Some bits of business…
- September 24, 2026 — City Council Regular Meeting, 6:00–10:00 p.m.
- Centennial of the Seashore Club Proclamation
- Update on the Port of Seattle Economic Development Grant
- Development Agreement Ordinance – 2nd Reading
- 2026 City Hall Suite A Restroom & Kitchen Remodel Agenda Item
- Judge Pro Tem Compensation – 2nd Reading
- Marina Tenant Restroom
- Midway Park ORLP Grant Authorization Resolution
- Legislative Agenda
- Comprehensive Safety Action Plan
- Discussion on MFTE Program
- 24th Ave S Improvements Project - S 223rd St to S 216th St - Transportation Improvements Board Grant and Professional Services Consultant Agreement
- Discussion on Capital Improvements on 223rd
- October 1, 2026 — City Council Regular Meeting, 6:00–10:00 p.m.
- Canopy Preservation Program Update
- Draft Funding Recommendations from Human Services Committee
- October 29, 2026 — City Council Regular Meeting, 6:00–10:00 p.m.
- Public Hearing – 2027 Property Tax Levy – 1st Reading
- Public Hearing – 2026 Budget Amendments – 1st Reading
- Public Hearing – 2027/2028 Biennial Budget – 1st Reading
- Executive Session: Property Acquisition Under RCW 42.30.110(1)(b) – 50 Minutes
Future Agendas is the closest thing the City currently has to a calendar of upcoming City Council topics. It’s not always accurate. But until we develop a genuine calendar, this can be useful if there is a particular issue you don’t want to miss.
About the cover
Ta da!
We had the ‘ribbon cutting’ for the University of Washington air quality monitor station at Steven J. Underwood Park I talked about last week. I try to avoid sharp objects so Senator Tina Orwall cut the ribbon.
You may have already seen a headline from the City, but I wanted you to understand the real significance of this. So, I’m sharing a video from STNI.
Normandy Park Fireworks Townhall, September 30
I’m not saying we have anything to do with it, but this may be of interest to all of you who are concerned about fireworks in the area. It’s tough to obtain wider enforcement until we have uniform standards in the area.
Town Hall will focus on future of Normandy Park fireworks celebration – The Normandy Park Blog
City Manager Stuff
City Manager Reports! September 25, 2026
This Week
Thursday
Regular City Council Meeting: October 1, 2026 Agenda Packet
(Apparently this is a regular meeting, not the usual committee of the whole/study session. Why? Who knows, right?)
Highlights:
- Consent agenda, Item 3: Additional Sales Tax for Children and Family Services Enact Draft Ordinance No. 26-104, imposing an additional 0.01% sales tax. This represents a one penny tax on a $100 purchase, but overall should yield about $40,000 in targeted annual revenue for much needed programs.
- Unfinished business: Canopy Preservation Program Update: Staff Presentation: Tyler Beekley, Surface Water/Environmental Engineer
Essentially, the proposal is for the SWM Utility, which is a separate taxing district, to take ownership of a large number of trees on City property. This allows the SWM fund to charge a small (but new) fee to maintain and enhance these trees–which are in decline. I favour this because the days of ‘volunteer ivy pulls!’ is long past. Without professional management we will continue losing our precious tree cover. That said, it is a new program and also a tax increase, which should be managed by the separate SWM Committee we had until last year.
- New business: 2027–2028 Human Services Funding Recommendations. This is $150,000 for 2027–with the first needs analysis we’ve done in a long time to come in 2028. FWIW, $150,000 represents less than 1/2 of one percent of our general fund–as low as it’s been since I’ve lived here. When people talk about ‘belt-tightening’, this is usually the (cough) ‘efficiency’ that really occurs. Years ago, the Council pledged to get to two percent–which is much more like what our community has always needed. I appreciate the efforts the Human Services Commitee puts in, truly. But without more funding this cannot be seen as any great accomplishment.
Last Week
Tuesday
Port Commission Meeting (Agenda) The second in their series of budget meetings. This one provided a good look at their community programs–of which we (Des Moines) are currently getting over $1,400,000 less than SeaTac. We need to do something about that. 🙂
Thursday
AQM – see cover.
City Council Meeting: Agenda for September 24, 2026. Every meeting seems to have a theme, and this one was: votes I hate. Things I want to vote ‘yes’ on but can’t, things I don’t want to vote ‘no’ on but can’t.
