Welcome to CIVICS, where we break down the week’s municipal meetings throughout the Inland Northwest, so you can keep track of and fight for the issues you care about.
Everyone came back from their break with a vengeance, ready to tackle some important and controversial legislative items, so it’s a much more involved week of CIVICS. Here’s some highlights of what’s happening:
- Spokane City Council may decide to ask voters in the city to decide in November if they’re down to pay $15 a year to protect the region’s aquifer. They’re also holding a first read on a policy to ban employment discrimination against people with no permanent address.
- The Urban Experience Committee will discuss an ordinance that would add new requirements for any homeless shelter or “comprehensive support service” facility that’s hoping to open or move to a new location within the city.
- The Spokane Library Board of Trustees is scheduled to talk about their partnership project with Thrive International, to create 45 units of affordable housing for refugees and the general population, paired with library resources.
- The Spokane Transit Authority is deciding on the sequence of projects for their big Connect 2035 plan. One of the first on the docket: a pilot of a reduced fare program for low-income residents.
- Spokane County wants to raise Sheriff John Nowels’ pay from $205,434.90 per year to $236,339.85.
- Spokane Valley City Council is hosting a second discussion and may vote on its potential August ballot measure that would create a .1% sales tax to hire more police and public safety officers.
Important meetings this week:
- Spokane City Council
- Urban Experience Committee
- Spokane Library Board of Trustees
- Bicycle Advisory Board
- Spokane Airport Board
- Spokane Transit Authority Board of Directors
- Spokane School District Board of Directors (special and regular meeting)
- Board of Spokane County Commissioners (Briefing and Legislative Session)
- Spokane County Planning Commission
- Spokane Valley City Council
- Liberty Lake City Council
Spokane City Council
🌶️🌶️/5 peppers
Money to fight Matt Shea
Alleged domestic terrorist Matt Shea is suing the city for $24 million, claiming that the city council’s vote in 2023 to censure then-Mayor Nadine Woodward for her appearance onstage with Shea and right-wing, anti-queer worship leader Sean Feucht violated Shea’s rights. The city is fighting the lawsuit, and tonight, the council is set to vote on approving an additional $100,000 in legal costs, bringing the total to $150,000.
Protecting the region’s aquifer
The council will vote on a resolution that would ask voters to decide in November if Spokane should rejoin the county aquifer protection area. If passed by voters, this would cost homeowners $15 a year, with the funds going to protect the region’s drinking water.
Pleas for Medicaid
According to data from the Census Bureau, a quarter of Spokane residents are insured through Medicaid. This is one of the “whereas” clauses — which state the reasons action is necessary — listed in a resolution up for a vote this week that, if passed, would state that the city formally opposes any cuts to Medicaid funding from both the federal government and the state.
Of course, the city can’t really tell the state or the federal government what to do, so this functions mostly as a public values statement, and includes data on just how critical Medicaid is to our region. It’s also very much a topic that’s been weighing heavily on the people in our district, which has a high rate of Medicaid usage: see public comment at Congressman Michael Baumgartner’s Town Hall and the recent Hands Off rally.
Ban the address
The ordinance that would ban employers from discriminating against potential hires because of their lack of a permanent address — designed to remove barriers for people who are unhoused to get employment — will be up for a first read. Check out our more in-depth CIVICS breakdown of the legislation here.
Next week’s sneak peek:
- After the first read of the “Ban the Address” ordinance tonight, we’ll likely get a final vote on it next week.
- A first read of the LGBTQIA2S+ protection ordinance, which was originally scheduled for tonight, but will likely be deferred.
- A first read of an ordinance sponsored by the two council conservatives that would expand sit-and-lie laws citywide (they currently only impact downtown). Check our earlier CIVICS write-up of this here.
- A consent agenda contract to spend $1,681,000 purchasing 22 new vehicles for the Spokane Police Department.
- A couple of weeks ago in the finance committee, the council discussed spending opioid settlement funds earlier than originally anticipated. That’s coming before council next week as a special budget ordinance.
Agenda here
Monday, April 7, at 6 pm
808 W. Spokane Falls Boulevard, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Urban Experience Committee
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 peppers
The plan to end homelessness
City staff from the Spokane Community, Housing and Human Services are presenting a nearly 50-page document: the 5-year plan to end homelessness, which starts on page 240 of the agenda. The plan includes key objectives, performance indicators and actionable strategies the city plans to take to end homelessness. The plan is worth reading. We were particularly struck by objective four: “Seek to house everyone in a stable setting that meets their needs.”
What it takes to open a shelter
Up for discussion is an ordinance proposed by Council Member Michael Cathcart that would add new requirements for where the city could site new homeless shelters or facilities providing comprehensive support services — things like addiction recovery services, resource distribution centers, congregate shelters, transitional or non-permanent housing and behavioral health services providers — that receive any funding at all from the city. The ordinance states the council’s general support for the scattered site model, but states that there can be “detrimental impacts” from facilities that will need to be mitigated.
