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Council members report regional partnerships, housing gains and workforce ideas; Soundside Alliance leadership shifts
Summary
Deputy Mayor Steinmetz described taking the Soundside Alliance leadership role and bylaws changes; council members highlighted South King Housing and Homeless Partners' report of 406 affordable units last year and discussed workforce development outreach and nonprofit collaborations.
Deputy Mayor Steinmetz told the council she attended her first Soundside Alliance meeting and said Mayor Buxton previously chaired the group. Steinmetz said Peter Kwan was elected chair of Soundside Alliance and Jovita McConnell was elected co-chair, and that the group amended bylaws to create a chair-and-co-chair structure. She described membership as elected officials and staff from nearby cities and said the Alliance works with partners including the port and Highline College.
Council Member Ochsiger reported on the South King Housing and Homeless Partners annual progress report, saying the group pooled resources across South King County and delivered 406 units of affordable housing last year, including a project in Des Moines he referred to as Victoria Place (transcript discussion referenced unit counts with some back-and-forth; Ochsiger corrected an earlier number to say 20 units for that Des Moines project). Ochsiger said Des Moines' contribution to the pooled fund was $34,000 and he cautioned that state and federal funding availability is uncertain this year.
Steinmetz also relayed a workforce development council presentation recommending the use of underutilized city spaces for job-center activities and workshops. "They suggested that ... Employment Security Department could come and utilize spaces, city spaces that are being underutilized to have workshops," Steinmetz said. She and other council members praised the recent nonprofit summit and the region's cooperative efforts on housing and economic development.
Council members also noted ongoing legislative monitoring, including references to bills discussed in Olympia (one speaker referred to bill "1380" on homelessness and another to "1303" related to environmental justice); council members said they are following potential impacts for cities.
These remarks were reports and updates; no formal council action was taken during the Feb. 27 session on the items summarized.
