Your Connection to the Spokane Valley City Council

To explain what appears to be an arcane administrative procedure, state law requires that an ‘interim’ city manager be duly appointed legislatively by Council in the permanent absence of its City Manager. John Hohman is currently serving as Deputy City Manager and would arguably function as the ‘acting’ City Manager until a new city manager is hired. However, in order to function legally as City Manager after Mark Calhoun, the current City Manager, retires, this step by Council was necessary.

This special meeting of the Spokane Valley City Council opened in Council Chambers and immediately adjourned into executive session to “evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for public employment, and that action is anticipated thereafter upon return to open session.”

When Council returned from executive session, the special meeting resumed where a motion to appoint John Hohman as Interim City Manager passed unanimously. Hohman will begin serving as Interim City Manager beginning on January 1, 2022 and serve until a permanent city manager is hired.
In returning to a tradition, the Spokane Valley Rotary Club will be staging its annual Christmas tree lighting at City Hall on Thursday evening, December 2nd, at 5:30. Ridgeline High School Marching Band will join the Central Valley High School Choir to provide music for the festivities. And, of course, the City Council members will participate in reciting “The Night Before Christmas.” It’s rumored that Santa Claus will make an appearance.

As Spokane Valley’s City Council moves into the last four meetings of the year, it will be addressing unfinished business that needs to be completed prior to year-end. The first item, carried over from last week’s meeting is renewing the Yellowstone Pineline Franchise Agreement.
In 1957, Spokane County entered into a 50-year franchise with Yellowstone Pipeline Company (YPL) to construct and maintain a pipeline for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from Billings, Montana to users west of Billings including the Spokane Valley area.
Exxon, Conoco 66, and Sunoco pipeline companies jointly own the line. The franchise expired in 2007 and the parties have been negotiating since. An agreement was reached for a new 25-year franchise, including $100 million in liability coverage. Motion to suspend the rules and approve passed unanimously.

The State’s Growth Management Act (GMA) allows local jurisdictions to consider amendment to their Comprehensive plans once each year. Staff discussed the 2022 proposed amendments with Council at Council’s last meeting.
As part of the Annual Comprehensive Plan Amendment cycle (CPA), for 2022, proposed amendments made prior to November 1st are listed (docketed) for Council action. That docket as presented is:

File No.; Location; Applicant; Description
• CPA-2022-01
   10506 E. 10th
   Private
   Chg 1.03 acres frm SFR to MFR
• CPA-2022-02
   17105 E. Montgomery
   City
   Chg .45 acres frm SFR to P/OS
• CPA-2022-03
   44th & Bates
   City
   Chg 17.64 acres frm SFR to P/OS
• CPA-2022-04
   Bike & Pedestrian
   City/map
   Add proposed n. loop river trail
•SFR: Single family residence, MFR: Multi family
    residence, P/OS: Parks/Open Space

A motion to approve the 2022 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Docket was approved unanimously.

The City and Spokane County have been working on the Bigelow Gulch Corridor (Bigelow) Project for several years. With the anticipated substantial increase in traffic at the Sullivan and Wellesley intersection, Council decided a signaled intersection because of the lower right-of-way impact, lower cost, higher public acceptance near the schools, and fewer impacts during construction.

The City and County have joined in coordinating their project parts to maximize scale of bidding with the County taking the management lead in construction. The City will design the signaled intersection. Larger projects typically receive lower unit bid prices because of larger bid quantities discounts.
The increased traffic from the extension of the Bigelow Gulch road linking to Forker Road then connecting to Sullivan will be substantial. The intersection poses a special safety problem because the revised traffic flow will move from Progress Road to Sullivan Road which runs between East Valley High School and East Valley Middle School. Particular attention is given to the students crossing between the two campuses, exposed to the increased traffic.
The total budget for the intersection project is $2,384,377. The City’s share is $1,270,375. The combined project was advertised on October 21st. Spokane County plans to award the construction contract on November 30th following concurrence from Washington State Department of Transportation. Halme Construction appears to be the lowest responsive bidder.

Spokane Valley Police Chief, Dave Ellis, presented Council an update on City police activities, leading with Trunk or Treat which was held on Halloween from 4-7PM in the Sun City Church parking lot. Over 8,300 citizens attended. Recruiting efforts have taken several forms with $15,000 signing bonuses for laterally transferring officers and $5,000 signing bonuses for entry level officers. Recruiting billboards in regions like Seattle, Portland, and Colorado, together with advertisements on social media outlets like YouTube, Twitter, and Linkedin have also been employed. Total commissioned personnel hired to date in 2021 is 29.

Ellis further stated there have been significant decreases in almost all crime categories except homicides which increased from 2 in 2020 to 8 in 2021. Two major crimes detectives have been authorized for 2022. That translates to one additional for Spokane Valley.

