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:
- The PIES committee will talk about increasing funding for inclement weather beds, and case management for “high utilizers” of Spokane’s emergency and criminal justice services.
- Spokane Transit Authority will vote on approving the Connect 2035 plan, a new chairperson and a commendation for their old chair, County Commissioner Al French.
- Liberty Lake City Council is set to vote on two new library board members, and nobody really knows how that is going to go.
Important meetings this week:
- Spokane City Council (and Study Session)
- Public Infrastructure, Environment, and Sustainability Committee
- Board of County Commissioners - Briefing Session and Legislative Session
- Spokane Valley City Council
- Liberty Lake City Council
- Spokane Public Library Board of Trustees
- Spokane Transit Authority Board of Directors
- Spokane School District Board of Directors
Spokane City Council
🫑/5 peppers
The city council is technically meeting, but after a five hour and thirty five minute marathon meeting last week, there’s not much left for them to do this year. The only thing worth even a smidgeon of note on their agenda is the approval of a grant and contract for the Spokane Police Department to hang out at retail stores and arrest “organized” shoplifters — what they described as frequent and “violent,” offenders. But the program is paid for with a grant from the state, so it’s really no skin off of anyone’s noses, unless there’s other things officers should be doing with their time.
Agenda here
Monday, December 16 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, December 19 at 11 am
City Council Chambers – Lower Level of City Hall
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Public Infrastructure, Environment, and Sustainability Committee
🌶️🌶️🫑/5 peppers
Hot Spotters
Believe it or not, hot spotters is not the name of a Vegas strip show or a new movie starring Channing Tatum as a firefighter — it’s actually what Mayor Lisa Brown calls her program to identify “high utilizers” of the city’s emergency response system, who cycle between hospital beds and jail. The city council will discuss a one-year, $375,000 contract with Consistent Care to identify up to 50 of those “high utilizers” and connect them to case managers and services, paid for with opioid settlement dollars.
This program was intended to run in conjunction with Brown’s CORE program (increased enforcement and police presence downtown) as part of her response to the opioid emergency. CORE has been boots-on-the-ground for a while, with arrests for crimes intrinsically tied to homelessness — like sit-and-lie and pedestrian interference — way up. Hopefully these discussions will get the actual case management portion of Brown’s plan up and running.
More inclement weather beds?
The CHHS department is asking to spend an additional $200,004 on inclement weather beds at The Way Out Center, House of Charity, Hope House and Revive to increase coverage for unhoused people seeking emergency shelter as the weather worsens. The money is intended to come from the 1590 fund, which is supposed to be used to construct affordable housing and provide supportive housing services. The contract amendments would also come with increased reporting requirements for the four shelters; they’d have to update their bed count and availability on the city’s ShelterMe site by 8 pm every night.
Settlement for Sarah McLaughlin
Over the summer, resident Sarah McLaughlin filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city for the shooting of her fiancee, Robert Bradley, by Spokane Police officers. Spokane spent $400,000 fighting lawsuits from the family, but in today’s committee meeting, they’ll be discussing a $500,000 settlement for McLaughlin.
Agenda here
Monday, December 16 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.
Board of Spokane County Commissioners Briefing Session
🌶️🫑/5 peppers
Proposed improvements to county campus
For the second time, county staff will present a summary of a plan for more than $35 million in updates to infrastructure on the Spokane County campus. The proposed improvements include
replacing or upgrading boilers, pumps, fans and air units , upgrading the building’s control system and replacing some key power system components.
