2013, 11-19 Study Session minutes MINUTES
SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING
STUDY SESSION FORMAT
Spokane Valley City Hall Council Chambers
Spokane Valley,Washington
November 19 2013 6:00 p.m.
Attendance:
Councilmembers Staff
Torn Towey,Mayor Mike Jackson, City Manager
Gary Schiinmels, Deputy Mayor Erik Lamb,Deputy City Attorney
Dean Grafos, Councilmember Mark Calhoun,Finance Director
Chuck Hafner, Councilmember Mike Stone,Parks &Recreation Director
Rod Higgins, Councilmember John Hohman, Community Development Dir.
Ben Wick, Councilmember Eric Guth, Public Works Director
Arne Woodard,Councilmember Rick VanLeuven,Police Chief
Chris Bainbridge, City Clerk
Mayor Towey called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL: City Clerk Bainbridge called the roll; all Councihnembers were present.
Community Recognition, Presentation of Key and Certificate—Mayor Towey
Mayor Towey announced that this month's recipient of the Key to the City and Certificate of
Appreciation is Dr. James Harken. Mayor Towey said our Parks & Recreation Director Mike Stone
nominated Dr. Harken, and on the nomination form Mr. Stone stated that "Dr. Harken has been a
tremendous advocate and champion of visual arts in Spokane Valley for many years. Through his
leadership, the Spokane Valley Arts Council has worked closely with the City of Spokane Valley in
commissioning and donating two monumental bronze sculptures to the City for the enjoyment of citizens
and visitors alike. Through his passion and love of the arts, Dr. Harken has increased our community's
awareness of the value and benefits of public art. Our City is a better place to Iive, work, and play thanks
to Dr. James Harken." After Mayor Towey presented the key and certificate to Dr. Harken, Dr. Harken
expressed his appreciation for the honor, and said that what he started out to do is working well and said
they are getting recognition; and that their object was to help the city in which they live; he said that the
Arts Council is also communicating with the schools to find out what they need and how the Arts Council
can help them. Dr. Harken also recognized and thanked members of the Arts Council Board. Parks and
Recreation Director Stone also extended his thanks to Dr. Harken and the Board for their contribution to
the culture of our City.
1. Construction Improvement Plan Annual Update--Eric Guth
As the construction season comes to a close, Public Works Director Guth explained that this presentation
will give Council an update on the status of many projects. As Director Guth went through the slides of
the PowerPoint,he explained that some of the projects listed on slide 13 were not yet complete but expect
to be complete by the end of this year; he said Sullivan Corridor should not be on this list however, as the
project is just beginning and said that study will come to council in the upcoming months. Director Guth
explained that concerning the Appleway Trail Design pathway project, staff continues to look for
additional funding and plan to put out a call this spring. Council thanked Mr. Guth for this update and for
the progress on the varied and numerous projects,
Council Study Session: 11-19-2013 Page 1 of 5
Approved by Council: 12-10-2013
2.Draft Legislative Agenda—Mike Jackson
City Manager Jackson explained that Council has seen this draft a few times in the last several weeks;
said he wanted to go over this and if Council is comfortable, bring this back next week. Mr. Jackson
stated that the Finance Committee met to primarily discuss what capital projects to include in the
legislative agenda, and said that two projects were discussed and considered. The first project, Mr.
Jackson said was the Appleway Trail Project,which could also have an economic development impact; he
said he proposes including that in the 2014 legislative agenda to keep the issue before the legislators and
have them familiar with the project; and the second project is the Balfour Park/Library Project. Mr.
Jackson explained that one of the drawbacks of this project is waiting for the library to secure funding,
and said it makes it difficult to move forward with conviction. Mr. Jackson spoke a little about the
Appleway Trail and the grant we received; said there had been discussion about development of half of
the trail from University to Evergreen, and that if we move this forward, we know we can't get it funded
until 2015, but said that doesn't mean we can't do partial funding. Other issues discussed by the Finance
Committee, Mr. Jackson said, included the list of capital projects, such as Balfour Park, or City Hall, and
whether we want to set some funds aside for the Appleway Trail; and said the decision now is whether to
include this as a main capital request for the 2014-2015 legislative agenda, and if there is general Council
agreement to move this project forward.
