The Des Moines City Council Study Session on Thursday night, Aug. 1, 2024, covered a range of topics relevant to the community.
A resident voiced concerns about protecting greenspaces from development, while the Port of Seattle presented updates on their ongoing airport noise study.
The City Manager recruitment process is nearing completion, with the public soon having the opportunity to meet the finalists.
Public safety was also a key focus, with the Police Chief providing an update on call volume, staffing levels, and recent drug enforcement actions.
Public Comments
There was just one public comment at this study session, which asked Council to protect greenspace wetlands when planning for development. She said a recent survey to residents showed protection of green spaces to be the community’s number one priority.
Port Of Seattle Noise Study
Since 1985 the Port of Seattle has conducted noise surveys, to map the reach of airport noise within surrounding communities. This year they began a new survey to update noise maps, starting with outreach to residents. Public workshops will continue, as well as information tables at public events like the Farmers Market. The team welcomes questions, ideas, and concerns from the public on airport noise and remediation. More information can be found at SeaPart150.com and by emailing p150@portseattle.org.
According to the presentation, airlines can’t be punished for failure to comply with noise standards. Nor can they be rewarded, beyond public recognition, for taking steps to make their planes quieter. The city of Des Moines has three noise monitors in various locations that will be used in the study, and there are several more monitors in surrounding cities.
City Manager Recruitment Update
The public will have a chance to meet the finalists in the hiring process for a new city manager. These finalists have been selected by the council, and will be on-site for interviews within the next 3 ½ weeks. More details will be available at next week’s council meeting, once schedules have been confirmed.
Police Department Update
According to outgoing Interim Police Chief Mark Couey, 911 calls are seeing a seasonal rise, as well as a general increase in call volumes this year. Crimes against persons, property, and society are all higher than last year, while community caretaking calls are down. Community caretaking includes calls regarding missing persons, mental health, South King Fire assistance, recovering stolen property, and suicide. One explanation for the reduced community caretaking calls to 911 is the city’s Community Outreach Officer, whose position has been funded by expiring ARPA money.
Chief Couey shared that the Des Moines police have a great call response time, and the department will be fully staffed as of Aug. 16, 2024. However, Couey explained that “fully staffed” is not an apt description of a department that has a low rate of officers per capita for the state – in a state that comes in 51st in the nation for officers per capita. He also mentioned that the crime rate in this area would be considered high.
Officers do what they can with a small team but Chief Couey said that it’s not a good long term plan to regularly send police out on overtime shifts. He said working too much overtime is counter to wellness, and the quality of work goes down. The consequences of police making an error while on duty are too high. Overtime can be used on a limited basis but is not a replacement for adequate staffing.
They have made progress in several areas, despite the challenges. Des Moines officers recently did a “Warrant Roundup” and 23 arrests of people with outstanding warrants were made. Des Moines Police recently collected thousands of dollars of fentanyl pills that were found in a wooded area of the city. King County reported 1,338 deaths due to drug overdose in 2023; 1,087 of those were due to fentanyl. Officers have also done what they can to minimize traffic issues, though Couey said police are only able to conduct traffic stops when time permits.
