One of our guiding principles at the City of Burien is that we do not create plans to sit on a shelf – we create plans to inspire and drive action. In the last issue, I shared a preview of the City’s brand-new Strategic Plan. Now, I’m excited to report we’ve wasted no time in making progress on implementation.
As we share progress on our plan’s four strategic directions, centering community accountability, achieving racial equity, reshaping community through smart, mindful development, and achieving financial stability, I’m reminded that plans can’t evolve into action without allocating the right resources.
Resources, the people and tools that make it all possible, require adequate funding. We are a City organization known for doing a whole lot with very little – but we are also facing the challenges that come with being continually under-resourced and over-stretched.
Thanks to effective collaboration between staff and the Burien City Council, swift action was taken this year on a suite of revenue options to avoid an impending budget deficit and preserve the current City services and programs our community counts on.
Now, with more stable footing, we’re exploring new opportunities to expand and enhance services, and the City Council has directed staff to work on developing a ballot measure that will ask Burien voters to raise essential revenues so we can keep providing those essential services that support our community.
While we will continue conquering the impossible each day, we’ll also strive to gather the critical resources our team and our community deserve. We look forward to sharing updates and, as always, invite your feedback to ensure our plans align best with the needs of our Burien community.
Adolfo Bailon, Burien City Manager