Highlights:
- Economic Development Update – Business Climate Survey and Roundtables. This was actually funded by the only dough we currently get from the Port of Seattle–a whopping $30k. To be fair, this is the 1first Port grant since I’ve been involved I thought was put to any good use. Consultant Dan Eernissee polled forty four businesses to determine what they’d like to see. Although it’s a conversation worth having, it’s the same conversation we’ve been having for decades. Permitting is too tough! We need more building height! Landlords are mean! Businesses don’t cooperate! I didn’t need a ton of research to obtain these hard-hitting insights and I don’t think you did either. That may sound snippy, but many of us have been waiting to hear about ‘solutions’ to these same, ongoing symptoms, since 2008. I know we have new leadership, but it’s not new to moi. Or you, I’m guessing. And that should (finally) create a sense of true urgency.
- City Hall Suite A Restroom and Kitchen Remodel $195,987.07
- Marina Tenant Restroom Replacement: The tenant restroom has been in bad shape for years and I am glad it’s (finally) getting done. OTOH, it’s distressing that the design and budget keep changing. It’s gone from $400,000 originally to now over $1,000,000. I hate these kinds of votes!
- 24th Ave S Improvement Project (Segment 1). This was a series of three votes on beginning the final phase of redoing 24th Ave S. I voted ‘no’ on Item 3 — where we (once again) avoided undergrounding utilities.
It has been in the City code for almost two decades now to underground utilities. We almost never do it, though, and this is another vote I hate. The Council has all these noble bits of code involving savings funds, undergrounding and trees–which we almost always vote to override. We get to tell people we’re ‘green’ or ‘thrifty’ or whatever, but not behave as such in practice. Apart from that bit of hypocrisy, you should care because it’s one of those signals that we are chronically broke. Get it? It’s like people who have really great ‘savings plans’ they can never seem to make happen. But if you sit down and say, “Edna, have you noticed that these things just don’t work?” well… 😀
- Development Agreement Ordinance – 2nd Reading. I wrote about this a few times. DAs are great. The one the City put forward did not thrill me–and apparently not my colleagues either because we voted 7-0 to remand the item back to the Planning Commission. As I recommended last month. 😀
To be clear: Unlike my colleagues, I had no problem with the item as presented. I would have voted against it if it had contained a cure for cancer. What I want is a robust planning commission. This is exactly the kind of item that should be read and worked through at least twice before being presented to the City Council. That’s the job of a Planning Commission. It’s their job to do the detailed study, not the other way round.
- Consideration of the City’s 2027 Legislative Agenda
This ended up taking too long. There is a tendency towards micro-management: trying to tell the lobbyist not only what to do, but what strategy to employ. I get the appeal. But having watched other cities, I am no reluctant to do that. Frankly, many worthy projects may have several arguments. You make whichever ones that can get you through a committee hearing. 😀 The only area where I push my nose in is on airport issues, but that’s just a question of knowledge-base. At the end of the day, the lobbyist has to do the convincering.
- 223rd St. Pedestrian Project. The City was awarded a grant by Ecology to develop a water filtering system — if we began design on a complete streets project. This would be grant funded, but take several years to obtain. The Council voted ‘no’. The City brought it back last month and the Council again voted ‘no’. So we got a third crack at it–installing ADA curbs and sidewalks with no water quality piece. I voted no.
This was the worst of all worlds. I was happy waiting for the project our downtown deserves. Instead, we got a short term ‘fix’ that will cost more out of pocket, provide no environmental benefits, no undergrounding, and then, a good deal of it will need to be redone when we get to the real downtown redevelopment plan. This was also the kind of thing that a Planning Commission should review first.
- Discussion on a Multi-Family Tax Exemption Program
Again, this was exactly the kind of discussion that should have gone to the Planning Commission first. The subject is simply too complicated for a 20 minute presentation. Members of the Council said they weren’t understanding the material. But instead of recognising that? The Council voted 4-3 to take another whack at it, rather than let the group that is designed for deep dives do the ground work. Unlike the Frozen Princess, we just can’t seem to let it go! 😀
- Additional Sales Tax for Children and Family Services – 1st Reading: this is a teeny, tiny tax that will target the kinds of programs we need a lot more of here. Third teeth-grinding vote. I hate sales taxes. But they are now the only thing the City (or County) can implement without a vote–and that’s why you’re seeing so many of them.
Friday
Recology tour with our SWM team! (Did not go!) I was sick last week. Normally nothing gets me out of bed faster than a chance to see mountains of trash! But it was touch and go there for a while. I hope to hear a complete report from Councilmember Blosse. 🙂
City Council Meeting Recap
1Previous grants went to study Marina Hotel and Ferry opportunities, oy.)
