Homelessness, Opioid Overdose Crisis, Proclamations, Public Safety Ballot Initiative
The Burien City Council heard presentations on efforts the City of Burien is taking to address homelessness and information about the current opioid overdose crisis, presented proclamations for Día del Guatemalteco (Guatemala Day) and Breastfeeding Week, and heard updates on a potential public safety ballot initiative.
City Manager Presents Overview of Efforts to Address Homelessness
The city manager provided an update on efforts to address homelessness in Burien, including an overview of service providers in Burien and a general timeline of events around actions and efforts since the beginning of 2023.
Presentation Reveals Current State of Opioid Overdose Crisis in Burien and King County
Tara L. Kunkel of Rulo Strategies presented information on the current opioid overdose crisis in Burien and King County. The presentation included information about current lawsuits and legal settlements against opioid manufacturers and how some jurisdictions have used the funding to support and promote treatment, recovery, and prevention of opioid misuse.
The presentation also covered opioid initiatives currently operating in Burien including:
- Burien law enforcement naloxone initiative which gives all officers naloxone to carry. A Burien police officer deployed naloxone at least once per month in 2019.
- Burien Police Department’s new Community Response Team Police Co-responder Team: The team takes a collaborative approach to public safety, combining expertise in emergency response, policing, social work, and behavioral health.
Other initiatives operating in Burien, but not mentioned in the presentation, include King County Fire District #2’s co-responder team and local behavioral health organizations’ efforts to treat and prevent opioid misuse. Burien community members also have access to Public Health – Seattle & King County opioid and overdose resources.
In April, voters approved a measure that will institute a new King County tax on property owners to fund mental and behavioral health services.
The presentation also covered local and state stigma reduction and behavior change communication campaigns including Laced and Lethal, Talk even if, and Don’t Count Us Out.
Proclamations Celebrate Breastfeeding Week and Día del Guatemalteco
A proclamation in honor of Día del Guatemalteco (Guatemala Day) was read by Mayor Sofia Aragon on behalf of Councilmember Jimmy Matta. The proclamation recognizes that Burien’s Guatemalan community enriches the cultural, economic, and civic life of Burien.
Accepting the proclamation was Carlos José Arroyave of the Consulate General of Guatemala in Seattle, who added: “I would like to thank the City Council of Burien for this proclamation of Guatemala Day. The City of Burien has always given an example of diversity, inclusion, and friendship to all immigrants, including almost 400 Guatemalan citizens who have left their lands in pursuit of the American dream.”
Councilmember Stephanie Mora read a proclamation recognizing Breastfeeding Week, which recognizes the many benefits of human milk feeding for infants and the importance of building a welcoming and supportive breastfeeding-friendly community.
The proclamation was accepted by Jazmin Williams, founder of BLKBRY, Burien’s only human milk bank which has won regional attention for their innovative approach to maternal health services for Black women. Jazmin shared, “This means a lot—not just as a founding director of an organization but also as a birthing and lactating parent myself who struggled with nursing and having to receive care, who also had to overcome a traumatic birth experience in order to really get the culturally congruent care that I needed. I hope that this leads as an example for other areas in our county and in our state to really open up and embrace lactating parents to make space and other proclamations to acknowledge that we need to work towards continuing to shorten the gap, especially for our Black and brown communities.”
Proposed Public Safety Ballot Initiative Discussed
In late 2022, the City Council expressed interest in a ballot initiative to raise funding for increasing public safety. The city manager shared that the City, which is currently understaffed, has a structural deficit of $2 million annually, and the goal is to generate at least $3 million of additional revenue annually. A successful ballot initiative will require at least a two-year process which includes community engagement and education.
The city manager presented steps City staff have already completed, including:
- Established an internal working group to manage the project
- Obtained input from neighboring municipal governments and consultants with experience on ballot initiatives
- Worked with City’s financial consultants to establish long-term department-specific performance measures and costs of growth
- Performed a preliminary exploration of establishing a metropolitan park district
- Identified specific potential target amounts for a possible ballot initiative in 2025
The next step in the process will be to issue a request for proposals to secure a consultant to support this work.
Planning Calendar
The City Council requested the city manager explore a contract with Kristine Moreland, co-founder and president of The More We Love, to enhance the City’s homelessness outreach services.