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.
The election…
I wrote about the election last week, but one recurring piece of inaccurate information I keep reading is ‘low voter turnout’. Actually, voter turnout in Des Moines was close to 40%. Not as good as Sweden and Australia, but higher than in most recent elections which are typically in the mid 30s.
As of November 14 Election results
The Promenade?
At our last meeting I learned something I had totally spaced on! On our Capital Improvements plan, project MCCP0030, aka ‘the Marina Steps’ is actually called the Marina Steps & Promenade. I honestly was confused as to what the promenade part was, because when the Marina was originally built, the ‘promenade’ referred to the walkway in front of the docks and then ‘promenade’ was used to describe the 223rd Green Streets thing. I was so curious, I asked ‘the AI’ to search meeting videos and I could only find one person speaking about the zigzaggy thing as a ‘promenade’ — back in 2023. Of the thousands of times people have talked about the project, since 2017, in every other case its talked about as ‘the Marina Steps’. No promenade. Anyhoo, probably everyone else got the memo on this. 😀 But given its architectural prominence, maybe we shoulda called it the Marina Promenade… with Steps?
WD54
I get asked this a lot. Water District #54 has been in a sort of holding pattern for a while. They had a boil water notice in 2023, necessitating a shift to purchasing all their water from Highline Water District. Then their manager was assaulted by an extremely troubled person while on rounds and never returned to work.
Returning to the well water supply you see on 11th Avenue would require some very expensive new equipment. But having to purchase water from Highline takes so much money, they struggle to find money to do so. Despite having grants for some of that work, they are not close to being fully funded.
Traditionally, their Commission has been extremely reluctant to raise rates. Good for their small number of customers, bad for long term viability.
On top of that, the office manager — one of my favourite people in Des Moines and her dog — are retiring next month with no replacement. The Commission has been trying to figure out a path forward and the obvious option is to become a satellite of Highline — which surrounds WD54 on all sides. What will that mean for retaining one of the last remaining well-water services in the State? Ya got me.
It has probably been inevitable for a long time that some form of consolidation is necessary. The giant tower, reservoir, and the land on 219th are now essentially taking up precious land that could be put to better uses.
What I’m basically saying is that I walk by there all the time and I’m hoping there is a way to build some houses for young families to live next to the park. 🙂
City Manager Stuff
City Manager Reports – November 14, 2025
Strategery
The City is taking community input on the first Strategic Plan since our founding in 1959! Take this ten minute survey and let us know what your long term vision is for Des Moines. There will also be a town hall at Des Moines Elementary on December 9. Deets to follow soon. But for now? Fill out the survey!!!!
This Week
Tuesday
Port of Seattle Commission: Port of Seattle Commission Meeting – Sea-Tac Noise.Info The Port will finalise their budget. As I said last week, there was a very good discussion on the Tax Levy. To summarise it’s been two years and they have not fixed a single Port Package using the Tax Levy funds as promised and no matter what people say, the amount of funding for community grants available for cities like Des Moines has plummeted.
Wednesday
Regional Transit Committee (11-19-25 RTC Agenda) As I said at the last meeting, the King County Council is instituting a big push for transit public safety.
7:00 PM Des Moines Historical Society: The DMHS is hosting a presentation from the Port of Seattle on the History of Sea-Tac Airport. 728 225th Ave. More details here:
Last Week
Tuesday
Port of Seattle Commission: Port of Seattle Commission Meeting – Sea-Tac Noise.Info They passed their budget forward. There was a very good discussion on the Tax Levy. It was an odd thing — the staff discouraging the Commissioners from raising rates! Again, this should signal people how well they are doing — and how increasingly out of touch Commissioners are with airport communities.
It’s been two years and they have not fixed a single Port Package using the Tax Levy funds they promised. And second, the amount of funding for community grants continues to increase–which they will crow about. However, the actual amount available for cities like Des Moines has plummeted.
I attended a Veterans Day ceremony at Sunnyside Elementary, with the Des Moines Memorial Drive Preservation Association. Yes, there is a ceremony at SJU. I’ve been attending this one for a decade now, and it’s become routine. I support their work because trying to reduce traffic on DMMD, create and improve the Lake to Sound Trail, and make all of it as beautiful as possible have always been worthy goals. 🙂
Wednesday
Emergency Management Advisory Committee. Not specific to this meeting but it’s that time of year when I nag people to create an emergency preparedeness kit and sign up for King County Alerts. Both are super-easy and both could save you and your family’s lives. 🙂
Thursday
City Council Meeting Regular Meeting – 13 Nov 2025 – Agenda – Pdf
City Council Meeting November 13, 2025
Regular Meeting – 13 Nov 2025 – Agenda – Pdf
This meeting was super-action-packed and really hit on the direction of both the Council and the City. Rather than do a recap of the meeting I’m working on my first ‘essay’ in a long time which I will publish separately. I’m sure you’ll be refreshing your browser every 30 seconds to see that. 😀