Des Moines City Manager’s Weekly Report for week ending Dec. 15, 2023
SAVE THE DATE!
On the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, the City will be hosting a Marina Steps Project public forum. This meeting will include a presentation on the Project as well as an opportunity for public interaction with City staff. The specific details (time/location) are still being finalized and will be announced once they are confirmed, but for now, mark your calendars. General information on the project can be found here.
SR3 Seal Release
On Saturday, Dec. 9, SR3 (Sealife Response, Rehabilitation and Research) released their last two seal pup patients of 2023 into the Puget Sound. I attended the release with my daughters and although it was cold and very wet, it was exciting to see the happy and healthy seals waddle down the beach and into the water. If you are unfamiliar with SR3, they operate the Pacific Northwest’s only hospital dedicated to marine wildlife and we are proud to host them at the Des Moines Marina. More information on SR3 as well as volunteer opportunities can be found here.
Upcoming Coffee with a Cop
On Wednesday, Dec. 20, the Police Department will be hosting Coffee with a Cop at Safeway on 214th and Pacific Highway South from 11am-12. This is a great opportunity to voluntarily interact with our great officers and get to know those that serve us.
King Tide and Sandbags
King Tides have been forecasted for this weekend. Our Public Works crews and Marina staff have placed pallets of sandbags in the Redondo parking lot for anyone to take that may be concerned about high tides. City staff also worked with a Homeowners Association near the Marina that experiences flooding and offered resources to attempt to mitigate water intrusion.
Audit Entrance Conference
On December 13, City staff and several Councilmembers met with representatives of the Washington State Auditor’s Office for the 2022 Audit Entrance Conference. The purpose of the Entrance Conference is to ensure members of the governing body are aware of the audit process and have an opportunity to discuss any areas of concern. This Annual audit will begin shortly and will use a risk-based approach. Areas the Auditor will be focusing on for the year 2022 will include: software conversion, self-insurance for unemployment, cash receipting, accounts payable, payroll, financial condition and compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act. At the conclusion of the Audit, the results will be made public.
Emergency Operations Update
This week Shannon Kirchberg, Director of Emergency Management and Peyton Murphy, Land Use Planner
II attended the King County Mitigation Plan kick off meeting. The City of Des Moines will be updating our Hazard Mitigation Annex to be included in King County’s Mitigation Plan due to be completed by the end of 2024. There will be at least two upcoming community outreach activities to engage with community members and gain input from residents before the Plan will be completed.
Santa Parade Food Collection
Last week, Parks & Recreation staff had the opportunity to participate in the annual Santa Parade put on by South King Fire. The goal was to support and connect the community by spreading holiday cheer and collecting food donations along each route. This year, our staff traveled through North Hill, Zenith, Woodmont Beach and Laurelwood neighborhoods collecting over 1,100 pounds of donated food items! Special thanks to our Public Works Department for assistance with delivering the food.
Meetings of Interest
In addition to day-to-day administrative duties, this week I met with representatives of the State Auditor’s Office to discuss the City’s Annual Audit. We had our bi-weekly roundtable meeting with all City Department Directors to discuss on-going or upcoming issues and to ensure collaboration between departments. I met with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor as well as our Executive Team to walk through Thursday’s City Council meeting agenda. I attended the SCORE Jail Administrative Board meeting where in addition to discussing business; former City Manager Michael Matthias received a plaque in recognition of his years of service on the Admin Board. Michael served on the Board during the selection of the current Executive Director and he was instrumental in assisting SCORE navigate COVID-19 as well as the exit of one of our large partners.
City Council Meeting Summary
The City Council met on Thursday night. The agenda and supporting materials for that meeting can be found here (read our coverage here). All items on the agenda were passed. Some highlights included the swearing in of newly elected Councilmember Grace Matsui, approving the construction contract to install new playground equipment at Cecil Powell Park and approving the Right of Way dedication for the soon to be completed Des Moines Theater. The next City Council meeting will be January 4th.
Sports Update
It’s Bowl Season! College football Bowls start this weekend and includes Boise State taking on UCLA on Saturday. If you were expecting to watch the Seahawks on Sunday like I was, you can make other plans. The NFL moved the game against the Philadelphia Eagles to Monday night. But that may be a good thing, the Seahawks have the best record on Monday Night Football games in all of NFL history with a record of 30 wins and 12 losses. Let’s make it 31!
Have a great weekend,
Tim George
Interim City Manager
