Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2025, marked a pivotal meeting for the Des Moines City Council, as members celebrated a community milestone while confronting significant financial hurdles.
The council recognized the 50th anniversary of Mount Rainier Pool with an official proclamation, honoring a local landmark.
Meanwhile, the city’s financial health was a central topic of discussion. Despite a positive fund balance, a forecast showed revenue falling far short of expenditures in the near future.
The council also explored a new lease with Perfect Game USA to revitalize the underutilized ballfields at Steven J. Underwood Park, and announced that residents can now participate in council meetings remotely via Zoom.
Mount Rainier Pool Celebrates 50 Years
The council recognized Mount Rainier Pool’s 50th anniversary in an official proclamation. The pool was one of many built around the same time throughout King County, as part of the Forward Thrust movement. Mount Rainier is one of only a handful of these pools that remains in use today. As part of their 50th anniversary celebration, there will be a free swim for all on Sunday, Sept. 21 from 1 to 3 p.m., following a dedication at Noon.
Zoom Council Meetings
Now you can watch and even participate in city council meetings via Zoom. Those who wish to give public comment on zoom will need to email the city clerk by noon the prior Wednesday. The clerk will set participants up with all the necessary info in advance of the meeting.
Financial Report
While the city’s fund balance is currently in the positive, revenue this year has been much lower than anticipated, partly due to the difficulty in getting businesses to comply with a new B&O square footage tax. The city only collected a small portion of what it is owed. Letters and emails have been sent to the businesses that need to pay up. Finance Director Jeff Friend said the city may hire an outside firm to audit and collect these new taxes. Once businesses have started paying this new tax, collection should go more smoothly in future years.
Ideally, there should be two months of operating expenses in the bank. The current positive balance is only enough to fund one month of city expenses. After looking at city finances, an auditor said they were concerned.
Long Range Forecast
Back in April the city decided to hire FCS Group to create a long-range financial plan for Des Moines. FCS Group reported that, in a conservative six year forecast, city expenditures will outpace revenue by 2030. They encouraged the city to consider new revenue sources in the near term, such as a property tax levy. Perhaps they weren’t told that voters already showed their disapproval of this idea twice in 2024.
Another revenue idea suggested by FCS Group was to increase car tab fees by $10, bringing the city’s portion up from $40 to $50 per vehicle. They said the city can also increase the utility tax. The B&O tax is currently maxed out, needing voter approval to go higher, but the council could increase impact fees. City Manager Katherine Caffrey said there will be a menu of specific revenue enhancing options at the September 25th council meeting. Councilmember JC Harris said they should also be discussing potential service reductions.
Presenters also discussed different types of development on various vacant parcels, and how much ongoing and one-time revenue could potentially be brought in. Generally, residential units won’t bring in as much revenue over time as businesses, so a commercial or mixed-use type of development would seem to be preferable.
Ballfield Negotiations
City staff are negotiating with Perfect Game USA on a long-term lease for the ballfields at Steven J. Underwood Park. Currently, the park is operating at a $100,000 annual deficit. Usage of the park dropped during Covid, and never picked back up again, so the park is neglected and underutilized. Perfect Game USA, a national baseball tournament organizer, approached the city with a lease proposal. They recently signed with the city of Everett under a similar agreement.
Perfect Game USA would bring the fields back into tournament condition, and take over their maintenance. Negotiations are ongoing, but details can be found here. It was mentioned that activating the ballfields with teams from outside Des Moines would likely bring in more visitors to local businesses, as well as improving the conditions at the park and saving the city $100,000 per year.
Councilmember JC Harris and Deputy Mayor Harry Steinmetz asked about the hours of operations for these games, and other potential impacts to neighbors of the park. Presenters said games would generally wrap up by 9:30 or 10 p.m. The lease would be for five years, with the option to renew.
Video
Below is full video of the meeting:
