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Council Schedule Highlights Week of December 2nd, 2019

– Derek Young, Pierce County Council Monday, December 2nd, 2019 1:30 pm Community Development Committee Regularly scheduled meetings are broadcast live and replayed on channel 22 (Comcast and Click! Network) and channel 20 (Rainier Connect). Access...
A United Thanksgiving

– Derek Young, Pierce County Council In October 1863, the United States wasn’t united at all. The Battle of Gettysburg was just three months prior. Sherman’s March was a year away. Whatever anyone thought the outcome of the war would be, the state of...
Gratitude

It’s a short week so I’m treating you to a short blog! For those of you old enough to remember David Letterman and his Top Ten lists, I’ve compiled my own list of things I’m thankful for. In no particular order… 10. National Adoption Day – Last...
Council Schedule Highlights Week of November 25th, 2019

– Derek Young, Pierce County Council Tuesday, November 26th, 2019 3:00 pm Council Meeting Regularly scheduled meetings are broadcast live and replayed on channel 22 (Comcast and Click! Network) and channel 20 (Rainier Connect). Access meeting...
The power to choose

Having the ability to make choices is a foundation of freedom and dignity. It is a powerful principle that drives us – and as I look at Pierce County, it both motivates and challenges me. You can even see the word “choose” in our mission statement:...
Biennial Budget Nearing Final Vote

– Derek Young, Pierce County Council Sometime Monday afternoon, the Council will wrap up the final amendments and likely pass Pierce County’s first biennial budget. The Council started its part of the budget process after the County Executive...
2020–2021 Proposed Budget Amendments

These are the budget amendments I’ve proposed. All amounts are for their biennial cost. $50,000 to hire a consultant for shoreline inventory, analysis, and characterization work to support amendments to the Shoreline Management Program. Increasing...
Driving to a solution

When the public speaks, all of us in government should listen carefully. We are public servants who owe our greatest respect to our fellow citizens and taxpayers. Last Tuesday the public we serve spoke loudly and clearly when they voted to approve...
Council Schedule Highlights Week of November 11th, 2019

Tuesday, November 11th, 2019 1:00 pm Special Council Meeting — Note special meeting time Regularly scheduled meetings are broadcast live and replayed on channel 22 (Comcast and Click! Network) and channel 20 (Rainier Connect). Access meeting...
Happy Veterans Day

Today I attended a lovely Veterans Day lunch celebration in Gig Harbor at the Point Fosdick Antique Airplane Hangar. Lt. Wood was the keynote speaker, and he encouraged Veterans to reach out and share their military experiences with young people to...
Renewing Pierce County’s Commitment to Veterans

– Derek Young, Pierce County Council As home to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and located close to military installations around Puget Sound, Pierce County has one of the largest concentrations of veterans in the country. We’re grateful for those who...
Breaking good

On Wednesday, we gathered as a community to symbolically break the ground that will form the foundation of the new Crisis Recovery Center (or CRC) that will be built in Parkland. It’s been estimated that 1 in every 5 people will experience a...
Council Schedule Highlights Week of November 4th, 2019

– Derek Young, Pierce County Council Monday, November 4th, 2019 1:30 pm Community Development Committee Derek Young, Chair Dave Morell, Vice Chair Marty Campbell Jim McCune Douglas G. Richardson Regularly scheduled meetings are broadcast live and...
Be prepared

Most of you know that I am inherently optimistic. I look for and hope for the best in people and situations. However, in this job I have had to adjust my approach slightly to “hope for the best but prepare for the worst!” For example, I am very...
Dollars and Sense

I want to take a few minutes to share with you where we are in budget development for PCHS. Executive Dammeier presented his first biennial budget (covering two full years, 2020 and 2021) to the County Council a few weeks ago on September 24. His...
Night stars

One of my favorite events of the year took place this week. I love going to the Employee Recognition Reception each year. It’s great fun to co-host with Chair Doug Richardson and Maura Maye – both of whom are quick-witted and have a great sense of...
Council Schedule Highlights Week of October 21st, 2019

– Derek Young, Pierce County Council Monday, October 21st, 2019 1:30 pm Community Development Committee Derek Young, Chair Dave Morell, Vice Chair Marty Campbell Jim McCune Douglas G. Richardson Regularly scheduled meetings are broadcast live and...
Eye in the sky

Our Sheriff’s department has an amazing set of “tools” to help keep us safe – and help us when we need it most. In a previous blog I introduced you to their swiftwater team and Councilmember Dave Morell did a great profile of the marine...
Prioritizing People

– Derek Young, Pierce County Council At this afternoon’s Council meeting, I voted against Resolution 2019–133. The bill states that county road funding is inadequate to our needs and asks our Transportation Advisory Commission to make a...
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...