The Des Moines City Council’s Thursday, April 9, 2026, meeting was a balance of community advocacy and the logistical realities of municipal management.
From a proclamation of Black Wellness Week—highlighting a push for health equity and upcoming local services—to a progress report on the city’s water pollution reduction efforts, the session covered significant ground.
However, the atmosphere turned pragmatic and protective as the council grappled with the “doing more with less” reality of shrinking Human Services funding and the ongoing, heated debate over the privacy implications of Flock Safety cameras.
Whether discussing stormwater runoff or civil liberties, the meeting underscored a city working through the complexities of growth, equity, and transparency.
Black Wellness Week & Wellness Event
Mayor Yoshiko Grace Matsui read a proclamation in recognition of Black Wellness Week, with the aim to recognize and help reduce health disparities within Black communities. In celebration of Black Wellness Week, it was announced that Elevate Black Wellness will host a free community event in Tacoma, where all are welcome. Free groceries and colon cancer screenings will be offered, along with other health and financial services. It was mentioned that next year they hope to hold this event at a Des Moines location. Pre-registration for the event is available at this link.
NPDES Pollution Reduction Program
The council heard a report on the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit process. This process requires the city to take certain steps to ensure the stormwater runoff is as clean as possible. Steps include careful stormwater planning, to minimize impacts from new developments. The tree canopy program, which is still in development, is also part of the NPDES.
Public outreach and education is a big part of the city’s NPDES process. Through this program, the city delivers free spill kits to businesses, and free carwash kits to organizations putting on carwashes. Highline Stormfest is another part of this outreach effort. The program works to prevent spills of contaminants that would affect stormwater and reach Puget Sound, as well as to minimize the impact of any spills that do occur. Last year there were 37 spills that required cleanup, a reduction from previous years when there were sometimes 50 spills.
In the future, the program will be looking at ways to reduce PCBs entering the system. The public can report any trash or chemicals that might be clogging or polluting a drainage ditch. Community members can request a carwash kit, report a spill, and find out more about what they can do to help at this link.
Human Services Funding Priorities
The Human Services Committee gave a presentation to the council on the agencies selected to receive funding allocations in 2026. Money for the Human Services Fund comes out of the city’s general fund. 2025 & 2026 have seen a large reduction in available money to distribute, down to $150,000 annually from a high of $250,000 during 2023 & 2024. Eighteen organizations were chosen, and those agencies and the amounts each received can be seen at this link.
However, going forward the Human Services Committee asked for more direction from the council. Specifically, does the council want to continue funding many organizations with small contributions, or would it be better to select a smaller number of agencies and have a larger impact for those that are chosen? A study looking into what the most pressing needs actually are in the community was discussed. Although they agreed that data would be useful, everyone was hesitant to commit to spending any part of the small budget conducting such a study.
Several councilmembers preferred to focus on agencies specifically serving Des Moines residents, but it was pointed out by Deputy Mayor Gene Achziger that “human service needs don’t know municipal boundaries”, and that many vital organizations, such as food banks and domestic violence shelters, serve communities that are not strictly limited to city boundaries. Funding allocations for the 2027-2028 cycle will be determined at a later date.
Surveillance Issues
Flock Safety cameras have been brought up and discussed at length in many meetings lately. During public comments at this meeting and many prior, some speakers have asked the council to remove or deactivate the city’s Flock cameras, as many area cities have done recently in order to protect the privacy of residents and prevent camera footage from being used by ICE or the DHS. At this meeting, Councilmember JC Harris said that he also shared concerns about the “profound ability to surveil human beings”, and that he preferred to err on the side of caution.
Police Chief Ted Boe did not speak at this meeting, but in prior meetings he has given assurances that this data is only shared with other local police departments, not any federal agencies, and is used for things like locating stolen vehicles. In addition, the footage is automatically deleted after 30 days if it’s not being used in an investigation.
Chat With The Mayor: Happy Hour Edition
In recognition of the fact that many people work during typical weekday hours, Mayor Yoshiko Grace Matsui said that the next couple of Chats with the Mayor will take place either on a Saturday or on a weekday during happy hour time. She said to stay tuned for specific dates, and she looks forward to talking again with the public. She also took a moment to encourage people to get more involved in the city.
Video
Below is full, raw video of this meeting:
