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:
- Election Day is Tuesday! Get those ballots in ASAP, and if you still don’t know how you’re going to vote, take a last minute look at our Elections Guide to get informed.
- Ten small elephants worth of litter gets dumped on Spokane’s streets every single month. Harsher penalties for litterers could be coming.
- The Trent Shelter closed and the promised replacement, a scatter site network, isn’t quite up and running yet, but some of the contracts for it are coming through committee this week.
- If Liberty Lake wants state grants, they’ve gotta incorporate “the climate element” into their Comprehensive Plan. How their city council is choosing to do that is…interesting.
- Spokane Public Schools Board of Directors will welcome a brand new member this Wednesday!
- How much has Spokane Valley spent on councilmember Al Merkel? We now know the answer.
Important meetings this week:
- Spokane City Council (and Study Session)
- Public Safety & Community Health Committee
- Liberty Lake City Council
- Board of County Commissioners - Briefing Session and Legislative Session
- Spokane Valley City Council
- Spokane School District Board of Directors
- Community, Housing, and Human Services Board
- Spokane Human Rights Commission
Spokane City Council
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 peppers
More money to fight wrongful death suit
Up for a vote in the consent agenda is a $150,000 contract amendment with the Seattle law firm helping the city fight a wrongful death lawsuit from the estate of Robert Bradley, bringing the total amount spent fighting the case to $400,000. Bradley was killed by police officers serving him a court warrant from his neighbor after he allegedly pulled a handgun on them. Bradley’s family says he was unloading guns from his vehicle after a family camping trip and police “ambushed him, shooting him within seconds of approaching the van.”
Tons of traffic calming
There is a lot (and we mean a LOT) of traffic calming items on the agenda for tonight. The first batch are the three items up for a vote:
- A resolution requesting that Mayor Lisa Brown use between $5,000 and $10,000 of traffic calming funds to put in speed tables and an additional stop sign on the Post Street Bridge. The bridge is already pretty calm as Spokane streets go, with one narrow line and pedestrian paths protected by large orange planters, but Council Member Zack Zappone says it needs more to protect the walkers and bikers that frequently use it.
- A resolution adjusting school speed limit zones around Sacajawea Middle School, Yasuhara Middle School and Logan Elementary School. This looks like a minor change to update city code about where the speed limit is 20 miles per hour to match up with where the school crosswalks and speed signs are actually located.
- A resolution to officially propose the development of the 27 by 27 urban mobility network (or as Council Member Paul Dillon refers to it, the Lilac Loop) — a 27-mile network connecting low-volume, low-speed neighborhood streets to major city pathways, making bicycling, walking or using adaptive devices like wheelchairs safer and easier for everyone in Spokane. The network will be completed by 2027 and use adaptive design strategies to make streets safer in a cost-effective way.
Even MORE Traffic Calming
The second batch of traffic calming items can be found in the first readings section of the agenda (which means they won’t get voted on tonight, but can be testified on). These pieces of legislation include:
- An ordinance that would get rid of the Citizen’s Streets Advisory Commission, because the newly created Transportation Commission subsumes its duties (it’s also unclear when the last time the CSA Commission even met was) and also edits a section of the Transportation Commission governance, clarifying that liaison positions on the commission are selected by their represented organizations. For example, Spokane Transit Authority would select their own representative to the Commission, Spokane City could not request that STA send over Karl Otterstrom.
- Zappone has also submitted an amendment to this ordinance that would get rid of the line appointing three council members to serve as non-voting members on the Commission, instead inserting a line that would allow any council member to attend the meetings without appointment.
- An ordinance updating city rules about automated traffic safety cameras that we covered in-depth when it came through committee here.
Make your voice heard
Spokane City Council is holding three public hearings during tonight’s meeting and invites public testimony on the three items:
- An ordinance that would put the city in line with a state law passed in 2023 that was intended to improve city permitting processes. The updates to the city code include “clarification on the determination of completeness procedural requirements, new permitting deadlines, and mitigation measures to prevent the City from missing the deadline.”
