Public speakers press council on climate office, transit, Pride flag, budget transparency and service cuts

At the public speaking portion of the meeting, multiple residents addressed the council on a range of civic concerns: restoring a City of Des Moines sustainability office, funding and accessibility for transit, flying the Pride flag, transparency in the budget process and program cuts affecting violence‑interruption and social services.

Carolyn Yulin Hague Walker, a longtime resident and former teacher, urged the council to restore the city’s Sustainability Office and to prioritize climate action. She said a single sustainability staff position would cost about $140,000–$150,000 based on prior budget conversations and argued the investment would allow the city to act on climate risks and would be appreciated by future generations.

"If we got 4 council members to support the sustainability office, we could go forward on it," she said, adding an estimate for hiring one staffer.

Heather Armstrong of Ward 2 thanked the council for funding DART transit for the next couple years and called transit accessibility essential for people using wheelchairs, citing differences between Polk County and more transit‑poor areas she previously lived in.

Joe Dolak, a resident of Ward 3, urged the council to fly the Pride flag now to reaffirm support for queer residents after a recent demonstration by a white supremacist group in his neighborhood. He said he has not seen the city display the flag and asked the council to act.

Carol Maher, a downtown resident, criticized what she described as a lack of transparency after the budget work session and asked that the question‑and‑answer log be posted online. She also asked what programs were cut, noting the violence‑interruption program run by Creative Visions in Ward 1 had been removed from the budget and that SIS (Service Integration Services) was impacted.

Jada Moreci, who serves on local transportation bodies and community cleanup efforts, expressed disappointment in the public hearing process and asked the council to weigh signatures and petitions such as those presented to save Berlin Pool and oppose ordinances that she said would criminalize homelessness. She also highlighted cuts to library staffing and the office of sustainability as concerns.

Speakers were reminded that public speaking time is not a forum for council discussion; the record shows the council did not engage in extended back‑and‑forth during the public speaking time but staff or council follow‑up was invited after the meeting.

The public comments recorded specific requests and figures on the record (for example, the $140,000–$150,000 figure for a single sustainability position) and several speakers asked for follow‑up information to be published by staff.