Before they could open or relocate, shelters or facilities would have to:
- Hold at least one public meeting and “solicit written comment from members of the affected neighborhood council area(s) concerning the need(s) for the facility and the service(s) desired or required by the community, as well as identified service gap(s) to be addressed by the facility.”
- Have the location be approved by the city Council, even if the shelter is receiving less than $50k, the traditional threshold a contract needs to hit to come before council
- Be more than 1,000 feet away from schools
- It would also require the shelter to have an “internal courtyard or equivalent,” to stop any “external loitering that may create a nuisance for neighbors.”
The ordinance also points to a historical trend of shelters being sited in District 1, represented by Cathcart and Council Member Jonathan Bingle, and specifically in the poorest neighborhoods. That district has played host to the two big city shelters: the former Trent Shelter and the former Cannon Street Shelter,which is now the navigation center, though it still maintains a small host of beds. (Though prior to redistricting in 2022, the Cannon shelter fell in Council District 2.) Because District 1 encompasses much of downtown, the most central, easily accessible location in the city, there has also been a historical concentration of comprehensive support services. However, of the eight shelters opened under Brown’s scatter site model, only two those have been in District 1, leaving District 2 and 3 hosting three shelters each.
It’s unclear if this current council will approve the ordinance, as many members have expressed opposition to any legislation that would make it harder for shelters or support facilities like medication assisted treatment or behavioral health centers to open.
Agenda here
Monday April 14 at noon
City Hall
808 W. Spokane Falls Boulevard, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane Public Library Board of Trustees
🌶️🫑/5 peppers
The agendas for these meetings are always pretty sparse on details so we’re really just working with the one-line descriptions for each agenda item. One topic scheduled for tomorrow we thought sounded interesting: “North Nevada - A Thrive International and Spokane Public Library Partnership.” We’re hoping it’s an update on how construction is going for the project to create 45 affordable housing units for both refugees and the general public paired with spaces run by the library: a public learning space, a playground, a greenhouse, gardens and a 24/7 library kiosk.
Agenda here
Tuesday, April 15 at 4:30 pm
Shadle Park Library
2111 W. Wellesley Ave, Spokane, Washington, 99205
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Bicycle Advisory Board
🌶️/5 peppers
Bike trail update from WSDOT
If you’re a bicyclist or a reader of any of Lauren Pangborn’s urbanism columns, you’ve probably heard of the Children of the Sun Trail, which runs north to south through Spokane’s eastern neighborhoods. This week, the Bicycle Advisory Board will be getting an update on construction on the trail from members of the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Agenda here
Tuesday, April 15 at 6 pm
City Council Briefing Center
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane Airport Board
🌶️🫑/5 peppers
Agenda here.
Thursday, April 17 at 9 am
Airport Event Center
9211 W. McFarlane Road, Spokane, WA 99224
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane Transit Authority Board of Directors
🌶️🌶️🫑/5 peppers
Connect 2035 Sequencing
Last month, STA was discussing potential sequencing for their big Connect 2035 plan (which we covered in depth here). This week, they’ll be voting on whether or not to approve the draft sequence for the projects in the plan. You can view it in full starting on page 37 of this document, but here are some highlights of what the board is considering:
- An eligibility-based reduced fare program pilot for riders experiencing low incomes will be implemented between 2025 and 2028
- All stops with more than 25 daily boardings will get shelters installed between 2026 and 2031, likely a rolling implementation.
- A Mobility-on-Demand pilot in Northeast Spokane will be implemented between 2030 and 2032.
- The Division Street Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project will be implemented by 2030.
Speaking of that Division BRT, interim co-CEO Karl Otterstrom will be presenting on implementation strategy for it later in the meeting, which might be an interesting watch: with the state budget currently up in the air, there are fears state dollars for the North/South corridor could be cut, which could also impact the Division BRT as they were planned to be completed in tandem.
Agenda here
Thursday, April 17 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, May 1 at 4:30 pm (Special Meeting) and 6 pm (Regular Meeting)
Spokane Public Schools Administration Building
200 N. Bernard, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Board of Spokane County Commissioners Briefing Session
🌶️/5 peppers
Potential raise for the sheriff
Taxpayers currently pay Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels $205,434.90 per year. The commissioners will hear a proposal to increase that to $236,339.85, which would bring the salary in line with the Spokane County prosecutor.
Chopper contract renewal
The Spokane County Sheriff wants to ink a $500,000 contract with either Bell Textron or Safran Helicopter Engines to be the sole contractor to perform maintenance on the Spokane Valley Police Department’s (SVPD) Bell 505 helicopter for the next five years. SVPD is part of the County Sheriff’s Office.