The last state legislative session was especially toxic to law enforcement in severely restricting crime fighting capabilities. Tools to mitigate or lessen the use of lethal force have become necessary. Thus, weapons for dispensing munitions of less than lethal results have been purchased with funds ($80,000) distributed from Washington State to meet the additional costs.

The November 30th council meeting was originally scheduled to be cancelled for the Thanksgiving Holiday. With the retirement of City Manager, Mark Calhoun, it becomes necessary to appoint an interim City Manager. While it would seem logical that the deputy city manager would assume that position, state law specifies that a replacement must be legislatively appointed. Thus, next week’s meeting will be dedicated to that end. The meeting will open, Council will adjourn into executive session, and upon its return to open session, take appropriate action.

City Hall is open for business. Masks must be worn in the building. Council meetings begin at 6:00pm. Public participation on action items or public comment periods can be in person or via ZOOM. Call 509-720-5000 or www.spokanevalley.org prior to 4:00 p.m. for access instructions.

This City Council Study Session began with a discussion on the oath of office that each Council member upon being elected or re-elected takes at their installation. There is an anomaly in that oath that refers to taking that oath “….before the Mayor….” That presents a problem because the previous mayor’s term expires on December 31st of the prior year, while the installation occurs at the first meeting in the new year. Thus, without a mayor, the terminology needed to be changed. A motion to pass Ordinance 21-021, eliminating the words: “before the Mayor”, passed unanimously.

At its September 28th meeting, Council finalized its thoughts for goals in the forthcoming state legislative session.

That 2022 agenda is:
• A renewed request for state assistance for the Pines Rail Crossing
• Sensible state procurement laws
• Voicing continued commitment to defending local control
• Protecting state-shared revenues
• Requesting changes to municipal utility tax authority
• Return of sensibility to law enforcement issues
• Advocating for needed changes to the Growth Management Act regarding local flexibility

Council unanimously adopted the 2022 Legislative Agenda.

In 2003 the City imposed a 2% lodging tax on hotels and motels. That tax is used primarily for tourism marketing and operation of special events and festivals. Council later adopted an additional 1.3% lodging tax to be used solely for capital expenditures to acquire, construct, and improve large sporting venues or venues for tourism-related facilities that support lodging facilities.

Suggestions for distribution of the Lodging Tax money is made by the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) which is made up of:

•At least two representatives of businesses that are required to collect the tax,
• At least two people who are involved in activities that are authorized to be funded by the tax, and
• One elected city official who serves as chair of LTAC.

On October 13th, the LTAC met to receive and consider applications for 2022 Lodging Tax grants. There were 12 applicants:

Applicant                                                      Request    Recommended
HUB                                                                   55,000        55,000
JAKT, Brews, Beats & Eats                   15,000         6,500
JAKT Craft Beer                                         15,000         6,000
JAKT Crave!                                                  50,000         30,000
JAKT Farmer’s Market                           25,000         17,000
JAKT Valley Events                                   400,000        -0-
Northwest Winterfest                            45,000         45,000
Spokane Fair & Expo Center               75,000         64,000
Spokane Valley Heritage Museum   40,000         27,000
Spokane Valley Summer Theater      20,000        20,000
Valleyfest                                                        30,000         24,000
Valleyfest Cycle Celebration               5,000            3,500
Transfer to 1.3% Capital Account     273,000
Total                                                                 $775,000    $571,000

The City requested $2,986,573 from the 1.3% Tax fund account to apply to a new Expo Building at the Fairgrounds plus all future revenues until the building was completed. LTAC recommended $3,500,000. Council will approve the final awards on December 14th.

As part of the Annual Comprehensive Plan Amendment cycle (CPA), for 2022, proposed amendments made prior to November 1st are listed (docketed) for council action. That docket is:

File No; Location; Applicant; Description
• CPA-2022-01; 10506 E. 10th; Private; Chg 1.03 acres frm SFR to MFR
• CPA-2022-02; 17105 E. Montgomery; City; Chg .45 acres frm SFR to P/OS
• CPA-2022-03; 44th & Bates; City; Chg 17.64 acres frm SFR to P/OS
• CPA-2022-04; Bike & Pedestrian; City/map; Add proposed n. loop river trail
• SFR: Single family residence, MFR: Multi family residence, P/OS: Parks/Open Space

In 1957, Spokane County entered into a 50-year franchise with Yellowstone Pipeline Company (YPL) to construct and maintain a pipeline for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from Billings, Montana to users west of Billings including the Spokane Valley area. Exxon, Conoco 66, and Sunoco pipeline companies jointly own the line. The franchise expired in 2007 and the parties have been negotiating since. Consensus was reached to place a proposed new franchise for 25 years, including $100 million in liability coverage on an upcoming agenda.

On January 15, 2019, a final report from an appointed salary commission raised the salaries of Council with a recommendation that those salaries be reviewed every three years. A new salary commission of five members whose term is for one year will be appointed by the Mayor after staff prepares an administrative report regarding the procedure for appointment of the commission and the process to be followed.