There was discussion concerning the two projects with Councilmember Wick expressing his desire to
have Balfour Park as the higher priority while still moving forward with the Appleway Trail.Mr. Jackson
said the difficulty in taking that forward as a partnership is we are not sure it would carry the same weight
if it were just a single venture; he said this was the same discussion held by the Finance Committee which
felt that is the drawback of that project. Councilmember Wick said this gives us the opportunity to start
talking about and socializing the project, and said we can always come back the following year; adding
that it takes time to get the word out and convince the legislators, and that he would hate to start that a
year later. Mayor Towey said that for the 2014 session, the legislators are not going to accept any capital
fund projects, so whatever we put on our legislative agenda would just make them aware of the project,
but that they would not consider allocating any funding until 2015; and said we have learned from the
past that the more projects we put on the list, the less likely we will get funding. Councilmember
Woodard said that we could always put the Balfour Project on the list after the library has their funds, but
that he feels the most immediate impact now is the trail and said it meets many of the state's priorities
such as multi-modal, green belts, etc., and said the citizens are excited about the project, Mayor Towey
said he feels a commitment to Balfour Park now would be premature. Councilmembers Hafner, Grafos
and Woodard agreed with the Trail as the top funding priority while Councilmember Wick expressed his
concern that waiting to include the Balfour Park could delay possible funding for two years. City
Manager Jackson mentioned that the Legislative Agenda can always be amended later, and similar to the
Sullivan Bridge project, a project could be removed from or added to the Legislative Agenda in the
future; adding that he feels there will be plenty of time to come back with the Balfour Park Project,
although we could add both projects; and said he will discuss this with our Lobbyist Briahna Taylor; and
he said we will also look at expanding the scope to include the entire trail.
The benefits of waiting for grants and other funding possibilities were discussed such as public/private
partnerships, with Deputy City Attorney Lamb commenting that there would be no legal impediment to
such an arrangement but we would have to work out the details. Councilmember Wick also mentioned the
Barker Road Grade Separation and that it would be nice to list that as well. Mr. Jackson said that no new
transportation projects will be accepted by legislators, but said he believes that GSI (Greater Spokane,
Inc.)will continue to discuss that project; and said he will research that issue as well.
Concerning our local state shared revenues, Mr. Jackson said we have had some decrease mostly through
the liquor profits and excise tax; that we know with the liquor profit revenues the state has set us a fixed
amount, and if there are more profits over time,they would go into the state coffers; he said this is also in
Council Study Session: 11-19-2013 Page 2 of 5
Approved by Council: 12-10-2013
the AWC (Association of Washington Cities) agenda and we'd like an ongoing distribution of those
revenues from additional sales and they would like the cities to profit as well since it is the cities' law
enforcement that handles occurrences that happen as a result of alcohol sales. Mr. Jackson explained that
we have seen substantial reduction in our excise tax as our 2011 actual was $437,486 while the 2014
estimate is only $109,000; and said the difference could fund the recently discussed need for two
additional police officers, adding that we support the AWC agenda for that item as well. Councilmember
Wick suggested adding language to"restore"as well as distribute those funds.
Mr. Jackson said the last item concerns the lien authority; said some of these abatement issues could cost
the city $3,000 to $4,000 and we don't recoup our money any time in the future; but if we have a fixed
lien on the property that has a higher priority, it would be beneficial; said there have been a few occasions
in the past where the cost was upwards of$15,000; said this legislation, which was initiated by our City,
would give cities equal weight with counties to have the authority to place a lien on property to recover
funds expended as a result of code enforcement; said there has been some resistance from the banks as
they see this as a possible threat to recover full costs of their liens, and said we continue to work on that
issue, and said Mr. Driskell will keep Council updated. Council indicated they are supportive of that
item,
After Mr. Jackson discussed the four main priorities of the 2014 AWC Legislative Agenda, he asked for
Council input. Council discussed proposed tax increases, of the impact of those increases to our region;
and that the North/South Freeway, once completed, would have a positive economic impact to our city;
and Mayor Towey and Councihnembers Wick, Hafner, Grafos and Woodard agreed with the need to
complete the entire project as the completion means a connection to Spokane Valley; and with those
comments of Council agrees with the reform and that Mr. Jackson will not comment on this during the
meeting on Thursday. The issue of shared revenues was discussed and it was agreed we want to support
that AWC agenda item, and could add verbiage concerning the state shared revenues without explicitly
naming marijuana, but that we want a share of all revenues where the city has responsibility to expend
funds. Mr. Jackson said our Legislative Agenda will be brought back next week, and Councilmember
Wick asked about the mobile home park group and some legislation that would allow them to purchase
parks or make it easier to acquire loans. Mr. Jackson said he will have to research that, and again said
that Council's legislative agenda can be amended at any time.
Mayor Towey called for a recess at 7:23 p.m., and reconvened the meeting at 7:33 p.m.
3. Parks and Recreation Master Plan—Mike Stone
Via his PowerPoint presentation,Parks and Recreation Director Stone briefed Council on the draft update
of the 2006 Parks and Recreation Master Plan; he explained the update is intended to supplement the
2006 plan,yet function as a"stand alone"document as it cross-references and draws from that 2006 plan;
he explained that one of the most critical aspects is that the plan adoption meets requirements for
Recreation and Conservation office grant eligibility, provides direction and guidance, and provides a
range of options. Mr. Stone explained that a Master Plan is an inventory of existing parks and facilities
and their condition, and establishes needs based on citizen input and generally accepted standards; he said
the process began June 2012 so it has been a long process; said the is pleased to start a dialogue with
council, and is willing to spend whatever time necessary on the plan before moving forward. Director
Stone said that modifications of note are the priority for land acquisition, and priority in developing park
facilities to accommodate needs of user groups, like pet parks, or disc golf. Mr. Stone also mentioned
some of the significant changes since 2006, such as the development of Discovery Park, Greenacres Park,
adding eight acres on Sprague for Belfour Park, and the renovation of the three outdoor swimming pools.
