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.
RANGE is back from our summer break, but it’s a light week in CIVICS with most councils and boards still on their summer breaks. So Liberty Lake is getting a lot of attention from us! Some things that stick out to us this week include:
- MAKE SURE YOU VOTE in the primaries by tomorrow evening!
- Liberty Lake City Council is considering lowering the utility tax rate from 3% to 1%.
- Liberty Lake will be workshopping how long sports facility lights can be left on and where gas stations can expand.
Important meetings this week:
It’s time to vote in the primaries!
With all the big national election news, it might be easy to forget about Washington’s August Primary, which is TOMORROW. This election will decide who moves forward in the election for our next US senator, our next congressperson, Washington’s next Governor and Lt. Governor, our region’s next state senator and representatives and much more. More locally, this election will decide who moves forward in the race to be our county commissioners, with the only contested seat being for District 5 (held by Al French).
While it’s easy to feel like your vote doesn’t make an impact on a national level, your vote will definitely make an impact in local elections.
So fish out those ballots from your mail pile and make sure you get it in by 8 pm on August 6!
Find everything you need to know to vote, including ballot box locations, at the county’s election page here. Read all about the statewide candidates in Cascade PBS’s Statewide voter guide (that RANGE helped out on!) here. For local voter guides, check out our 2022 Voter’s Guide to Voter Guides here to see who’s behind each one.
Liberty Lake City Council
🌶️🌶️/5 peppers
How long should the lights be left on?
If you live near a sports facility in Liberty Lake, you might care about a workshop session before the regular city council meeting to cover proposed lighting code amendments for sports facilities. The workshop will also cover a development code change that would expand the areas where fuel pumps and gas stations can be. The workshop will give the council an opportunity to review these changes and ask questions about the possible amendments.
Changes made to the Lighting Code would extend hours of light fixture operation from 11 pm to 12:30 pm on Monday through Friday, and until 1:30 am on Saturday and Sunday. These new hours would apply to public and private recreational facilities like football, soccer and baseball fields, or any area that hosts spectator and participant sports. Even with the extended hours, the lighting in these areas will follow standards meant to reduce light shining on neighboring private property.
This workshop will also cover a proposed amendment that could expand gas station and fuel pump zones in Community Commercial, Freeway Commercial, and River District Commercial zones. Gas stations and convenience stores are already allowed in these zones, but the changes would allow businesses to further develop land by installing a maximum of 12 fuel pumps. Truck stops will be prohibited in these areas.
Lowering the Utility Tax Rate?
Liberty Lake City Council will also hold their first read of an ordinance cutting their Utility Tax Rate from 3% to 1% to take effect this September. Utility tax provides revenue to the city for city services and capital requirements like notary services. The council previously lowered this tax rate from 6% to 3% between 2011 and 2012, and annually reviews it before adopting their yearly budget. The ordinance says the council has determined that lowering utility tax rates may serve public interest, and could be the first cut in 12 years since halving rates in 2012.
Pickleball for All
The Liberty Lake Pickleball Group donated two pickleball nets for public use at Orchard Park. The new nets, valued at $2,000, are set to replace a pair of portable pickleball nets provided by the city. The council is recommended to approve this action and allow all residents to fulfill their pickleball fantasies.
Agenda here
Tuesday, August 6 at 6 pm
22710 E Country Vista Drive, Liberty Lake, WA 99019
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Community, Housing, and Human Services Board (Spokane city)
Agenda here when available
Wednesday, August 7 at 4 pm
City Council Briefing Chambers
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
Virtual attendance link included on their agenda when available.
Park Board (Spokane city)
Agenda here when available
Thursday, August 8 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
