Welcome to CIVICS, where we break down the week’s municipal meetings throughout the Inland Northwest, so you can get involved and speak out about the issues you care about.
Some things that stick out to us this week include:
- Central Valley School Board will vote tonight on sending a letter that would state their support for forcing transgender high school athletes to compete under their “biological sex.” Though their resolution couldn’t limit athletic participation this year, it’s intended to put pressure on the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to change their policies next year.
- Spokane City Council is continuing to rapidly pass American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) contracts, in order to get the money out before it expires. This week, there are contracts for youth sports, safe and clean streets, childcare and neighborhood development.
- Spokane’s Urban Experience Committee will get updates on key homelessness issues, including from the operators of the new navigation center.
- Spokane Valley City Council will consider making it a misdemeanor to be in their parks after hours, or sleep on public property, just in time for winter.
- The Board of County Commissioners will consider making space on the Spokane Regional Emergency Communications board for the Spokane Police chief as a compromise to the city’s proposed board reorganization.
Important meetings this week:
- Spokane City Council (and Study Session)
- Urban Experience Committee
- Board of County Commissioners - Briefing Session and Legislative Session
- Spokane Valley City Council
- Liberty Lake City Council Special Meeting
- Central Valley School District Board of Directors
- Spokane Plan Commission
- Spokane Park Board
- Spokane Regional Transportation Council
Spokane City Council
🌶️🌶️🫑/5 peppers
Housing Navigation
Nearly two weeks ago, the Trent Shelter closed down. While it’s not clear what exactly the replacement scatter site network will look like — officials didn’t stand it up in time for a seamless transition from Trent to the scatter site model — but at tonight’s city council meeting, more money is set to be allocated to the model. Empire Health Foundation was previously awarded $3,850,000 to operate the Housing Navigation Center, which is located in the former Cannon Street Shelter building, while Revive Counseling (the former service provider at the Trent Shelter) is going to continue to provide services.
A contract amendment in the consent agenda is set to increase the contract with EHF and Revive Counseling by about $2 million, which is supposed to be used to manage scatter site shelters, do street outreach and operate the Housing Navigation Center. This brings the total contract amount to $5,850,583, and is paid for with opioid dollars and remaining uncontracted ARPA funds.
Even more ARPA
The city is continuing to contract out ARPA funds. There are a few updates in today’s agenda, including:
- A $2,447,150 contract in the consent agenda with Washington Trust to do “Historic Preservation” and “direct Neighborhood support,” for neighborhood business districts.
- A $250,000 contract in the consent agenda to Career Path Services for clean and safe neighborhoods.
- A $500,000 contract in the consent agenda with Raze Early Learning Development Center for providing childcare during non-traditional hours.
- Two $200,000 contracts, one with Feast World Kitchen and one with DBA River City Youth Ops, to hire engagement navigators to create or expand services for youth and pay for those youth services programs through December 2026.
- Five $50,000 contracts with the following organizations to provide scholarships and equipment for youth sports: If You Could Save Just One, Spokane Eastside Reunion Association, 90 Plus Project, YMCA of the Inland Northwest and Union Futbol
Public hearing opportunity
Spokane City Council will have their first public hearing on the 2025-26 Biennium Budget proposed by Mayor Lisa Brown. Read the proposed budget here, and show up to offer your comments and feedback at tonight’s meeting.
Agenda here
Monday, November 11 at 6 pm
City Council Chambers – Lower Level of City Hall
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane City Council Study Sessions
Agenda here when available.
Thursday, November 14 at 11 am
City Council Chambers – Lower Level of City Hall
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Urban Experience Committee (Spokane city)
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 peppers
Navigation Center Update
If you’re one of the folks wondering how exactly the Housing Navigation Center is working, how effective it is, how to refer people, where scatter sites are exactly and other pieces of key information, we can’t guarantee you’ll get the answers today, but you might — Empire Health Foundation and Revive are providing an update during the committee meeting. There’s no attached agenda information, so we can’t tell you exactly what the update will include.
Roundtable update
The Spokane City Council has been hosting a series of roundtable discussions on homelessness with the goal of updating city code based on the feedback received. The council’s homelessness initiatives manager, Nicolette Ocheltree, will provide an update on how those roundtables have been going and what some of the findings are.
Community Center Contracts
The city of Spokane has historically held multi-year contracts with the Community Centers around the city, funding some of their operations. This year, there could be a change — Brown’s administration is proposing just one-year extensions of these contracts, which will allow her administration time to “facilitate roundtable discussions with community center directors, partners such as libraries and Spokane Public Schools, and city council to establish clear and reasonable measurements and reporting processes.” This will be discussed at the committee meeting.
Agenda here
Monday, November 11 at 1:15 pm
Council Briefing Center in the Lower Level of City Hall.
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Board of Spokane County Commissioners Briefing Session
🌶️🫑/5 peppers
Fees may increase
The Public Works Department has prepared a new sewer fee schedule for BOCC approval that would increase the price homeowners pay for sewage by 75 cents for single family homes in the county.
Separately, the Parks, Recreation and Golf Department has proposed an array of fee increases to programs, including swim team fees to use aquatic facilities, Camp Caro Lodge and Liberty Lake Regional Park.