Mr. Stone stressed that this plan does not commit us or bind us in any direction or specific priority, but is
more of a road map for the future, and makes it so we are eligible for grants. Mr. Stone said this topic can
Council Study Session: 11-19-2013 Page 3 of 5
Approved by Council: 12-10-2013
be brought back for additional Council discussion, and it will eventually be placed on an upcoming
agenda for approval consideration,
Council discussion included the need for additional park space; levels of service; the different types of
parks, and areas seeing some recent improvement such as the Sullivan Park; the idea of private
partnerships and sponsorships, and he mentioned the recent Lodging Tax funding allocation to help with
the sand volleyball courts. Councilmember Woodward said he would like further opportunity to discuss
the plan to talk about some specialized facilities, and said the general concept is we need more ground
and the sooner we can buy or trade property, the better, as this is a great time to get land; and said the
more the public knows about our plans, the better opportunity for the more wealthy citizens who believe
in this community, to get involved. Concerning the idea of public/private partnerships, Mr. Jackson said
Parks and Recreation and Community Development are working with others to put in a new trailhead and
other amenities for trail users; and in the past, Dr. Harken and the Arts Committee has donated greatly to
help beautify our community, and even before incorporation, the land was donated for Mirabeau Park,
and said he agrees with the need to continue to push that partnership idea forward; adding that staff is
looking at possible sponsorships for the movies in the park,but cautioned we must move carefully in how
we involve others. Council concurred to bring this back for further discussion at the December 3
meeting,and to schedule the adoption for the December 10 council meeting.
4.Advance Agenda—Mayor Towey
Mr. Jackson said the draft amended legislative agenda will be brought back December 3; he mentioned he
will discuss the transportation issue with Lobbyist Brialma Taylor and that he will not comment at this
Thursday meeting concerning that transportation budget.
Councilmember Grafos shared some photos with Council, of STA (Spokane Transit Authority) bus
shelters and benches, and asked if staff could examine that issue, and Mr. Jackson agreed that is a good
topic. Councilmember Hafner also agreed with the idea of improving the STA shelters and benches not
just in Spokane, but also throughout the area including Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake.
Councilmember Wick mentioned that in other cities, some citizens have been able to implement a main
street program by forming an association with businesses.
Councilmember Woodard noted the AWC Convention will be held in Spokane next June and said he
would like to have discussions concerning a mobile workshop in Spokane Valley, and said he feels we
need to get involved early. Councilmember Grafos said he has noticed some businesses are not
maintaining their 208 swales, and said he noticed a car was parked in one of those areas; and would also
like a way to encourage businesses to improve the appearance of some of their properties. Mr. Jackson
said we have had some enforcement issues concerning the swales. Councilmember Wick said he spoke
with Eric Sawyer of the Sports Commission about an issue they will be taking to the legislature this year
and he would like to get more information. Mr. Jackson said he has not yet had an opportunity to speak
with Mr. Sawyer.
5. Council Check-In—Mayor Towey
Councilmember Grafos stated that he watched the televised interview of Mr. Jackson concerning our
City's tenth anniversary, and he expressed thanks to Mr. Jackson and staff for their work, and agreed with
Mr. Jackson's statement that we operate lean and efficient.
Councilmember Wick mentioned the idea of having a legislative committee similar to our finance
committee. Mayor Towey said that idea was discussed yesterday at the pre-agenda meeting with Mr,
Jackson, and said he feels an ad-hoc committee would be beneficial. Councilmember Wick said he would
prefer having a standing committee; and Councilmember Hafner said Councilmembers are already
involved in many committees, and asked if this isn't one of the roles of our lobbyist Briahna Taylor. Mr.
Council Study Session: 11-19-2013 Page 4 of 5
Approved by Council: 12-10-2013
Jackson said that idea can be placed on our pending agenda for future discussion about the form of the
committee, and that it might be better to wait until next year since those type of committee appointments
are made by the Mayor and can't exceed the term of the Mayor.
6. City Manager Comments—Mike Jackson
Mr. Jackson had no additional comments.
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Schimmels, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn. The meeting
adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
,, r
ATTES : ' homas • ow'y, Mayor
(4:? ,
Christine Bainbri.ge, City Cler
Council Study Session: 11-19-2013 Page 5 of 5
Approved by Council: 12-10-2013
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