Your Connection to the Spokane Valley City Council

 

 

This meeting of the Spokane Valley City Council opened with a proclamation in recognition of the end of the Viet Nam War on March 29th, 1973, and the veterans of that war. Daughters of the American Revolution will hold a public ceremony at City Hall on March 29th, at 4:00 PM, honoring those veterans.

Council unanimously passed a motion to approve the Federal Legislative Agenda as proposed at its last meeting on March 16th. That agenda includes five projects:1) Pines Road/BNSF rail crossing, 2) Spokane Valley River Loop Project, 3) Bigelow Gulch-Sullivan Corridor Project, 4) Spokane County Regional Expo Expansion Project, and 5) South Barker Road Corridor Improvement Project. Additional language was included to convey Council’s emphasis on a strong desire for rail crossing funding.

Council also unanimously approved the appointment of Bob Peregoy to the Spokane County Conservation Futures Land Evaluation Committee as a Citizen Representative through November of this year. Mr. Peregoy was selected from four who applied for the position.
The Spokane County Conservation Future Program began in 1994 with voters approving an advisory ballot measure authorizing a property tax levy of (up-to) 6.25-cents per $1000 of property value, for acquisition and preservation of open space, streams, rivers, and other natural resources in the County. As of July 2020, the Program had acquired 9,145 acres through 52 acquisitions by Spokane County, City of Spokane, and City of Cheney.

Council, at its February 2nd meeting reached consensus to create a Streets Sustainability Committee to examine the various aspects of maintaining City streets, the cost, the desired level of maintenance, and the source(s) of funding.

The proposed 23-member ad-hoc committee would be tasked with the following mission:
1. Evaluate citizens’ interest and support for maintaining city streets and suggesting pavement condition goals.
2. Identify preference for maintaining city streets, types of treatments used, and long-term levels of service.
3. Investigate current revenues and potential future funding sources for maintaining city streets at the recommended level of service.
Twenty committee positions including members from various groups covering businesses, schools, utilities, transportation, and social services were invited to participate. Three citizen-representative positions are also appointed by the Mayor. All appointments serve through the end of the year. Motion to approve the appointments was approved.

SRTC (Spokane Regional Transportation Council) has put out a call for projects to 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 addition 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 reached consensus to proceed with all three projects and return on April 6th with a refined estimate on matching and a motion to apply for funding on all three.

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.

Police Chief Ellis is asking the City to consider the purchase of body cameras for officers serving in the City. The cost to the City would be $410,000 in the first year with an annual cost of $318,000 in each subsequent year.

This meeting was held in a ZOOM format per the governor’s edict on meetings. However, discussion on future meetings in Council Chambers will take place April 6th.  Until then, City Hall remains closed by Governor’s edict. Appointments for service can be made by calling 509-720-5000 or visiting www.spokanevalley.org.

There will not be a scheduled City Council meeting on March 30th.

 

This Council meeting, a Study Session, commenced with an update on the construction projects slated for this year. All the projects are sufficiently funded by a combination of City funds, together with state and/or federal grants.

The projects by category are:
Barker Road Corridor Widening and Sewer: Barker Rd/BNSF Rail Crossing (21/22) *, Spokane River to Euclid (20/21), Spokane river to BNSF Crossing (21), Euclid to Euclid at Union Pacific RR (21)
 *Denotes year of completion
Intersection Improvement Projects: Mullan Rd-Broadway Ave to Mission Ave, Balfour Park Preservation & Frontage Improvements,  Evergreen Rd-Sprague Ave to Broadway Ave, Barker Homes Preservation,  Park Road Neighborhood
Pedestrian Improvement Projects: Appleway Stormwater Improvement-University Rd to Farr Rd
Bridge Maintenance Projects: Sullivan Rd Overcrossing of Union Pacific RR Deck Repair
Safety Projects: Citywide Reflective Signal Backplates, Citywide Reflective Post Panels
Pedestrian Improvement Projects: Park Rd Sidewalk-Mission to Sharp
Stormwater Improvement Projects: Appleway Stormwater Improvement-University to Farr
Park Projects: Final Phase of Brown’s Park Improvements
Complete details of these improvements can be found at
www.spokanevalley.org

A consistent source of citizen concerns parking on city rights-of-way where traffic or parking is causing congestion or blocking free-flowing traffic. Staff systematically evaluates areas of parking concerns to provide responses or recommendations. Parking concerns generally are:
• On-street parking is blocking a travel lane
• On-street parking is blocking a driveway or device
• Shoulder parking is infringing upon private property
• Strange vehicles are a security concern
Reporting of these incidents are usually made in these ways:
• Citizen calls or emails to City Staff
• Citizen requests to City Council or Planning Commission
• Observations of staff
• Project-related evaluations

Current Requests for parking evaluation are:
Conklin Road--Valleyway to Broadway. Conklin Road is a major collector with a 25 MPH speed limit, a 20-foot paved width with grass/gravel shoulder, no pavement markings, and a right-of-way width of 40’. Adjacent to the neighboring multifamily development, the width is 44’.
Local citizens have taken unilateral action to deter improper parking, associated littering, property damage, or vandalism. Given the pavement width, parking restrictions may only be placed on one side of the roadway. No crashes have been reported in the past 5 years on that section of Conklin Road. City Staff have determined there is not an operational or safety need for parking restrictions along Conklin Road in this area.

