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.
Before we dive in, we want to share some thrilling news from the RANGE team: we’ve grown! You’ll start to see some new bylines on CIVICS in particular and on our site, because today we’re welcoming our new Editor/Organizer Erin Sellers, AND our new Reporter/Producer, Alyssa Baheza! That’s right, our little RANGE is now a team of FIVE. Both Alyssa and Erin will work on our Civics desk. Stay tuned for a proper introduction to the new folks and some cool new stuff coming from RANGE!
Back to CIVICS: This week’s local government happenings are right in the Goldilocks zone, where we’re not super light because of holidays or totally overwhelmed and playing catch-up.
Some of the items that stick out to us are:
- A new City Council President will be crowned (OK, appointed).
- A pilot program could end parking minimums for new housing developments near transit.
- A Spokane bicycle network workshop.
- Changes to information provided in Spokane County Commission agenda packets to hopefully bring more transparency.
This week, these groups are meeting:
- Spokane City Council Finance and Administration Committee
- Spokane City Council
- Spokane Board of County Commissioners
- Spokane Public Library Board of Trustees
- Spokane Bicycle Advisory Board
- Spokane Transit Authority Board of Directors
- Spokane Housing Action Subcommittee
- Spokane Airport Board
Finance and Administration Committee
Money for expanding the police academy
Early CIVICS readers may remember that the Spokane City Council last year voted to work with the state legislature to find money to upgrade the Spokane Police Department’s training center. That seems to have paid off, because the police department is asking for permission to accept $1.4 million from the state’s Senate Bill 5200 for a “Spokane Academy Expansion.” The funding will be for the construction of a building at the current academy location, which will be used for basic law enforcement academy classes and personnel offices. Having new training capabilities could help with the force’s persistent hiring woes, which have led to ballooning overtime costs.
New Crosswalk Teen Shelter
The city council is expected to approve a $1 million contract with Volunteers of America for the development and construction of the new Crosswalk Teen Shelter and Transitional Housing at 3024 E Mission Ave, which is near Spokane Community College. The contract will run from August 1 to December 31. VOA has also gotten $2.5 million from state funding to build the new shelter, KXLY reported in April.
Monroe Street Bridge changes
The city council finance committee will consider a resolution that would aim to prevent suicides on the Monroe Street Bridge. The resolution will request a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design audit of the bridge to find possible design modifications that could prevent suicide attempts on the bridge as well as any criminal activities, while preserving the historic character of the bridge. According to the resolution, there were 210 reported calls involving attempted or completed suicides on the bridge between 2005 and 2015. Since then there has been a “comparable number of calls for emergency responders” to the bridge.
Eviction prevention money
Three local non-profits will be receiving funds from the Department of Commerce for “eviction prevention activities,” though it doesn’t specify the activities. The Carl Maxey Center will get $1,077,082, Nuestra Raices will get $425,218 and Family Promise will get $833,900.
Agenda here
Monday, July 17 at 1:15 p.m
Council Chambers in the Lower Level of City Hall
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 9920
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane City Council
Picking a new president
After the exit of Breean Beggs as council president last week, the city council is planning on picking someone from the current council to be the next president. It’s widely expected that Council Member Lori Kinnear will be taking on that role, but the resolution they will be voting on still has a big ole blank after “appointing” — who knows, maybe we’re in for a big dramatic upset.
But no matter who takes on that role, the city council seat left vacant from that person moving to council president will also need to be filled, and the applications for that position will be open starting Tuesday and close August 4.
Bye-bye parking minimums
The city council will vote on an interim ordinance that would remove off-street parking requirements in residential areas inside of and within a half-mile of transit stops. The intent of the ordinance is to lower the cost of building housing to incentivize developers to build more. The ordinance would be in effect until July 9, 2024, when the council would review the ordinance for permanent adoption. The council is also setting a public hearing for the future permanent ordinance to be on August 28. Read more about this from Anthony Gill at The Urbanist.