- The Citywide 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program
- An ordinance that would set the amount of property tax the city will levy for 2025.
Agenda here
Monday, November 4 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 7 at 11 am
City Council Chambers – Lower Level of City Hall
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Public Safety & Community Health Committee
🌶️🌶️🌶️🫑/5 peppers
Additional funds for homeless outreach
The committee will be reviewing an additional $124,000 between the city and Empire Health Foundation (EHF), for EHF to continue providing homeless outreach services. The funds are also supposed to support EHF as they “assist with navigation services relating to emergency shelter beds (scattered and/or inclement).” This funding comes as the Trent Shelter officially closed its doors last week, and EHF’s own founder told Emry Dinman at The Spokesman that the city was “behind the eight ball,” on standing up replacement services.
More scatter sites
Beyond the additional $124,000, council will also be looking at a contract amendment with EHF. The organization was originally awarded almost $4 million to operate the Housing Navigation Center, which is in the old Cannon Street Shelter building. The nearly $2 million contract amendment is intended to help EHF identify and fund scatter site shelters, which are smaller shelters, often need-specific (think a 20-person shelter for people with disabilities or a 60-person shelter for families) that don’t place as much of a burden on any one neighborhood.
No more dumping
Spokane’s Code Enforcement department estimates that over 20 tons worth of trash is dumped or discarded throughout Spokane every single month. That’s roughly five medium elephants, ten small elephants or ⅔ of a humpback whale, according to our googling. In line with new state laws, the city is going to ramp up penalties for littering:
- A $50 fine for litter equal to or less than a cubic foot
- A misdemeanor for litter bigger than a cubic foot but smaller than 10 cubic yards
- A gross misdemeanor for dumping more than 10 cubic yards.
A visual aid:
This is what 10 cubic yards of dirt looks like, according to Reddit user letmeshoost.
There’s not much info in the agenda on this, but it looks like the city may also be implementing a public facing dashboard on the Code Enforcement Department, perhaps showing what they are responding to on a month to month basis.
Agenda here
Monday, November 4 at 1:15 pm
Council Chambers in the Lower Level of City Hall.
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Liberty Lake City Council
🌶️🌶️🫑/5 peppers
Liberty Lake City Council members must have election night parties to go to, because they’ve rescheduled their regular Tuesday night meeting for tonight, “due to election night.” There will be a workshop session beginning at 6 p.m., followed by the meeting at 7 p.m.
The Climate Element
According to a new law signed in 2023, cities’ comprehensive plans must now include “a climate element,” in order to be eligible for some state grant programs. In the Liberty Lake City Council’s version of planning for the climate element, they stay far away from any kind of human responsibility, instead stating that the climate naturally changes “over extended periods, often spanning decades or centuries.” It adds that these normal changes “can manifest as shifts in average temperatures, changes in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, or deviations in seasonal cycles.”
Beyond their definition of what they think climate change is, Liberty Lake is doing the bare minimum of state requirement to qualify for grants, adding a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Reduction Sub-Element and a Resilience Sub-Element to their plan, which would require the city to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and do climate preparedness, response and recovery efforts.
The full outreach, engagement and implementation plan can be found starting on page 8 of the agenda.
No additional property taxes?
Liberty Lake could join Spokane Valley in foregoing their allowed 1% increase in the property tax levy. Tonight, they will have their first read of the policy. If it is approved after a second read, it would be the city’s 4th consecutive year not taking the 1% increase option. The estimated property tax rate for Liberty Lake residents is actually estimated to drop from .$90 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to $.86 cents.
Agenda here
Monday, November 4 at 7 pm, workshop at 6 pm
22710 E Country Vista Drive, Liberty Lake, WA 99019
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Board of Spokane County Commissioners Briefing Session
🌶️🫑/5 peppers
Discussion to turn surplus properties into affordable housing
Spokane County Commissioner Chris Jordan has requested a discussion at the BOCC on a resolution that would allow the county to convert surplus properties to affordable housing. The resolution would adopt RCW 39.33.015, a state law that allows for this. The conversation was spurred by the county’s consideration of selling off a service dwelling at 115 North Evergreen Road. Affordable housing advocates Spokane Neighborhood Housing Action Partners, Habitat for Humanity, Thrive International and Family Promise wrote letters in support of the resolution.