Fourth Avenue—West of Thierman. Fourth Avenue is a minor arterial with a 25 MPH speed limit, a 32-foot paved width, sidewalk and curb on the north side, and curb along the south side, with a double-yellow (no passing) center line. The westbound lane is 15’-9”; the eastbound lane is 16’-9”.
Staff has determined that vehicles parked on the north curb cause a traffic obstruction to the free movement of vehicular traffic. The proposed solution is to install no-parking signs on both direction of 4th Avenue, shift the double-yellow centerline 4 feet to the south, allowing for parking along the north sidewalk. No-parking signs would be installed on the south side of 4th Avenue.

Jackson Avenue—West of Wilbur. Jackson Avenue is a local access street with a 25 MPH speed limit, a 38-foot paved width, sidewalk and curb on the north side, and a curb along the south side. There are no pavement markings. Citizens complain of junk vehicles and extended parking along both sides of signed no-parking zones.

Staff has determined there is no operational or safety need for a no-parking zone in this area, but County Code (preceding City Incorporation) provides for the no-parking zones.

City Staff will continue to monitor City parking needs and situations as needed.
City Hall remains closed by Governor’s edict. Appointments for service can be made by calling 509-720-5000 or visiting www.spokanevalley.org.

 

 

Aside from the normal passage of the “Consent Agenda” which consists of paying the City’s bills and employees, there were no action items on Council’s agenda. There were, however, administrative reports.

In response to Senator Patty Murray’s requesting project information and funding needs for potential inclusion into possible federal infrastructure finding packages staff submitted the City approved project list below.

Numbers 3 and 5 above referencing partnership with Spokane County will be modified to be submitted as regional projects to broaden the impact across multiple agencies and to possibly enhance chances of success. Council reached consensus to move forward on that basis.

In a legislative briefing from the City’s state lobbyist, Council learned that revenue forecasts are better than anticipated with budget proposals to be released after the March 17th formal revenue forecast.  Five hundred bills are still under consideration but that is fewer than usual at this time in the process. The session is nearly entirely virtual as we enter the 58th day of the 105-day session.

Republicans in both houses maintain that considering increased revenues, additional taxes are not needed. Nevertheless, a state income tax has cleared both houses plus a carbon tax appears to be on track for passage. A transportation package including a gas tax increase, carbon tax/cap and trade and ‘other’ fee increases. The $19.3 million request for completion of the Pines Road Rail Crossing is included in the package.

In a report to Council on 2020 City accomplishments, it was noted that Council met 50 times, 22 Regular Meetings, 21 Study Sessions, and 7 Special Meetings. The goals laid out, to name several, were: Work with state and federal legislators to complete the rail crossings in the City, especially at Pines, Sullivan, and Park. (Ground was just broken to start on Barker.) The City continues to work on a program for sustained financing of pavement preservation. Efforts continue to bring law enforcement staffing levels to acceptable contract levels through recruitment, retention, and continuing support for our existing officer corps.

The City continues to be confronted with the ongoing problems associated with homelessness. The City participates in development of regional plans to address those problems with the goal of assisting homeless persons on a path to a normal lifestyle.

The City maintains its surprising growth rate despite the problems created by the pandemic. The Community and Public Works Division has accommodated that growth including permitting, economic development, and maintaining the City’s road network. Noteworthy is the continuing improvement of the Barker Road corridor road system. The completion of right of way acquisition and engineering for the Barker/BNSF rail crossing has enabled the start of construction. For a complete summary of City accomplishments please visit www.spokanevalley.org/citycouncil, then go to ‘Agendas’.  

On September 3, 2019 Council authorized the purchase of 13.4 acres from Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) adjacent to Sullivan Park. The property was contaminated by aluminum dross from the Union Pacific rail line. The purchase was conditional upon the removal of the contamination to the satisfaction of the state Department of Ecology (DOE). UP hired a contractor to remove the contamination, but on inspection DOE directed that more earth had to be removed. COVID-19 interrupted that project resulting in a delay in completion until late summer or early fall of this year.

The City initially paid 10% of the purchase price, $84,400, with the remaining $759,600 to be paid upon satisfactory removal of the contamination. The City has no current plans for development of the parkland but will likely include it in its proposal for a north bank trail along the Spokane River.

