– Derek Young, Pierce County Council Tuesday, October 15th, 2019 9:30 am Human Services Committee Connie Ladenburg, Chair Marty Campbell, Vice Chair Douglas G. Richardson Dave Morell Derek Young Regularly scheduled meetings are broadcast live and...

This ability!

The month of October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month.  You may not have heard of that recognition before, but it has been celebrated for 70 years! Dictionary.com defines the word “ability” as: “competence in an activity...

Welcome – home!

Those of you who have seen me “out and about” in our County know that I strongly believe that some things can only really be appreciated by seeing them firsthand.  Whether it’s a needed repair at a ferry dock, a sewer wet well, or Baby Court,...

Show me the money

I had the honor and privilege of presenting our first-ever biennial budget to the Council this week. As you will hear me say in the brief video clip below, I believe budgets reflect our values.  And, this proposed budget is no exception.   In...

Council Schedule Highlights Week of September 23rd, 2019

– Derek Young, Pierce County Council Monday, September 23rd, 2019 1:30 pm Public Safety Committee Jim McCune, Chair Pam Roach, Vice Chair Connie Ladenburg Dave Morell Derek Young This meeting will be broadcast live and replayed on channel 22 (Comcast...

Leaders among us

There is a common thread that weaves this year’s Standing Ovation Award winners together – leadership.  In each instance, our colleagues stepped forward and didn’t wait for someone to tell them what to do.  Their award-winning work illustrates their...

It’s Recovery Month!

The month of September is recognized as National Recovery Month. The Pierce County Human Services Director Heather Moss, provided valuable information in her blog about resources available in Pierce County to address behavioral health crisis and...

Survey says…..

Two key surveys have recently been fielded to a couple of very important groups: our employees and our residents.  The results have been compiled, and I want to let you know what we heard. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) survey was sent to...

Recovery Month

Greetings from the bunker! So, I learned this week that September is National Recovery Month. I’m not going to lie…I had to look it up to learn “recovery from what?” You already know that our focus this month (and for many of us, EVERY month) is on...

Council Schedule Highlights Week of September 9th, 2019

– Derek Young, Pierce County Council Monday, September 9th, 2019 10:00 am Rules Committee Douglas Richardson, Chair Connie Ladenburg, Vice Chair Dave Morrell, Executive Pro Tempore Regularly scheduled meetings are broadcast live and replayed on...

Let the light shine!

I am a huge believer in the power of transparency.  Being able to see something clearly, gives understanding and builds confidence.  Those two principles are core to why transparency to our residents and taxpayers is so critical to the work we do. ...

The Strategic Alliance wants your input!

To help understand current domestic violence service delivery and access in Pierce County, the County and City have launched an exploratory process to improve data collection and information-sharing, more strategically align funding priorities and...

You’re going to need a bigger boat

As I’ve mentioned in this blog many times, I’m a boat guy. I love being on the water.  Whether as a kid sailing with my family, during my time in the Navy, or in the San Juan Islands with my family this summer.  While I believe any day on the water...

Council Schedule Highlights Week of August 26th, 2019

– Derek Young, Pierce County Council Tuesday, August 27th, 2019 9:30 am Economic and Infrastructure Development Committee Douglas G. Richardson, Chair Connie Ladenburg, Vice Chair Marty Campbell Dave Morell Pam Roach Regularly scheduled meetings are...

Baby, it’s cold inside!

I toured a fascinating new facility in Pierce County this week. You may have noticed a big, white cube on the outskirts of Fircrest.  Thanks to the Economic Development Board (EDB), Chair Richardson, Councilmember Morell and I had the chance to peek...

New Programs to Fight Pierce County’s Opioid Epidemic

Delivering the right service, at the right time, in the right place. – Derek Young, Pierce County Council Consciously and unconsciously, we build barriers to recovery for people with substance use disorders. When surveyed, 70% of people suffering...

The Birth to 25 Advisory Board Needs You!

This past April, the Pierce County Council passed Ordinance 2019-6 which established a 19-member Birth to 25 Advisory Board (B-25 Board) for Infant, Child, Youth, and Young Adult Development. The B-25 Board shall propose to the County Executive and...

Chambers Creek Regional Park- Central Meadow Study

Pierce County Parks and Recreation is conducting a feasibility study for an event stage in the Central Meadow at Chambers Creek Regional Park. Mark your calendars for the final open house for the feasibility study: Tuesday, August 6. Based on...

Making Investments in Affordable Housing

Those of us in local government often look to the state for assistance in providing services to our residents. Counties have limited capacity to raise money for needs such as police, courts, jail, prosecutions, indigent defense, juvenile court,...

A rescue effort

You’ve probably heard the stories of victims who unwittingly become trapped in human trafficking schemes. Sometimes, a victim of trafficking is a vulnerable person trying to escape a difficult or dangerous life in their homeland. They fall prey to...