Here’s our recap of Monday night’s (May 22, 2023) regular Burien City Council meeting:

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month Proclamation

A Proclamation celebrating LGBTQIA+ Pride Month was read by Deputy Mayor Kevin Schilling and Councilmember Cydney Moore that recognizes and celebrates the contributions of LGBTQIA+ individuals in Burien. A Pride Flag is scheduled to be raised outside Burien City Hall at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 1, 2023, and Burien Pride will be held during the weekend of June 2-4, 2023.

Public Comment

Only around six or so commenters spoke, with one sharing her concerns about how small, family-owned businesses in Burien would suffer if the minimum wage was raised in the city.

City Manager’s Report, Letter from King County

The City Manager’s Report included an update on the lease with Burien CARES for the city-owned property on SW 152nd Street and 6th Ave SW that is currently occupied by around 30 unhoused campers. As we previously reported, CARES is proposing to lease the property for $185/month, clean it up and turn it into a fenced, city-sanctioned Dog Park.

City Manager Adolfo Bailon also made a statement regarding a letter the City received from King County that warned that Burien Police / King County Sheriff’s Office personnel will not assist the City if and when it decides to sweep homeless campers off the city-owned lot where around 30 campers now reside. Read our full coverage of that letter – including Bailon’s full statement – here.

Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

A public hearing was held to receive comments on the 2024-2029 Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). However, no comments were submitted, and the TIP was voted to the consent agenda for the next meeting, set for June 5. This TIP aims to improve transportation infrastructure in Burien over a six-year period.

A presentation about the TIP was then made by Maiya Andrews, Public Works Director, and Robin Tischmak, Deputy Public Works Director. They provided details about what this program entails and how it will benefit residents of Burien.

This is a mid-range planning document that is annually updated based on needs and policies identified through a variety of sources, and represents Burien’s current list of needed projects that may begin work in the next six years.

King County Re+ Program

Patti Liu from King County gave a presentation on its new Re+ program, which will award a combined $2.3 million in grants to 14 projects that reduce waste and keep valuable resources in the economy and out of the landfill.

Each project will contribute to Re+, King County’s new initiative to reinvent the region’s waste system to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions by transitioning to a sustainable circular economy.

Examples include connecting BIPOC chefs and volunteers who are cooking meals for communities in need with surplus food to support their work, expanding furniture fix-it events, repurposing post-consumer coffee bags into reusable products, increasing the capacity to remove and sell salvaged lumber from construction sites and more.

The city was asked to sign a pledge to Re+, which passed unanimously.

Special Meeting to discuss unhoused campers

Councilmember Cydney Moore made a motion to schedule a Special Meeting to discuss how/where the city plans to help the homeless campers who will soon be moved from the city-owned lot that’s set to be leased to Burien CARES.

Moore requested that the meeting be held before the next regular council meeting on June 5, and left it to the City Manager and Mayor to propose a date.

The motion passed 6-1, with Stephanie Mora the lone “no” vote.

Watch video of the full council meeting here.

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