Your Connection to the Spokane Valley City Council

Council’s first order of business was voting on the First Reading of Ordinance 20-022 which amends the 2020 Budget. A Public Hearing was held on November 10th to gather public input on the proposed amendment. There was no public comment.

Since the adoption of the 2020 Budget on November 12, 2019, events have necessitated amending that budget prior to year-end 2020. Those changes, reflected in Ordinance 20-022, affecting a variety of accounts, produce recurring and nonrecurring revenue increases totaling $1,146,900 and additional expenditures of $7,082,921. A motion to suspend the rules to adopt Ordinance 20-022, passed unanimously.

That action was followed by Public Hearing #3 on the 2021 Budget. The 2021 Budget features $97,968,784 in total appropriations including $32,524,699 in capital expenditures for such projects as rail crossing projects ($13,796,320), pavement preservation ($4,676,350), and street capital projects ($8,876,315), among others. To partially offset the capital costs the City anticipates it will receive $21,079,702 (64.75%) in grant revenues from State and Federal sources.

Estimated General Fund recurring revenues are $45,426,419. Estimated recurring expenditures are $45,101,466. Revenues exceed expenditures by $324,953 or .72% of recurring revenues. Declining revenues impacting funds such as the Street Operation and Maintenance Fund will be covered from the General Fund. Currently that shortage is estimated to be nearly $1.9 million. The major budget expense is Public Safety at $28,086,615 (62.4% of the City’s total recurring operating budget), covering the City’s first obligation to its citizens; protection. The motion to move the 2021 Budget to a Second Reading passed 5-2. Woodard and Higgins voted no.

Council, unanimously declaring an emergency, moved to suspend rules to adopt Ordinance 20-028, placing an immediate moratorium on permits and licenses for planned residential development under chapter 19-50 SVMC. The move is to buy time for study of possible adjustment to current rules.

Title 20 of the Spokane Valley Municipal Code (SVMC) regulates the subdivision of land consistent with the requirements of state law. It provides the framework and procedures for processing preliminary and final subdivisions (long plats), subdivision alterations and plat vacations.

The Second Reading of Ordinance 20-024 finalizes the Code Text Amendment (CTA) bringing the City’s municipal code, Title 20, SVMC, into conformance with state law (RCW 58.17). The proposed changes would address procedural and submittal requirements, as well as grammatical and organizational structure updates. Ordinance 20-024 passed unanimously.
The City is part of an interlocal agreement establishing a Tourism Promotion Area (TPA) encompassing Spokane, Spokane Valley, and Spokane County together with a Hotel and Motel Commission that advises the Board of County Commissioners on the expenditure of Special Assessment revenues collected to fund tourism promotion in Spokane County.

Because new law from the state legislature requires the existing interlocal be amended to conform, Council asked staff to negotiate changes to the interlocal agreement beyond conformance on such isssues as:

• New provisions setting a termination date of 12/31/22 with a path for notification of withdrawal if the City chose.

•A separate report that delineates money directly attributable to Spokane Valley hoteliers.

The motion to approve Amendment No. 3 of the Restated Interlocal Cooperation Agreement passed unanimously.

The state’s Growth Management Act (GMA) allows the City to consider amendments to its Comprehensive Plan once each year. Applications that were received by October 30th were placed on the docket for Council consideration. The docket presented for adoption consists of four items:

1. CPA-2021-0001, 22 N. Skipworth, Lindsey Goodman, owner, changes .68 acres from Multi-Family to Corridor Mixed Use

2. CPA-2021-0002, Balfour Park, City owned, changes 5.56 acres from Corridor Mixed Use to Parks, Recreation & Open Space

3. CPA-2021-0003, Flora Property (City owned, newly acquired), changes 46 acres from Industrial to Parks/Recreation & Open Space

4. CPA-2021-0004, Applied Citywide, adds policies regarding homelessness goals & strategies to homeless housing

Motion to approve the 2021 Comprehensive Plan Docket was approved unanimously.

A transportation code text amendment addressing impact fees for the South Barker Corridor will be offered for First Reading on December 8, along with Council action on Lodging Tax distributions.

