Your Connection to the Spokane Valley City Council

Opening with the single legislative item on its agenda, Council considered an application suggested by staff to pursue an opportunity to secure a grant made available through Spokane Transit Authority. The funds are intended for capital and operating expenses that benefit seniors and individuals with disabilities.

The project proposed for application is a pedestrian crossing at Sprague Avenue and Dartmouth Road to access Balfour Park and a proposed library. The project calls for a pedestrian beacon and improvements at that intersection. Total cost of the project is estimated to be $475,000. The grant application would be for $225,000. The City’s matching share would be $250,000. Council unanimously approved the grant application.

The Spokane Regional Law and Justice Council (SRLJC) was formed under state law to act as a conduit of information for interaction between the local jail and the state prison system. The objective was to facilitate a smooth transition between the two entities. The council membership was to have a minimum of 13 members, mandated by statute, but more members could be added. The Council currently has 25.

The size of SRLJC appears to be a factor in its not meeting the intended goal in its formation. Thus, a recommendation by Spokane County Prosecutor, Larry Haskell, for the reformation of SRLJC to reorient it and reduce its size has been a point of spirited discussion. Haskell’s recommendation was prompted by a study made by Spokane County’s Criminal Justice Council, composed of three system professionals that recommended the reorganization and size reduction.

Various entities feel they will have a reduced voice in the commission’s functioning while others are working to reduce the size to make the council more functional and efficient in its mission and aligning it more closely with the state’s enabling statute. Currently, the City’s Police Chief represents the City while the City Attorney represents small cities on the SRLJC. This evening’s briefing was in preparation for the possibility that Council may have to take action on a future proposal.
CTA-2020-0004 is a City-initiated Code test amendment (CTA) to modify relevant chapters of the City’s Municipal Code to update it to accommodate several State and international codes which have undergone amendments. Those codes became effective throughout Washington State on February 1, 2021. The City’s Planning Commission took up the issue and on March 25, 2021, voted 5-2 to recommend Council approve CTA-2020-0004. Council reached consensus to move CTA-2020-0004 to a First Reading.

The 2018 Edition of the Washington State Energy Code became effective on February 1, 2021. Cities and Counties are required to enforce the adopted State Building Codes pursuant to state law. Building permits issued by the City’s Permit Center on or after February 1st 2021 are being reviewed for compliance with the 2018 Energy Code.

The dates may seem confusing because they are updated in a more current fashion. However, the 2018 edition was delayed by a discussion on the energy section then further delayed by COVID. All participants, i.e., developers, etc. who are affected have been notified. The Spokane Home Builders Association estimates the new code provisions have increased the cost of a typical single-family home in the Spokane area by $20,000. Approximately $14,000 of that cost is related to equipment, labor, and overhead.

The City’s current contract with Spokane County for providing law enforcement services runs through December 31, 2022. In the time since its inception, law enforcement services have evolved which require contract modifications. Proposed changes include:

1. A new tactical unit to provide specialized response to civil disturbances and crowd control incidents.
2. After review, revisions to the services provided by the Sheriff, dedicated of ficers, and the combined number of officers in shared units.

Those proposed modifications will reflect services which have been consolidated into the Spokane Regional Emergency Communications umbrella. Council reached consensus to move the proposal to a Motion Consideration.

The City’s Sullivan Park, on the west side of Sullivan Road, north of the Spokane River is currently using an under-performing well for its water needs. When the Sullivan Bridge was constructed in 2016, the plan was for a water main to go under the bridge, but the line extended into another water district’s area, so the new water main wasn’t constructed. In 2020, the City requested financial help through our Fourth District Legislators who were able to secure $130,000 for the water line. The total project is estimated to cost $538,000 and is planned to be funded by the State grant, $130,000, and obligated City Funds, $152,858, leaving a $255,142 shortfall which will be provided by the City and recouped from future added users.  City Hall remains closed except by appointment. Appointments for service can be made by calling 509-720-5000 or visiting www.spokanevalley.org.

This Study Session of Spokane Valley City Council was held via ZOOM because even though the City is in Phase III which ostensibly permits meetings to be held in Council Chambers, City government chooses to not push that envelope.

The agenda for the meeting opened with a Motion Consideration to award a contract for frontage work on Balfour Park in conjunction with the anticipated Library to be constructed there in 2022. In 2012, the City acquired 8.4 acres of land intending for the Spokane County Library District (SCLD) to construct a new central library on a portion of that land. An interlocal agreement was finalized that year to sell 2.82 acres to SCLD on which to site the anticipated library.

SCLD’s proposal for its new library is a 30,000 square foot facility with an estimated cost of $14-15 million in total outlay. Construction is planned to begin in 2022. On February 2nd Council approved amendments to the interlocal agreement with the Library District to accommodate its changed plan for financing. According to that interlocal agreement, the City is responsible for constructing the frontage improvements adjacent to the Library. The list of improvements includes pavement widening and curbs, grinding and overlaying those streets with sidewalks to be installed when the Library is developed.