The board is set to vote on whether to sell that property for about $400,000 at the legislative meeting.
Agenda here
Tuesday, November 5 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
Public hearings to be set for county budget meeting
The BOCC will set its public hearing for Spokane County residents who want to weigh in on next year’s budget. The hearings are required by state law to be held on the first meeting day of December (this year it’s December 2). This hearing will include a discussion on updating the Capital Improvement Plan.
Airport Board to present budget
The Airport Board, which is jointly made up of both city and county representatives, will present a $215.7 million annual budget to the BOCC for approval. The airport is owned by the county and the city in a partnership, but it operates fully from money generated by the airport. It’s one of the most important entities shaping the economic development of the West Plains area that surrounds the tarmacs.
Half a million dollars in play to reducing incarceration
Detention Services is asking the BOCC to accept a grant of $540,000 from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for the Safety and Justice Challenge in Spokane County. The program seeks to “reduce the number of people in its jails and meaningfully address the racial inequities that persist throughout the justice system. Stakeholders recognized over-reliance on incarceration, especially at the pretrial stage, destabilizes people, families, and communities,” according to its website.
Habitat for Humanity up for $600K in downpayment assistance
The BOCC is set to approve $600,000 in pass-through funding to Habitat for Humanity through its HOME Investment Partnership Program. The money will finance down payments for 10 families to purchase homes.
Agenda here
Tuesday, November 5 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
Unlike Liberty Lake, the Valley isn’t letting a presidential election keep them from their regular Tuesday meeting.
How much has the city spent on Al Merkel?
According to a report from City Manager John Hohman that will be presented to council tomorrow night, the answer is $143,217.93 — and that doesn’t include his salary, just “Actions taken to protect city employees” and “Actions taken to protect the city from legal risk.” Some of Merkel’s issues the city has spent money addressing include:
- Paying for an independent attorney to investigate a hostile work environment complaint filed by a city employee against Merkel.
- Paying for methods that limit Merkel’s interactions with staff and “minimize disruptions to city operations.”
- $12,089.38 on staff time to fill 54 public records requests related to Merkel, which account for 14% of all PRRs received by the city.
Attached to the agenda item is a spreadsheet of Merkel-related expenses, which will be updated monthly going forward.
Harsher camping regulations
Per a proposed ordinance that will be discussed (not yet voted on) at this week’s meeting, Spokane Valley City Council could make it a misdemeanor crime to be in city parks after hours. The ordinance also changes the definition of camping to include simply sleeping overnight on city-owned property, whether the sleeper has “camping paraphernalia” or not.
In completely unrelated news, Spokane Valley City Council has zero city shelters and drives homeless people from the valley to Spokane proper, to dedicated beds it contracts for at Truth Ministries and Volunteers of America.
Agenda here
Tuesday, November 5 at 6 pm
City Hall
10210 E Sprague Ave
Spokane Valley, WA 99206
Virtual attendance here.
Spokane School District Board of Directors
🌶️/5 peppers
Welcome to a new board member
Spokane Public School District Board of Directors will seat a new board member this week! We don’t yet know who the person is, because the agenda did not include their name, but we look forward to seeing who could fill the spot. Elena Perry from The Spokesman has been covering updates on the search, her most recent story can be read here.
Agenda here
Wednesday, November 6 at 6 pm
Spokane Public Schools Administration Building
200 N. Bernard, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Community, Housing, and Human Services Board
Agenda here when available
Wednesday, November 6 at 4 pm
City Council Briefing Chambers
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
Virtual attendance link included on their agenda when available.
Spokane Human Rights Commission
Agenda here when available.
Thursday, November 7 at 5:30 p.m.
Council Briefing Center in the Lower Level of City Hall.
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