Agenda here
Tuesday, April 1 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
Long-term planning for climate, affordable housing
We’ve talked about this before, but commissioners weren’t able to come to a decision so we’re talking about it again: Two very real crises are happening globally, across the state and in our local community — housing and climate change. That’s why Washington’s long-term planning guidelines, dictated by a law called the Growth Management Act (GMA), require counties to match their affordable housing and climate policies with cities within the county. Spokane County is setting up its discussions on changes to the affordable housing policy that were proposed by the Spokane Steering Committee of Elected Officials in 2022 and is considering an entirely new climate change policy.
Climate
The climate policy would set the following goals, among others, that would make Spokane County carbon neutral by 2050 and adapt to warming that is already locked in by historic emissions:
- Plan for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction, which would include setting incremental target reductions in GHG emissions until 2050.
- Encourage infrastructure improvements to enhance non-single occupancy vehicle transportation modes and incentivize increased public transit users.
- Enhance and expand bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure to create safe, well-connected and attractive active transportation networks.
- Encourage green building practices that limit carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency, water efficiency and indoor environmental quality.
- Protect and restore natural resources that sequester carbon (forests, park and conservation land, farmland, wetlands, estuaries, urban tree canopies, etc.) while maintaining safety standards for hazardous wildland zones.
- Identify climate hazards to which Spokane County is most susceptible using available climate hazard mapping tools and/or other approaches in line with the best available science.
- Create goals and programs to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate hazards, and that prioritize environmental justice to avoid worsening environmental health disparities.
- Establish development regulations that incorporate best practices for reducing the risk of wildfire, extreme heat, flooding, and other climate-exacerbated hazards to which Spokane County is susceptible.
- Identify, map and protect lands (including, but not limited to, critical areas, resource lands, conservation lands and park lands) that provide climate resilience benefits from conversion to more developed land use types.
Affordable housing
The county wants to add the following goals to its policy establishing affordable housing:
- Identification of local policies and regulations that result in racially disparate impacts, displacement and exclusion in housing
- Implementation of policies and regulations that address and begin to undo racially disparate impacts, displacement and exclusion in housing
- Identification of areas that may be at higher risk of displacement from market forces that occur with changes to zoning development regulations and capital investments
- Establishment of anti-displacement policies
$1.6M contract on table for unionized county workers
The BOCC will vote on a new collective bargaining agreement for county workers unionized under the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers Local 1135. The agreement would cost a little more than $1.6 million, which includes a wage hike of 3%, for the period of 2025 to 2027.
Hearing for $28M contract with Waste Management
The county will host a public hearing for Spokane County residents to discuss a contract it negotiated with Waste Management for waste disposal at the Adams County Regional Landfill (ACRL) near Washtucna. According to the agenda sheet, the ACRL is the closest regional landfill to Spokane. The contract would cost the county $28 million over a decade.
Agenda here
Tuesday, April 15 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 County Planning Commission
🌶️🫑/5 peppers
Discussion on new GMA requirements
As the county plans development for the next 20 years, it is considering new requirements established by the state legislature to consider climate change-related issues in those plans. The commission will discuss those requirements at Thursday’s meeting. This discussion is separate from the new GMA climate requirement the County Board of Commissioners is considering.
Agenda here
Thursday, April 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.
Spokane Valley City Council
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 peppers
Second read on public safety tax
Law enforcement budgets in Spokane Valley have ballooned so much, the city is having to cut other programs in order to fund them. Spending on public safety in the city has increased 5.2%, according to a presentation the city council will hear Tuesday. This does not account for increased spending dictated by the County Sheriff’s collective bargaining agreement with deputies and officers, which also covers the Spokane Valley Police Department. The city also wants to hire the following positions, in addition to 10 officers hired in the last year:
- Four Patrol Deputies
- One School Resource Officer
- One shared Sexual Assault Detective One Behavioral Health Deputy (who would work with a behavioral health specialist)
The city is holding a second public hearing Tuesday on a proposed public safety sales tax of .1%, which they say will bring in $2.6 million a year, on the ballot for the primary election scheduled for August 5.
Agenda here when available
Tuesday, February 4 at 6 pm
City Hall
10210 E Sprague Ave
Spokane Valley, Washington 99206
Virtual attendance here.
Liberty Lake City Council
🌶️🫑/5 peppers
Potential new meeting time
The city council will consider moving its normal meeting time from 7 pm every other Tuesday to 6 pm on the same day, with an ending time of 9 pm and the option to extend till 10 pm.
Agenda here
Tuesday, April 15 at 7 pm
22710 E Country Vista Drive, Liberty Lake, WA 99019
The meeting is also live streamed here.
