2014, 02-28 Special Regional Council of Governments MeetingMINUTES
Special Regional Council of Governments Meeting
Hosted by Spokane County Board of County Commissioners
Friday, February 28, 2014
9:00 a.m. — 12:00 a.m.
Spokane County Fair and Expo Center, Conference Facility
404 N Havana Street, Spokane Valley, Washington
Attendance:
Spokane Valley Council
Mayor Dean Grafos
Deputy Mayor Arne Woodard
Councilmember Bill Bates
Councilmember Chuck Hafner
Councilmember Rod Higgins
Councilmember Ed Pace
Councilmember Ben Wick
Staff
Mike Jackson, City Manager
Cary Driskell, City Attorney
Erik Lamb, Deputy City Attorney
Chris Bainbridge, City Clerk
Others in Attendance: Various elected officials and staff members
1. Welcome & Review of Meeting Agenda — Spokane Co. Commissioner Shelly O'Quinn
Commission Chair O'Quinn welcomed everyone to the meeting and gave those in attendance the
opportunity for self - introductions.
2. Transportation Update — Wayne Brokaw, Executive Dir, Inland NW Associated General Contractors
Mr. Brokaw said there is still time to get a transportation package together; said legislators are working to
come to a consensus, but that the House is not yet ready; said there have been meetings statewide with
members of the Building Fund who started work to support a package that will put more jobs back into
the system; he said there are many bills being discussed and that many are trying to get a meeting with the
Governor; he said Congress is working on another Transportation Package for 2015.
3. Voter Registration — Spokane Co Auditor, Vicky Dalton; Elections Manager Mike McLaughlin
Ms. Dalton reminded everyone that March 7 is the last day to file a resolution for the April ballot; briefly
explained what they do; that they are involved with voter registration and elections, as well as petition
verifications; and she went over the voter registration figures as well as projected 2015 figures. Ms.
Dalton mentioned the on -line voter registration and update which has been popular with the public; said
voter turnout by age shows that the younger voters are not returning their ballots, and that the majority of
those who do return ballots are in the 50+ age group.
4. Updates from area Cities/Towns
First to give an update was Ms. Micki Harnois, representing the South Spokane County Consortium; a
group consisting of the five small towns /cities of Fairfield, Latah, Rockford, Spangle and Waverly; and
she mentioned one of the projects they are working on is signage. Second, Cheney Mayor Trulove
announced that Cheney recently lost their city administrator, who is now the City Manager of Mountlake
Terrace; and he briefly mentioned Highway 904 and other transportation projects. Third, Ms. Katy
Allen, Liberty Lake Administrator reported that Liberty Lake has seen a large residential boom;
mentioned their round - about, the golf driving range, and that they are working on better access off I -90
into Liberty Lake.
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5. Regional Solid Waste Issues — Spokane County Utilities Director, Kevin Cooke
Mr. Cooke gave a quick re -cap of the previous night's Regional Solid Waste Meeting, said the timeline is
short; that they have the agreement in place with Spokane City, and that draft interlocals were submitted
to other jurisdictions for their review; said the RFP (request for proposal) for the operation of the transfer
stations is due March 31, which will be followed by negotiation, with a contract in place hopefully by
July; he mentioned that a comprehensive solid waste plan must be in place by mid - November; and he
encouraged other municipalities to e-mail him comments concerning the draft interlocal agreement; and
said he hopes to have a second version of the draft interlocal out by mid - March.
6. Fairchild Air Force Base and Spokane County — Colonel Brian Newberry, 92nd ARW Commander
Colonel Newberry talked about the upcoming air show scheduled for May 31 and June 1; reported about a
potential upset should the reduction in force occur, as was reported by the Joint Chiefs of Staff's remarks
concerning possible budget cuts to reduce the size of the military to its smallest manpower since before
World War II.
7. Protecting Fairchild Air Force Base — Helping Families — Spokane County Commissioner Al French
Mr. French talked about last November's failed ballot measure and said he feels the difference between
passing the measure and the measure failing, could be the number of under votes, which he said indicates
a greater need for education and community outreach; and said the measure might be placed on the
August ballot; he mentioned past BRAC's (Base Realignment and Closure Commission) around the
Country, and said that since Fairchild was not affected before, that the likelihood of a BRAC is now
higher. Mr. French mentioned the mobile home parks and residents and of their encroachment to
Fairchild's air space; mentioned previous encroachments which were identified and handled, such as
Solar World Estates, which he said, the County now owns; and said the mobile home parks are the last
remaining encroachment. Mr. French said he wants to make sure we won't have any encroachments in
the future; and mentioned the work of Community Frameworks, Habitat for Humanity, and the Catholic
Charities, which are all working together on this challenge of moving those mobile homes residents. Mr.
French also mentioned some of the political impacts if the Base closes; and said it could represent as
many as 12,000 jobs lost, a drop in housing prices; and an abundance of homes, office, retail, schools,
hospitals, etc.; said the Base closure would also affect sales tax revenue, and we would see reduced
construction and loss of those associated jobs. Mr. French said if the next ballot measure were to pass,
they would put deed restrictions back on the tax rolls to limit the uses in that area to light industrial.
8. Updates from area Cities /Towns
First, Spokane Council Member Steve Salvatori mentioned his and other's commitment to work on the
cleanup of the River; mentioned that Spokane is a participant with the Regional Animal Control; said they
have finalized an agreement to sell the two transfer stations to the County; mentioned a retail marijuana
implementation task force, and briefly spoke about revitalization within the next few years on the U-
District and pedestrian bridge. Second, Airway Heights Mayor Rushing mentioned the upcoming air
show; and briefly spoke of transportation projects such as part of Highway 2 resurfacing, and of the 1,000
acres undeveloped but developable, as well as many undeveloped but developable lots; and said they are
also recruiting aero -space industry businesses. Third, Ms. Carol Evans, Spokane Tribe of Indians Vice
Chair spoke about their connections with various cities; of the Tribal College and of the bridge to help;
and mentioned the 100th celebration coming up Labor Day Weekend.
9. Emergency Management Update /Overview — Spokane Co Emergency Management Deputy Director
Ed Lewis
Mr. Lewis said he has been to twenty -six disasters including Katrina; he showed a video of how a
community functions, specifically in connection with the Minneapolis Bridge Collapse in 1977, and all
the various aspects of emergency management that went into handling that disaster. Mr. Lewis also
mentioned an upcoming tabletop disaster exercise along Trent.
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10. Regional Animal Control Update — Spokane Co. SCRAPS Director Nancy Hill
Ms. Hill went over some of the history of the many functions of SCRAPS, including having all lost pets
under one roof; and reminded everyone of their upcoming move to their new facility in May.
11. Roundtable Discussion of the following topics of regional Importance:
❖ Marijuana issues and associated bills
❖ Legislation related to code costs, i.e., major cleanup of nuisance properties,
❖ Any other topics
Spokane Valley City Manager Mike Jackson mentioned the recent Attorney General opinion concerning
pre - empting marijuana legislation; and Deputy City Attorney Erik Lamb went over some of the basics of
our City's interim legislation and the rationale behind those interim regulations.
In the interest of time, other topics were not discussed. Commissioner O'Quinn announced that the next
Council of Governments meeting is scheduled for September 5, 2014. The meeting adjourned at 12:05.
ATTEST:
A
istine Bainbridge, ity Clerk
an Grafos, Mayor
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Approved by Council: 03 -11 -2014