Agenda here
Tuesday, December 17 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
Board appointments
The BOCC is set to appoint the following people to different public boards:
- Aaron Hall to the Position No. 2 member on the Orchard Avenue Irrigation District No. 6 Board of Directors
- Jesse Swenson to the Position No. 4 member on the Orchard Avenue Irrigation District No. 6 Board of Directors
- Logan Camporeale to the Spokane County Planning Commission, District 2 position
- Lonnie Edwards to the Spokane County Planning Commission, District 3 position
- David Schaub to the District No. 4 position on the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee
- Judges Shelley Szambelan and Sheena Hargrave to the Criminal Justice Treatment Account Panel
Homeless outreach program to be canceled
The BOCC will vote whether to cancel a contract with the Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee, an indigenous homeless outreach program run by Yoyot Sp’q’n”I. The recommendation says the organization had not started operations, which it was initially required to do by August 31. Yoyot Sp’q’n”I’s website says: “This shelter will provide safety for Indigenous families who experience domestic violence and will be culturally accommodating as well as focus on trauma informed healing and provide services such as case management and [substance use disorder] counseling.” The program had been awarded more than $193,000 in funding from the Washington Department of Commerce as part of its Consolidated Homeless Grant program.
Nearly $1 million for body cam data
The board is set to vote to accept a grant from the federal Department of Justice that will pay for new artificial intelligence programming to analyze large volumes of footage recorded on deputies’ body-worn cameras. According to documents, the nearly $1 million grant will allow the department to make better use of its body-worn camera data, which is so voluminous that individual people cannot analyze all of it. The department hopes the analyses will enhance the sheriff's training programs.
Nearly $1 million for new park bathrooms
Spokane County will hire a contractor to build new restrooms at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Campground. The agenda sheet reads: “The new restroom will have a men’s and women’s restroom, two single occupancy ADA restrooms, and four single occupancy shower rooms.” The project will cost almost $950,000.
Agenda here
Tuesday, December 17 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
Legislative Priorities
There’s no linked information about what any of these ideas entail, but it looks like the Spokane Valley City Council will be discussing each of their members’ legislative priorities for the next year. Here’s the no-context list of “key legislative focus items,” and their sponsors:
- Spokane Valley Sport Courts (Deputy Mayor Tim Hattenburg)
- Barker Road/Interstate 90 Interchange (Councilmember Ben Wick)
- Balfour Playground and Spray Park (Councilmember Rod Higgins)
- Clarifying Document Recording Fee Administrative Charge (Councilmember Laura Padden)
- Cannabis Tax Revenue (Councilmember Al Merkel)
Agenda here
Tuesday, December 17 at 6 pm
City Hall
10210 E Sprague Ave
Spokane Valley, WA 99206
Virtual attendance here.
Liberty Lake City Council
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 peppers
The Liberty Lake Library Saga continues
Mayor Cris Kaminskas has two more potential appointees to sit on the Library Board — Michael Bota, a medical doctor, and Anna Voloshin, a human resources professional. But after her last appointee was voted down in a blindsiding move that left members of the community fearful for the future of the library, anything could happen. We anticipate some spice at this meeting, especially as Liberty Lake continues to grapple with just how much control council conservatives can and will exercise over the library.
Agenda here
Tuesday, December 17 at 7 pm
22710 E Country Vista Drive, Liberty Lake, WA 99019
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane Public Library Board of Trustees
🌶️/5 peppers
There’s no additional details on their agenda, but the Library Board of Trustees will discuss a five year community engagement plan, “Vision 2030,” at the meeting, and that could be an interesting watch!
Agenda here
Tuesday, December 17 at 4:30 pm
Shadle Park Library
2111 W. Wellesley Ave, Spokane, Washington, 99205
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane Transit Authority Board of Directors
🌶️🌶️🫑/5 peppers
Big decisions
There’s a lot of big decisions on the docket for the STA board this week, including a vote on the adoption of the Connect 2035 Strategic Plan, a vote on state legislative priorities and the election of their next chairperson, who will replace County Commissioner Al French. Because of STA’s rotating chairship policy, the chair will come from Spokane Valley, so there are really only two options: Pam Haley and Tim Hattenburg. The board is also scheduled to vote on a commendation for French, to recognize his “leadership, service and dedication to Spokane Transit, public transportation and the Spokane region.”
Agenda here
Thursday, December 19 at 1:30 pm
STA Boardroom
1230 W Boone Avenue, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane School District Board of Directors
🌶️🫑/5 peppers
Agenda here
Wednesday, December 18 at 6 pm
Spokane Public Schools Administration Building
200 N. Bernard, Spokane, WA 99201The meeting is also live streamed here.