The City Christmas Tree was lighted to officially kick off the Holiday Season. There will not be a Council meeting on December 1st. Remember, City Hall remains closed under the Governor’s edict for the foreseeable future. Appointments for service may be made by calling 509-720-5000, or visiting www.spokanevalley.org.

There are, after this meeting, only four Council meetings left before year end. This creates a flurry of actions necessary to conclude City business in 2020.

Recently, Centennial Properties, a partner in the development of the City’s northeast industrial area, requested the vacation of a segment of Garland Avenue to further enhance development in that area. The construction of Garland Avenue is of dual benefit to the City. It not only provides a detour route to allow the construction of the Barker Rail Crossing, but it also clears the way for more economic development opportunities in that area.

In response, on October 20th, Council unanimously passed Resolution 20-015 initiating the vacation of a portion of Garland Avenue that runs between Flora Road and Barker Road. The actual vacated area is located between Tschirley Road and Barker Road. The vacated portion of Garland be will be replaced by the adjoining property owner no later than May 15th, 2021. State law calls for a public hearing which was the first item of business at this Council meeting. The public hearing was followed by a motion to suspend the rules and proceed to a Second Reading of Ordinance 20-025 vacating a portion of Garland Avenue. That motion was unanimously approved.

The City’s 2021 State Legislative Agenda, having been discussed at length at the October 20th Council meeting, was on this Council agenda for a motion to approve. Leading the list is the Pines Road/BNSF Rail Crossing Project. In addition, Staff, at the direction of Council, approached the Board of Spokane County Commissioners to discuss their interest in a joint capital request for a new facility at the Fairgrounds Exhibition Center.

The concept meets the need for something new at the Fairgrounds while capitalizing on the overall popularity of the Fairgrounds and Avista Stadium. It would also fill a need for a wintertime use facility. The new building would be built by the City (estimated cost; $10 million) using a combination of lodging tax funds, legislative money, and bonds. The County would supply the land, maintain, and operate the site with revenues being shared by both. The Council chose to include the proposal in its 2021 Legislative Agenda. Motion to approve the 2021 State Legislative Agenda was approved unanimously.

Since the City’s incorporation in 2003, it has enjoyed a beneficial working partnership with the Western Dance Association including the lease of the dance hall at Sullivan Park. In 2009, a new 10-year contract with two five-year renewals was approved by Council. In 2019, the City renewed the lease for one year as the City’s Park Master Plan was being updated.

The Coronavirus has rendered the Association unable to use the dance hall, but they have continued to pay the $500/month rental. In recognition of the dislocation, the City proposed an amended agreement calling for a credit for the rental paid to apply toward rental payments when a new agreement is completed. Current payments are suspended until 30 days after Spokane County moves to Phase 4.

In recognition of the payments the Association paid for April through September in 2020, without the use of the its dance hall, they will be credited with six months of payments beginning with the first month lease payments are due under this amended agreement. Motion to approve amendments to the existing lease was unanimously approved.

The state’s Growth Management Act (GMA) allows the City to consider amendments to its Comprehensive Plan once each year. Applications were accepted through October 30th. Applications received by that due date are placed on a docket for consideration by Council. The docket of Comprehensive Plan Amendments (CPA) presented to Council at this meeting listed four items:

1. CPA-2021-0001, 22 N. Skipworth, Lindsey Goodman, owner, changes .68 acres from Multi-Family to Corridor Mixed Use

2. CPA-2021-0002, Balfour Park, City owned, changes 5.56 acres from Corridor Mixed Use to Parks, Recreation & Open Space

3. CPA-2021-0003, Flora Property (City owned, newly acquired), changes 46 acres from Industrial to Parks/Recreation & Open Space

4. CPA-2021-0004, Applied Citywide, Adds policies regarding homelessness goals & strategies to homeless housing

The City’s Planning Commission will consider these applications and present their recommends to Council who will take final action on November 24th.

Council was presented with plans for converting the Mission Horse Arena to a bike pump track and/or skate park. Council reached consensus to move the plans to a motion consideration.