City Hall is open for business. Masks must be worn in the building. Council meetings begin at 6:00pm. Public participation on action items or public comment periods can be in person or via ZOOM. Call 509-720-5000 or www.spokanevalley. org prior to 4:00 p.m. for access instructions.

Council’s Formal Meeting, the first since the November 2nd election, commenced with proclamations recognizing Veterans’ Day and Native American Heritage Month.

New business opened with the Second Reading of Ordinance 21-017, amending the 2021 Budget. That amendment is spread across 18 accounts, resulting in revenue decreases of $6,155,484 and expenditure increases of $4,646,664. A salient feature of this amendment is how we are accounting for the funds being applied to the Barker/BNSF rail crossing. 

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is the project manager. Prior accounting practice was for WSDOT to be the recipient of the funds from the City and account for them as they were applied. However, a recent audit advised that the City would also account for the funds since they were the receiving applicant of the grant funding. Thus, an accounting change that simply reflects a cash flow-through. Motion to approve Ordinance 21-017 passed unanimously. 

The seventh and eighth touches enroute to adoption of the City’s 2022 Budget began with a public hearing, the third of three, in preparation for action on the Second Reading of Ordinance 21-018 which formally adopts the City’s 2022 Budget. 

In that Budget, General Fund recurring revenue is estimated to be $52,432,700, an increase of $4,207,681 or 8.73% over the 2021 amended budget of $48,225,019. Recurring expenditures are estimated to be $48,415,982, an increase of $3,443,155 or 7.66% over the amended 2021 budget’s $44,972,827. Budgeted recurring revenues currently exceed recurring expenditures by $4,016,718 or 7.66% of recurring revenues. Projected General Fund balance at the end of 2022 is currently $30,927,611 or 13% above the 50% of the recurring expenditure reserve Council has mandated to cover the cash needed for expected expenditures. 

The number of employees will increase from 96.25 to 101.25 in 2022. The City will once again forgo the automatic 1% property tax increase. A more detailed breakdown of the presentation can be found at https://spokanevalley.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=3&event_id=519&meta_id=65565. The motion to approve Ordinance 21-018 was approved unanimously.

On October 15, 2019, Council agreed to participate in the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Each year HUD provides CDBG entitlement funding to Spokane County in which the City participates, but the City must apply for the grants even though it is entitled to a set aside. On October 26th, 2021, Council identified two potential CDBG sidewalk projects for application:

Park Road—Broadway Avenue to Cataldo Avenue—$400,000
4th Avenue—Eastern Road to Catherine Johnson Apts.—$350,000

This public hearing was followed by a motion to prepare and submit CDBG applications for the proposed sidewalk projects listed above. The motion passed unanimously. 

Council agreed at its last meeting to place ordinance 21-019 on its agenda for consideration to delete chapter 19.50 of the Spokane Valley Municipal Code eliminating the Planned Residential Development (PRD) regulations in their entirety and lifting the moratorium on consideration of new PRD applications. The Planning Commission, after a public hearing, recommended approval. A motion to suspend the rules and approve Ordinance 21-019 was approved unanimously.

In November of 2020, Council amended City Code to permit donors providing donations valued over $5,000 or greater the option to also provide a recognition plaque. The maximum size set forth has proved to be too small (5”x7”) necessitating a change to allow a maximum size of 12”x24”. The motion to suspend the rules and approve Ordinance No 21-020 adopting the new size was approved unanimously.
Council approved a motion to pay Wick Enterprizes $956.25 for advertising. Wick Enterprizes is owned by Mayor Ben Wick.

On March 23rd, 2021, Council created the Streets Sustainability Committee (SSC), composed of twenty-two members, to help gather public input on the City’s Pavement Management Program (PMP) which has struggled to find a consistent, reliable funding source to sustain a long-term program. The SSC identified three goals:
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.

The Key Findings by Goal were:

GOAL 1.
A. The pavement condition of City streets is described as “fair” or better.
B. The PMP should be prioritized in the City’s budget planning process.

GOAL 2.
A. Survey respondents support increasing the prioritization of local access streets.
B. Implement surface treatments in the PMP.
C. Increase PMP funding to maintain the streets in their current condition.

GOAL 3.
A. Do not reduce funding of other City programs to increase funding of the PMP.
B. Transportation Benefit District is the most-preferred funding option.
C. Survey respondents indicate new funding should evenly distribute costs to everyone.
D. PMP funding should not rely on annual surplus fund transfers. (author’s emphasis)

For a copy of the complete report, contact City Hall. 

City Hall is open for business. Masks must be worn in the building. Council meetings begin at 6:00pm. Public participation on action items or public comment periods can be in person or via ZOOM. Call 509-720-5000 or www.spokanevalley.org prior to 4:00 p.m. for access instructions.

View Past Spokane Valley City Council Highlights