Expanding traffic safety cameras
The council will also vote on an ordinance that would expand the use of automated traffic safety cameras in school areas, public park speed zones and hospital speed zones. The ordinance specifies that the cameras may only take photos of vehicles and their license plates when an infraction is happening and may not reveal the face of the driver or passengers. It also specifies that the zones the cameras are in must be marked with clear signs.
Agenda here
Monday, July 17 at 6 p.m.
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 County Commissioners
What’s your agenda?
Commissioner Chris Jordan is proposing a suite of changes to how county agendas are submitted and their format. The new format builds on recent improvements we’ve been noticing in the agendas, where cover sheets are added to specific agenda items highlighting the most important parts, like relevant background, the cost of the proposed item and the requested board action. Kudos to the county for their ongoing efforts to make public agendas more accessible. Next up: rescheduling meetings to a time of day working people can actually attend? Maybe someday.
See Colin Tiernan’s Spokesman Review article describing the push for improved agendas here.
Spokane salmon recovery
The county is looking to designate the Spokane Tribe of Indians as the lead entity for local salmon recovery efforts. This position is required by the statewide salmon recovery process that designates recovery leads on a watershed-by-watershed basis. The Spokane Tribe is already the designated lead entity for Lincoln and Stevens Counties.
Sewer power
The county is approving funding for a renewable energy audit for potential renewable energy projects at the Water Reclamation facility. Eventual projects include solar, low head hydro (using existing outflow from the facility to generate electricity, not building a new dam) and renewable natural gas. The costs of the audit will be included in eventual construction costs if the project goes forward.
Agenda here
Tuesday, July 18 at 2 p.m.
Public Works Building
1116 W Broadway, Spokane, WA
Commissioner’s Conference Room, First Floor
Spokane Public Library Board of Trustees
Something something property tax?
We love the library, but its board of trustees meeting agendas are notoriously thin on information to the average person. The item of interest this week just says “New Business: Property Tax Levy Lid Lift,” the person who will be presenting about it and that it’s an action item, meaning the board is supposed to vote on it.
There’s no other information on the specific item, but in general, a levy lid lift allows additional property taxes to be collected when a taxing district hits its 101% limit. In 2017, voters overwhelmingly approved a levy lid lift for 2018 to 2024, which gives seven cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to the library. For a $300,000 home, that would equal about $21 per year.
Agenda here
Tuesday, July 18 at 4:30 p.m.
The Hive
2904 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane
Bicycle Advisory Board
Workshopping gaps in the bicycle network
The BAB will be holding a workshop to identify gaps and barriers in Spokane’s bicycle network. If you have a qualm about the city’s bike network, this is the place to bring it to. They’ll be going over the Bike Master Plan too, which is linked in the agenda.
Agenda here
Tuesday, July 18 at 6 p.m.
Council Briefing Center, City Hall.
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
To join virtually click here.
Spokane Transit Authority Board of Directors
The transit plan for the next 6 years
The STA board is expected to finalize and approve a Transit Development Plan (TDP) for the next six years. This plan is to be submitted to the state and it includes how STA plans to improve service and do any big capital improvement projects, like the City Line. See the full plan here.
Saving money on City Line
The new City Line Bus Rapid Transit is expected to be completed under budget, so STA leadership is asking to move the local funds saved to apply the funds to the construction of the new Division Street BRT. The savings aren’t minor, either: based on current projections, STA expects to save between $10 million and $14 million. This brings the estimated total project cost to $78.3 million to $82.2 million.
Some of that savings will be retained by the agencies that originally allocated it, but about $3.7 to $5.2 million is unspent local funds.
Agenda here
Thursday, July 20 at 1:30 p.m.
1230 West Boone Avenue
Watch virtually here
Housing Action Subcommittee
Agenda here (once posted)
Thursday, July 20 at 9:30 a.m.
City Council Briefing Center, Spokane City Hall – Basement
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane
The meeting is also virtual on Microsoft Teams here.
Spokane Airport Board
Agenda here (once posted)
Thursday, July 20 at 9 a.m.
Airport Event Center
9211 W. McFarlane Road, SpokaneThe meeting is also virtual on Zoom here
See something you want to speak up about?
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do’s and don’ts of civic engagement in Spokane city.
