The Des Moines City Council convened on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, for a meeting that covered a range of vital community topics, from recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month to addressing the city’s structural budget imbalance.
The council received the latest “Crimes In Washington” report from Police Chief Ted Boe, and formally approved the second reading of the short term rental ordinance.
The majority of the council’s focus, however, was dedicated to a comprehensive exploration of potential new revenue streams, such as a public safety sales tax and adjustments to utility taxes, as the city needs to increase recurring annual revenue by $2.2 million to maintain current services.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the council approved a proclamation which was read and accepted by a representative from Lighthouse NW. It was mentioned that one in three women, and one in seven men, are victims of domestic violence. In addition, one in fifteen kids witness this violence, giving them an increased likelihood to perpetuate the abuse as adults. Lighthouse NW said they have a 100% success rate for everyone who completes their program, breaking the cycle of violence.
Lighthouse NW hosts an annual fundraiser and celebration, happening Oct. 18. See link above for ticket information. In addition, funds are being raised through an online auction, open now, which closes on Oct. 18.
Des Moines City Council Candidates Event
A representative from the League of Women Voters shared that they are hosting a Des Moines City Council Candidates Forum on Oct. 14. The event will take place at Wesley Gardens in the Terrace Auditorium at 7 p.m. Registration is not required; see link for details.
Crimes In Washington Report
Police Chief Ted Boe presented the Crimes In Washington Report. This is published every August, and provides rich data on all types of crimes. According to the report, in 2024 crime rates were down from the prior year. However, they have increased over the last five years in our state. Nationally, crime rates dropped during the same period. Chief Boe reminded everyone that Washington State has the lowest per-capita police staffing in the nation, and Des Moines has seven fewer officers per-capita than the state average.
While being understaffed and overworked is a problem for officers across the state and in Des Moines in particular, the city has seen a 44% reduction in Burglary, a 46% reduction in Auto Thefts, and a 34% reduction in Weapon Violations. Unfortunately, the report did find an increase in Simple Assault, and a 200% increase in Drug Violations. Chief Boe attributed this increase to state legislative changes over the last couple of years, which have made policing harder.
National Coffee With A Cop Day
Come celebrate National Coffee With A Cop Day with the Des Moines Police at Highline College on Wednesday, Oct. 1. This free event will take place in Building 8 from 11am to noon. There will be donuts.
Short Term Rentals Approved
The city’s short term rental ordinance passed its second reading with some minor amendments and a unanimous vote. Changes include increasing the radius for required notification letters to 200 feet from the property line, rather than just adjacent neighbors, and mandating that these letters be sent out annually instead of only upon initiation of the business. In addition, the ordinance now has tighter regulations on noise monitoring. Permits can be revoked if there are three or more calls for service in a 12-month period.
Exploring Potential Revenue For The City
As the city faces a structural imbalance, in which its revenue can’t keep pace with the increasing rate of expenses, Des Moines staff are looking at ways to increase recurring revenue. They have calculated that there is an annual deficit of $1.8 to $2.2 million just to maintain current services until 2028.
One option to increase revenue agreed to at this meeting is a public safety sales tax. A recent state bill allows cities to increase sales tax by .1%, with the proceeds going towards public safety. This would raise the tax in Des Moines from 10.2% to 10.3%, costing an additional 10 cents per $100 purchase.
Though this sales tax is estimated to bring in an additional $450,000 annually, it does require work for city staff. There are many administrative requirements tied to raising the tax rate, and it is cumbersome to adopt.
City Manager Katherine Caffrey said that the money would pay for an additional full-time police officer, as well as public defender costs, retaining a co-responder position after grants run out, and reinstating animal control services. The deadline for increasing the rate is fast approaching, and the council unanimously approved applying for this tax increase.
Another option for increasing revenue is raising the tax on water and sewer utilities. This could bring in up to an additional $900,000, depending on the rate settled on. The city would encourage utility services to provide low income senior rate discounts. Des Moines is currently at the low end of the spectrum for this tax, when compared with neighboring cities. A 4% increase could cost residents around $12.78 on their bills, over a two month period.
Also under consideration is making traffic safety cameras in school zones active 24-hours a day. This could not only reduce speeding at night, but also bring in $300,000 per year, though these restricted funds can only be used for traffic safety expenses. Also, revenue from cameras naturally goes down after people receive their first couple of tickets, and start driving more carefully. Additional traffic safety cameras will be considered as well, though there are many required hoops to jump through before they would be installed.
Other revenue sources under consideration include increasing car tab fees from $40 to $50 per year, which would bring in $250,000 for Des Moines; in-house production of City Currents Magazine, which could save $45,000 per year; and a tax on parking, which could increase the cost of marina parking from $10 for six hours to $11, and would increase revenue by $50,000.
The council expressed interest in further research and discussion on all of these revenue sources. One idea that did not get support was increasing the Surface Water Management utility tax, which would bring in $50,000 per 1% increase. The other items will be brought back to council for consideration, with the time sensitive topics coming back sooner.
