Welcome to mini-abbreviated CIVICS, where we give you a little preview week’s municipal meetings throughout the Inland Northwest, so you can get involved and speak out about the issues you care about. We had yesterday off due to Labor Day weekend, so here’s a brief look at the biggest items on the docket and a list of meetings you can attend if you came back refreshed and wanting to get civically involved.
Spokane City Council Agenda Review
At the Spokane City Council Agenda Review today at 11 am, the city council discussed a slate of potential amendments to an ordinance intended to give renters eviction protections during emergencies. The amendment submitted by Council President Betsy Wilkerson would limit the protections solely to tenants impacted by the Spokane Complex fires, along with other technical changes.
An amendment by Council Member Paul Dillon, who filed the original ordinance with Council Members Sarah Dixit and Kitty Klitzke, primarily adds additional ways tenants can prove their income was negatively affected by emergencies, and makes some technical changes. Like the original ordinance, their amendment does not restrict the ordinance to solely Spokane Complex fire victims and states this will go into effect for any civil emergency, natural disaster or other event resulting in the declaration of an emergency by the mayor.
These amendments delayed the vote on this ordinance, so it won’t be voted on at tomorrow’s meeting like originally planned.
Agenda here when available.
Tuesday, September 8 at 11 am
Council Chambers
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane
Spokane City Council
🌶️/5 peppers
Up for a vote this week:
- A contract to address a lack of culturally responsive treatment services for the opioid crisis — i.e. services specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of marginalized communities. The city council could contract with four organizations: Center for Growth and Empowerment through Compassionate Addiction Treatment, The Native Project, Nuestras Raices and Washington State University with Spokane Tribal Network. The total cost of these services is under $500,000, which was already approved in the 2026 budget.
- An ordinance that would create a process for vacant and underutilized commercial spaces to be temporarily activated. That means spaces like, say, the former Rite Aid downtown, could be more easily transformed for temporary commercial events like, say, the Punk Rock Flea Market.
- Our Urbanism columnist Lauren Pangborn is set to be appointed to the Spokane Plan Commission.
Agenda here
Wednesday, September 9 at 6 pm
Council Chambers
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Public Infrastructure, Environment, and Sustainability Committee
🫑/5 peppers
Pretty quiet meeting, but city Transportation and Sustainability director Jon Snyder will give his monthly report on what his department has been up to, so if you’re an urbanist or climate conscious, this might be a meeting to watch.
Agenda here
Tuesday, September 8 at 12 pm
Council Chambers
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane Plan Commission
🌶️/5 peppers
The Plan Commission will be discussing regulatory options to make rebuilding from the Spokane Complex fires easier, including allowing additional dwelling units to be built on properties without primary dwelling units.
Agenda here
Wednesday, September 9 at 2 pm
Council Briefing Center
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Board of Spokane County Commissioners Briefing Session
🫑/5 peppers
Agenda here
Tuesday, September 8 at 9 am
Commissioners’ Hearing Room
1026 W. Broadway Ave, Spokane
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Board of Spokane County Commissioners Legislative Session
🫑/5 peppers
Agenda here
Tuesday, September 8 at 2 pm
Commissioners’ Hearing Room
1026 W. Broadway Ave, Spokane
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane Regional Transportation Council
🫑/5 peppers
Agenda here
Thursday, September 10 at 1 pm
21 W Riverside Ave, Suite 504, Spokane
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane County Planning Commission
🫑/5 peppers
Agenda here
Thursday, September 10 at 9 am
Commissioners’ Hearing Room
1026 W. Broadway Ave, Spokane
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane Airport Board
🫑/5 peppers
Agenda here.
Thursday, September 10 at 9 am
9211 W. McFarlane Road, Spokane
The meeting is also live streamed here.
East Valley School District Board of Directors
🫑/5 peppers
Agenda here
Tuesday, September 8 at 6 pm
3830 N Sullivan Rd, Bldg 1
Spokane Valley
West Valley School District Board of Directors
🫑/5 peppers
Agenda here
Wednesday, September 9 at 8:00 am
Spokane Valley High School
2011 N. Hutchinson Road, Spokane
Watch via Zoom here.
Spokane School District Board of Directors
🌶️/5 peppers
During the regular meeting:
- The board might take a vote on adopting a new policy to allow video cameras on school buses across the district. We mentioned that policy in a previous version of civics in late August.
Agenda here
Wednesday, September 9 at 4:30 pm (special meeting) and 6 pm (regular meeting)
200 N. Bernard, Spokane
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane Valley City Council
🫑/5 peppers
Agenda here
Tuesday, September 10 at 6 pm
10210 E Sprague Ave, Spokane Valley
Virtual attendance here.
Liberty Lake City Council
🫑/5 peppers
Agenda here
Tuesday, September 10 at 7 pm
22710 E Country Vista Drive, Liberty Lake
The meeting is also live streamed here.