Agenda here
Tuesday, November 12 at 9 am
Public Works Building Lower Level, Commissioners’ Hearing Room
1026 W. Broadway Ave, Spokane, WA 99260
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Board of Spokane County Commissioners Legislative Session
🌶️🫑/5 peppers
BOCC voting on police chief spot on SREC board
The board will vote on a resolution to make a spot for the city of Spokane police chief on the board of the county’s emergency communications provider. Spokane Regional Emergency Communications (SREC) takes emergency calls and triages them for the correct responding agency. The city has proposed a reorganization of its board that would split the board into two bodies, one focused on administration and another on operations. At a recent meeting, BOCC Chair Mary Kuney expressed skepticism in the city’s proposal. Offering a spot on the board for the police chief is seen as a compromise between keeping SREC as is and reforming it.
Board will vote on 5-year infrastructure programs
The BOCC will vote to approve $21 million in construction, transportation and storm and wastewater improvement proposed to be built between 2025 and 2030. The projects will include a roundabout at 57th Avenue and Freya Street, a realignment of Hayford Road in Airway Heights to make room for a new Spokane International Airport runway and replacement of the Little Spokane Drive Bridge. There are more than 160 projects proposed in the plan.
Slaughterhouse amendment up for approval
Spokane County zoning does not currently allow slaughterhouses to operate within its borders. Local farmers and ranchers asked to change county code to allow a “boutique slaughterhouse and butcher shop” in places currently zoned for agriculture, logging and rural activity centers.
Extended use for temporary living structures after Gray Fire
The Building & Planning Department has asked the BOCC to approve language that would allow people to live in temporary housing for up to a year longer than currently allowed, as some families are still rebuilding their homes after the Gray Fire last August.
Council Member Klitzke up for solid waste committee
The BOCC is scheduled to approve Spokane City Council Member Kitty Klitzke as the city’s representative on the county’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee.
More money on the table for Camas Meadow and Plante’s Ferry projects
The BOCC will consider increasing the official budget for improvements to Camas Meadow Park and new construction at the Plante’s Ferry Sports Complex by $3.7 million, which would bring the full cost to more than $11 million. The projects may include repaving parking lots, new picnic shelters and pickleball and basketball courts at Camas and turf soccer fields at Plante’s Ferry.
Agenda here
Tuesday, November 12 at 2 pm
Public Works Building Lower Level, Commissioners’ Hearing Room
1026 W. Broadway Ave, Spokane, WA 99260
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane Valley City Council
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 peppers
Camping regulations
Spokane Valley City Council will be doing a first reading of a new ordinance that would upgrade being in a city park after hours from an infraction to a misdemeanor crime. It would also change the definition of camping to just be “sleeping overnight on city property,” regardless of if someone actually has any “camping paraphernalia,” (ie tent, sleeping bag, etc) and make that a misdemeanor too. And, as a bonus, this will also allow the police in parks at night to patrol and arrest people. The timing for this ordinance is… interesting, as winter is about to hit, and Spokane Valley does not have a single overnight homeless shelter for people to access.
Agenda here
Tuesday, November 12 at 6 pm
City Hall
10210 E Sprague Ave
Spokane Valley, WA 99206
Virtual attendance here.
Liberty Lake City Council
🌶️🫑/5 peppers
Budget Review Special Sesh
Liberty Lake is holding a special meeting tomorrow from 6 to 9 pm to discuss the 2025 proposed budget. Folks can attend in person or Zoom in here to provide their feedback on the budget and the 2025-2030 Capital Facilities Plan, and can preview the proposed budget here.
Agenda here
Tuesday, November 12 at 6 pm
22710 E Country Vista Drive, Liberty Lake, WA 99019
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Central Valley School District Board of Directors
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 peppers
Limiting trans participation in sports
Central Valley School District Board of Directors is looking to join Mead School District in sending a letter asking the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to update their policy around transgender kids’ participation in sports. In a letter that is extremely close to Mead’s, CVSD writes that though Title IX has been in place for more than 50 years, they think “critical work is necessary to secure the equal opportunity ensured to all students, irrespective of sex.”
CVSD is proposing the creation of an open category in sports that is not specific to gender or sex, essentially creating a division just for trans kids.
This resolution is extremely similar to resolutions with identical names that have been discussed at both College Place Public School District and Moses Lake School District, continuing the local trend of conservative-controlled school boards copy/pasting language from other conservative-controlled boards across the state. Mead also signed onto proposed WIAA handbook amendments submitted by the Eastmont and Lyndon school districts that would create a third division for transgender athletes. This policy discussion at both CVSD and Mead is coming off the heels of the Westboro Baptist Church’s recent protest of East Valley School District’s transgender athlete, who has been the subject of internet harassment since she became the first Washington transgender athlete to win a state high school track championship
According to the 2023-24 WIAA handbook, “All students have the opportunity to participate in WIAA athletics and/or activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity.” If passed tonight, this resolution from CVSD wouldn’t change that policy or limit athletic participation for any transgender athletes that may currently want to compete for or against CVSD schools, but it would be a clear show of disapproval, and would continue to put pressure on WIAA to ban transgender athletes from competing in alignment with their gender.
Agenda here
Tuesday, November 12 at 6 pm (moved from Monday because of the holiday)
Learning and Teaching Center (district office)
Board Room at 2218 N Molter Rd, Liberty Lake
Watch via Zoom here.
Spokane Plan Commission
Agenda here
Wednesday, November 13 at 2 pm
Council Briefing Center
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Park Board
Agenda here when available
Thursday, November 14 at 3:30 pm
Council Chambers in the Lower Level of City Hall.
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed via WebEx,
Call in: 408-418-9388 Access code: 2491 764 3350
Spokane Regional Transportation Council
Agenda here
Thursday, November 14 at 1 pm
Spokane Regional Transportation Office
21 W Riverside Ave, Suite 504, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.