City Hall remains closed except by appointment. Appointments for service may be made by calling 509-720-5000, or visiting www.spokanevalley.org. With the holiday season upon us, tune into next week’s Council meeting for a virtual Christmas Tree lighting.

The first Formal Meeting of November commenced with a Public Hearing on proposed 2020 budget Amendments. Since the adoption of that budget, events have transpired necessitating amendments to that budget prior to year-end. Those changes will produce recurring and nonrecurring revenue increases totaling $1,146,900 and additional expenditures of $7,082,921.

That Public Hearing was immediately followed by a second Public Hearing on the State Auditor’s audit of the City’s IT (Information Technology) Department. The Auditor’s Office found no glaring deficiencies stating that, “…It is apparent the city’s management and staff want to be accountable to the citizens and good stewards of public resources.”

The auditors further stated that “….while the city’s policies and practices partially align with industry leading practices, there are areas where improvements can be made. The City of Spokane Valley has already addressed some issues we identified and is continuing to make improvements.”  They did recommend strengthening IT security to help the City avoid costs associated with a data breach or security incident. Complete audit results can be found at the State Auditor’s website www.sao.wa.gov.

For property tax levies, a limit is placed on the maximum rate (1%) that property taxes can be increased. The City has a choice of using a measure of inflation, (Implicit Price Deflator (IPD)) or 1%. Council has chosen to use the IPD of .062% which leaves a gap of .398% that could be used by a future Council if the need arose. To avail itself of that additional amount anytime in the future, Ordinance 20-016, Declaring Substantial Need, must be passed. Although the 2021 budget only includes the IPD (.062), the option to use the additional .398% would remain open. The motion to approve Ordinance 20-016 was approved unanimously.

That action was immediately followed by Council action to pass Ordinance 20-017 establishing the 2021 levy rate for Spokane Valley’s property taxes. Using the City’s estimate, approximately $12,724,226 will be generated based on a total preliminary assessed valuation of $11,505,109,472 at an applied estimated levy rate of $1.105963 per $1,000 of valuation.

That rate is almost $.12 per $1,000 less than last year’s rate. Property taxes on new construction are included in the calculation. Although the County Assessor’s estimate of assessed valuation is $48,000 less than the City’s, that estimate is subject to change. Therefore, Council opted to use the City’s estimate. Revenue from the property tax (Real Estate Excise Tax (REET)) represents 28.01% of the City’s General Fund revenues of $45,426,419. Motion to approve Ordinance 20-017 passed unanimously.

Earlier this month, Council moved draft Ordinance 20-018 to a Second Reading. That ordinance accomplishes two goals: 1) establishes a policy to recognize donors who provide a monetary gift of at least $5,000 and, 2) authorizes City sponsorships.

Donors gifting at least $5,000 may elect to have a dedicatory plaque made in recognition of their contribution. Costs associated with creation, installation, or replacing such a plaque rests with the donor. The City would own and maintain the plaque. Ordinance 20-018 also authorizes the City to sponsor special events and/or programs recognized as fundraising events. Council unanimously moved Ordinance 20-018.

The City has no official policy for naming properties. To ensure consistency in naming and/or gathering public input, a proposed new chapter of the Spokane Valley Municipal Code (SVMC), chapter 3.33 would establish policies and criteria for naming City-owned property. Ordinance 20-021 gives the City sole naming authority with provisions for public input.

Five criteria for consideration include:
1) geographic or neighborhood location,
2) historical or cultural significance,
3) natural or geographical features,
4) individual citizen contributions, and
5) outstanding individuals

The ordinance also authorizes the naming of features on City-owned property, such as a playground or facility in a larger park. Motion to approve Ordinance 20-021 passed unanimously.  

State law (RCW 58.17) provides the framework and procedures for processing preliminary and final subdivisions (long plats), subdivision alterations and plat vacations. Title 20 of the Spokane Valley Municipal Code regulates subdivisions of land consistent with the requirements of RCW58.17, but over time it has become inconsistent with state law. An amendment to Title 20, SVMC, Ordinance 20-024 will bring it into comformance. The Ordinance was unanimously moved to a Second Reading.

