hat. To avoid holding up meetings, electeds routinely accept their responses off-line. But the off-line response still carries the same obligation.
The City simply does not comply. And our Council refuses to enforce that requirement.
In short: the administration refuses to answer questions made by an elected official, no matter how simple, even when made from the dais, and even after they agree to do so.
So I end up making public records requests; which cost the City money.
The choice
I can certainly raise each incident of misconduct at every City Council meeting. But ironically, I pretty much never do because doing so is simply asking for a fight. So I choose to avoid conflict.
And there’s the rub:
To avoid conflict, one must simply roll over. That is the price of cordiality.
And that is the choice at every meeting:
- Do not ask for even the most basic information.
- Do not embarrass the administration for non-compliance.
- Do not point out the Council’s ongoing role in enabling that misconduct.
That is a small portion of what it takes to avoid making the public cringe.
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.