City Hall remains closed by Governor’s edict. Appointments for service can be made by calling 509-720-5000 or visiting www.spokanevalley.org.

 

 

 

For a project that has been in the works since 2014, the start of construction is on the horizon. The Regional Decant Center located just off Pines Road north of the freeway will finally have a roof which will permit it to be used in all seasons and weather. The facility allows offloaded material gathered from stormwater catchments to be dried to reduce size and volume, then disposed. Total cost of the project is $608,170 with Washington State Department of Ecology ($441,128), Washington State Department of Transportation ($133,772) and the City ($33,270) all participating.

Motion to award the construction contract to TML Construction, Inc., the lowest bidder at $491,356, was unanimously approved.
Council unanimously approved the nomination of Riley Zielfelder, a student at West Valley High School, to receive the Association of Washington Cities Quality Communities Scholarship. Notice of the scholarship winners will be announced in May.

Washington state’s Shoreline Management Act (SMA) requires the City to have a plan (SMP) for managing the shorelines of its water bodies. Spokane Valley’s plan was finalized in 2015. The SMA requires periodic updates; the City’s is due by June 30th.

To meet that requirement, The Watershed Company was retained to conduct the review. The cost, $28,000, was paid for by a DOE grant. Because the SMP was recently adopted (2015) after an extensive multi-year process, the scope of this review was limited to changes needed to stay current with state and local laws. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on February 12th, and will hold another on March 11th, after which the proposed draft amendments will be submitted to DOE for its approval. After approval, Council will schedule a time, likely in June, to move on adoption of the amendments.

The 2019 State Legislature passed the Housing Action Plan (HAP) ‘encouraging’ cities to address their ability to provide housing, especially affordable housing, by increasing urban residential capacity. This was intended to be accomplished by adopting either a set of zoning amendments or a HAP. The City chose a HAP to inform and provide guidance on housing.

To assist with the implementation of the state law, the Department of Commerce awarded a $100,000 grant to develop and adopt a HAP. In May 2020, the City retained Maul Foster & Alongi to complete the HAP. Plans are moving forward for the City to start the formal review and adoption of the completed HAP in late March with final adoption in June.

Spokane Valley Police Chief Dave Ellis presented department updates including: Live 911, Recruiting, and Speed Deterrence Trailers.
The City’s Live 911 program which is expected to go live by April, will be the first in the northwest. Costing approximately $6,000 per year, it livestreams 911 calls directly to officers for improved situational awareness and faster response times. A 911 call will be heard by the officer simultaneously with the call taker, and the caller’s location will be displayed on a map. The officer will receive immediate situation and location updates as well as information not entered into the call report by the call taker.
Recruiting is one of Council’s 2020 priorities. An increase in recruiting capabilities has been enhanced with the creation of a lateral officer signing bonus of $15,000, purchase of new recruits’ uniforms (value approximately $1,500), a new recruiting website, a social media campaign, billboards, and a new recruiting video.
Trailers placed to display speed and pertinent messaging are employed to calm traffic and increase speed awareness, communicate information to motorists and pedestrians, and to conduct traffic studies. There are two portable units available for use in the City.

In the past, each law enforcement or safety agency hired, trained, and staffed their own dispatchers. Crime Check technicians were County employees. In July 2019, Spokane Regional Emergency Communications (SREC) was created and now all dispatch services are provided by SREC. SREC is managed by an Executive Director who answers to a Board of Directors representing Spokane Valley’s Police Chief, Spokane Valley Fire Chief, and Spokane County Sheriff.

Approximately 250,000 incidents annually flow into SREC’s communication center; 8,206 Valley Crime Check reports were taken. Crime Check provides a place for non-emergency calls processing reports as requested by the participating agency. If a report needs to be filed for an insurance claim, Crime Check provides an easy and efficient place to call. Calls requiring an immediate response must be made to 911.

The never-ending problem of homelessness was revisited through a report on amendments to the City Code to clarify and tighten restrictions on where and how indigent ‘camping’ can take place in the City. Generally, camping on public property, roadways, sidewalks, City Hall grounds, parks and park facilities. Those provisions are not enforced if shelter bed space is not available per the 9th Circuit, Martin v. Boise decision in 2019. So, the City is in the difficult position of trying to prevent the spread of homeless individuals taking over places or rendering unusable places paid for by taxpayers. Safety becomes an issue because of mental instability and addictions among the homeless, played against the ineffectiveness of law enforcement caused by the Martin v. Boise decision.

Council consensus was reached to place the proposed amendments to the City’s Code on a future agenda.   
        
City Hall remains closed by Governor’s edict. Appointments for service can be made by calling 509-720-5000 or visiting www.spokanevalley.org

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