The total project cost is estimated to be $1,036,215. The City’s Engineer’s Estimate for the construction portion was $682,340.50. Five bids were received with the low bid of $617,770 submitted by Selland Construction, Inc. The total cost will be paid from City funds. Motion to award the bid was unanimously approved.

Second Harvest and Valley Partners jointly presented a synopsis of the ongoing need for food. As Cal Coblenz and Jason Clark highlighted, it took 10 years to recover food stocks and distribution from the 2008 recession. The need for food and life maintenance donations continues to rise. From January 1-December 31, 2019 these agencies had 141 Mobile Markets available to meet food distribution needs. From January 1-December 31, 2020 there were 453 Mobile Markets necessary to meet those needs.

In the 2020 calendar year, working through multiple partners, these agencies distributed more than 53.9 million pounds of food, a 58% increase over the 2019 total of 33.6 million pounds. That equates to more than 44 million meals compared to just over 28 million meals in 2019. And the need continues to increase. Special recognition was given to the Washington State National Guard who has had a deployment of between 40 to 150 troops to assist during its 11-month food security mission.

The contract the City of Spokane Valley maintains with Spokane County for Public Safety contains more services than just Law Enforcement, although that is far and away the largest financial segment of the contract. In addition to Law Enforcement, the Public Safety contract covers: Detention Services (Jail), District Court where the City’s cases are heard/tried, Public Defender which covers the City’s legal obligation to provide defense for those unable to afford their own legal services, Prosecutor for those cases involving higher crimes including felonies, Pretrial for those awaiting trial, Emergency Management for the City’s share of emergency services in which it participates, Animal Control to cover the City’s share of SCRAPS expenses for its participation in the County interlocal agreement covering animals, and Probation which covers the City’s costs for probation services of its convicted citizens. The 2021 Budgeted Costs for these services are:

    Animal Control    $350,000
    Detention Services    $1,500,000
    District Court    $925,000
    Emergency Services    $100,000
    Law Enforcement    $23,072,000
    Pre-Trial    $120,000
    Prosecutor    $450,000
    Public Defender    $750,000
    Total    Budgeted $27,267,000

The Public Safety Budget comprises 62% of the City’s 2021 General Fund Recurring Expenditure Budget, as it has since the City’s inception.
City Hall remains closed except by appointment. Appointments for service can be made by calling 509-720-5000 or visiting www.spokanevalley.org.

This formal Council meeting began with a proclamation encouraging Valley citizens to refrain from acts of violence and aggression and assuring everyone that the City is welcoming and inclusive.

The Second reading of Ordinance 21-004, Amending the City’s ‘Camping’ Regulations was the first item of business. Existing code regulations 1) Prohibit “camping” on public property, 2) Prohibit encampments, require a 48-hour notice to vacate, and 3) specify that the regulations cannot be enforced if shelter bed space is not available. However, that suspension does not apply to City Hall grounds, Balfour Park, and Mirabeau Meadow/Center Place grounds where “…camping is never allowed.”

The code amendments recognize that ‘those experiencing homelessness have rights to conduct life-sustaining activities, including sleeping on certain public property when there are no available shelter beds’.
The amended ordinance adds areas where “camping” is always prohibited:
1. Appleway Trail, Spokane Valley Precinct, and Spokane Valley street Maintenance Shop.
2. Structures, facilities, and fixtures at parks, including shelters, playground equipment, pools, reservable ballfields and courts, and bathrooms, and the area within 30 feet of such facilities.
3. Public rights-of-way and City-owned real property within 30 feet of the right-of-way, and City-owned stormwater drainage facilities.
Motion to approve the proposed amended ordinance passed unanimously.

Visit Spokane, the Spokane area’s travel destination promotional organization, presented its “Hospitality Business Recovery Campaign” results. Spokane Valley is an annual contributor to Visit Spokane, and this evening’s presentation by its President and CEO, Meg Winchester, and Chief Marketing Officer Jamie Rand, was an update on the past COVID year.

From June 2020 to April 2021, Visit Spokane has spent more money advertising Spokane county than any time in the organization’s history. The $2.5 million in CARES Act funding booked over $5 million in hotel room revenue for Spokane County hotels in the worst year for hotel occupancy in recent history.
With a 2-to-1 return on our advertising, Spokane County fared better than our competitive cities with an occupancy rate double that of Seattle and a higher revenue per participant than both Portland and Seattle in 2020.

The Sheriff’s Office has, since 2015, been using the former Mountain View Middle School in East Valley as its training center. Now the Sheriff has partnered with Fairchild Air Force Base to build a permanent training center including a small arms range to provide local training in a more central location. The estimated capital costs of $36 million will be covered through Air Force resources and Spokane County real estate tax dollars.

Operational costs will be split among the facility’s users, with Spokane Valley’s estimated share to be $185,000 per year. No capital costs will be passed on to the City. This cost will be incorporated into the City’s 2022 budget. Consensus was reached to move forward with the agreement.
In June of 2017, the City entered into a five-year agreement with Spokane County for the Sheriff’s Office to provide police services. That agreement is set to expire on December 31, 2022. However, the contract automatically renews with Council authorization.