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

In keeping with past years where Council still meets on national election nights, Spokane Valley City Council held its meeting as scheduled. Although this was a Study Session where action items are held to a minimum, this evening’s agenda contained a long list of First Reading items. First Reading positions an issue to move to a Second Reading which is the final action for passage.

The first four items on the agenda for consideration stemmed from issues arising from the City of Spokane Valley and Spokane County jointly working on what has come to be known as the Sullivan Road Corridor Project which connects the intersection of Wellesley Avenue and Sullivan Road with the Bigelow Gulch Corridor Project. Current plans call for a simultaneous buildout of the Bigelow and Wellesley/Sullivan projects to minimize traffic disturbances. The County is slated to take the managerial lead on the project.

However, before the County can perform that function, title to all parcels must be secured by the City. Owners of six of the eight involved parcels have reached agreement to sell, but two property owners have not responded to offers to negotiate. Thus, the City moved to acquire the two parcels (45021.5907 and 45021.5909) through eminent domain proceedings. A public hearing was held on each parcel followed by Council action to suspend the rules and vote on condemnation (Ordinance 20-019 and Ordinance 20-020). Both ordinances passed unanimously. Should the City and property owners not reach agreement on acquisition of the parcels, the City is now authorized to proceed with acquisition via eminent domain.

On October 20th, Council received an administrative report suggesting amendments to the City Code through draft Ordinance 20-018 which would accomplish two goals: 1) establish a policy to recognize donors who provide a monetary gift of at least $5,000 and, 2) authorize City sponsorships.

Under the draft ordinance, donors gifting at least $5,000 may elect to have a dedicatory plaque made in recognition of their contribution. Costs associated with creation, installation, or replacing such a plaque rests with the donor. The City would own and maintain the plaque. Proposed Ordinance 20-018 would also authorize the City to engage in sponsorship of special events and/or programs recognized as fundraising events. Council unanimously moved Ordinance 20-018 to a Second Reading.

In the past, the City has named City properties such as the Appleway Trail and Myrna Park, but it has no official policy for naming such properties. To ensure consistency in naming and gathering public input, a proposed new chapter of the Spokane Valley Municipal Code (SVMC), chapter 3.33 would establish policies and criteria for naming City-owned property. A draft ordinance, Ordinance 20-021, provides that the City has sole naming authority with provisions for public input.

Five criteria for consideration include:

1) Geographic or neighborhood location,

2) Historical or cultural significance,

3) Natural or geographical features,

4) Individual citizen contributions, and

5) Outstanding individuals.

The ordinance would also authorize the naming of individual ancillary features of City-owned property, such as a playground or water feature in a larger park facility. Motion to move Ordinance 20-021 to a Second Reading passed unanimously.

The Spokane Regional Transportation Commission (SRTC) is establishing a task force to explore the terms and conditions for admitting tribal membership to its board. This is a Mayoral appointment, and the Mayor has chosen to appoint himself subject to Council approval. Move to approve the Mayor’s appointment passed unanimously.

Since the City’s incorporation in 2003, it has enjoyed a good working partnership with the Western Dance Association including the lease of the dance hall at Sullivan Park. In 2009, a new 10-year contract with two five-year renewals was approved by Council. In 2019, the City renewed the lease for one year as the City’s Park Master Plan was being updated. With the advent of the Coronavirus, the Association has been unable to use the dance hall but has paid the $500/month rental. In recognition of the dislocation, a new proposed agreement calling for a credit for the rental paid to apply toward rental payments when a new agreement is completed. Current payments are suspended until 30 days after Spokane County moves to Phase 4. Consensus was reached to approve the changes to the current agreement.

City Hall remains closed except by appointment. Appointments may be made by calling 509-720-5000, or visiting www.spokanevalley.org. The holiday season is upon us. In the next few weeks, the City will be ceremoniously lighting its Christmas Tree to officially kick-off the most joyous time of the year.

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