The City is preparing to once again enter into negotiations for a new agreement. Council, in the meantime, will review and discuss the Sheriff’s performance through the first three years under the existing contract. An issue that is certain to come up is the consistent failure to meet operational contractual staffing levels resulting is greater overtime, staff burnout, and thin patrol coverage. At $23,072,000, Public Safety expense represents more than 60% of the City’s operating budget.

At its meetings on February 16th and March 16th, 2021 Council discussed various parking issues. The central theme was whether parking is the sole responsibility of the Traffic Engineer (TE) or whether Council has policy authority. Actually, neither has exclusive authority. The TE collects data for analyzing traffic counts, access density, density of surrounding housing, and types of land uses in the area, then determines whether a no-parking zone should be added or removed.

After the TE has made a determination, Council can either accept that decision or not in making a final decision on whether to impose or remove a no-parking zone. In this case, the TE’s decision will be weighed differently than if considering a change in speed limit where technical considerations for traffic safety, health, and welfare interests enter into the decision.

This discussion provided a good roadmap of where and how to reach a better understanding of how regulations and policy come together in arriving at parking restrictions. Council agreed that an inventory of no parking places is needed, and the issue should be revisited in two-three months.

City Hall remains closed except by appointment. Appointments for service can be made by calling 509-720-5000 or visiting www.spokanevalley.org.
 

After a welcomed recess, Council opened the month of April with a Proclamation recognizing National Public Health week followed by a First Reading of Ordinance 21-004. That Ordinance amends “camping”** regulations already existing in City Code.

**Camping is a euphemistic word applied where homeless individuals or groups occupy public and/or private property with intent to stay regardless of the legality. The word ‘camping’ in this instance is inappropriately used.

Those existing code regulations 1) Prohibit “camping” on public property, 2) Prohibit encampments, require a 48-hour notice to vacate, and 3) specify that the regulations cannot be enforced if shelter bed space is not available. However, that suspension does not apply to City Hall grounds, Balfour Park, and Mirabeau Meadow/Center Place grounds where “…camping is never allowed.”

The proposed code amendments will recognize among other things that “those experiencing homelessness have constitutional rights(?) to conduct life-sustaining activities, including sleeping on certain public property when there are not available shelter beds…”

The proposed amended ordinance also adds areas where “camping” is always prohibited:
    a. Appleway Trail, Spokane Valley Precinct, and Spokane Valley street Maintenance Shop.
    b. Structures, facilities, and fixtures at parks, including shelters, playground equipment, pools, reservable ballfields and courts, and bathrooms and the area within 30 feet of such facilities.
    c. Public rights-of-way and City-owned real property within 30 feet of the right-of-way, and City-owned stormwater drainage facilities.
While the intent of the amendment is admirable, the fact that current ordinances are not being enforced renders adding new prohibitions moot. After serious discussion, the motion to move the proposed amended ordinance to a Second Reading was approved.
In a separate action, a motion to award the contract for construction of a sidewalk on Park Road between Mission and Sharp Avenues was unanimously approved. In the project vicinity there is an elementary school, a middle school and a public swimming pool. The successful bid for the actual construction of the sidewalk was submitted by the Wm. Winkler Co. at $350,667. Total estimated project costs including engineering and construction contingency was $500,667. The costs are split between City funding and a Transportation Improvement Grant.

On March 1, SRTC (Spokane Regional Transportation Council) put out a call for projects funded by the federal government. The projects are limited to road preservation treatments like grind and overlay or surface treatment projects such as chip seal. Project awards are limited to $1 million each and each applicant is limited to $2 million total. A minimum match of 13.5% is required but applicants can improve their scoring points with additional match money.

The projects selected by the City are:
  Project                            Rank                  Request                  Match                  Project Total
Broadway @ I-90           1                       $1,000,000          $900,000           $1,900,000
 (Fancher to Park)                                     53%                         47%                        100%
Sprague Ave                      2                      $1,000,000           $1,000,000       $2,000,000
(Havana to Fancher)                              50%                           50%                       100%
Evergreen Road                3                     $ 951,500              $148,500          $1,100,000
(Broadway to Mission)                            86.5%                      13.5%                  100%

Council unanimously approved a motion to proceed with applying for all three projects.

Spokane County Board of County Commissioners authorized purchase of body cameras for all uniformed personnel in County-dedicated units and shared units. The Sheriff’s office has found a bundled package that would provide Tasers and body cameras at a lesser cost than buying them separately. Doing so would facilitate easier, time saving storage of recorded footage.

The cost to the City would be $410,000 in the first year with an annual cost of $318,000 in each subsequent year. A motion to approve the purchase of body cameras for all uniformed Spokane Valley officers with the City to pay for 40% of the costs was unanimously approved.
The City has received complaints regarding abandoned shopping carts along Sprague Avenue from Fancher Road west to the City limits. Most other cities treat abandoned carts as nuisances and impound them, charging the owners an impoundment fee if not recovered in a specified time. Other methods are used for cart control such as self-braking wheels, anti-removal devices, and cart patrol personnel. Consensus was reached to direct staff to develop applicable regulations.

View Past Spokane Valley City Council Highlights