2014, 06-17 Special Budget Workshop MINUTES
SPECIAL WORKSHOP MEETING
SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL
City Council Chambers
11707 E. Sprague Avenue
Spokane Valley,Washington
June 17,2014 8:30 a.m.
Attendance:
Councilmembers Staff
Dean Grafos,Mayor Mike Jackson, City Manager
Arne Woodard,Deputy Mayor Mark Calhoun,Finance Director
Bill Bates, Councilmember Erik Lamb,Deputy City Attorney
Chuck Hafner, Councilmember John Hohman, Community Development Dir.
Rod Higgins, Councilmember Eric Guth, Public Works Director
Ed Pace, Councilmember Morgan Koudelka, Sr.Administrative Analyst
Ben Wick, Councilmember Mike Stone,Parks &Rec Director
Michelle Rasmussen,Administrative Assistant
Others Attending John Whitehead,Human Resources Manager
Mike Huffman,Valley News Herald Rick VanLeuven,Police Chief
Tom Towey Carolbelle Branch, Public Information Officer
John Pietro, Administrative Analyst
Raba Nimri, Budget Analyst
Chris Bainbridge, City Clerk
Mayor Grafos called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. City Clerk Bainbridge called the roll; all
CounciImemnbers were present. Mayor Grafos welcomed everyone to the meeting and turned the meeting
over to City Manager Jackson.
Welcome and Overview: Mike Jackson,Mark Calhoun
Mr. Jackson explained that this is a workshop setting, an informal meeting and good opportunity to go
over the draft budget worksheets, and to take a first look at the draft business plan; he also noted that the
budget figures are based on certain assumptions. Mr. Jackson explained that the worksheets have been
prepared as if we were going to construct and move into a new city hall when the current building's lease
expires March 2017; he said that assumption could change as we move through the process, but that the
Finance Committee agreed to prepare the worksheets in that fashion. He said that the two new police
officer positions are included in this budget, as are funds for the maintenance of the new Appleway Trail
from University to Pines. He also brought Council's attention to the supplemental requests of department
directors.
Mr. Jackson said we started these budget workshops with the new council and current City Manager in
2010 and that this is the fifth such workshop, and that it has now become an annual event; he said the
Business Plan started in 2006, that staff first prepares a draft plan as a working document to get the
department heads started on the process, and as the budget worksheets get refined, the draft business plan
is modified to complement the budget; and that once the budget is completed, we start all over again for
the next year. Mr. Jackson extended his thanks and commendations to Michelle Rasmussen for getting all
the documents into the final format. Mr. Jackson stressed that the documents are working documents that
outline all the departments' functions, and include a narrative concerning suppositional three, six, and
nine percent reductions. Mr. Jackson said the documents also include performance indicators. Mr.
Jackson said today's focus is the budget notebook, and today's plan is to discuss the budget worksheets,
including the supplemental requests, and said he will be looking for ideas and a general direction from
Council.
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Approved by Council:July 22,2014
Finance Director Calhoun explained the layout of the data under Tab #7 which includes actual budget
figures from past years with proposed budget figures for 2015, and includes the budget reduction exercise
of 3%, 6%,and 9%reductions.Mr. Calhoun said the direction was that the budget not increase more than
1%, not including payroll figures, and he said the 2015 proposed service level is the same level of service
as 2014. City Manager Jackson said we started the 3, 6, and 9% reduction exercise four or five years ago
and that reductions could come into play if council were to re-direct resources, or if the economy slowed;
he said for example, 3% would be a reduction of one, full-time-equivalent(FTE); he said we have a tight
budget across all departments, and these reductions would become devastating while striving to provide
services. Mr.Jackson reminded everyone that this is a budget and not a spending plan; he said department
heads spend only what they need to complete projects or services, and there is no policy that what you
don't spend,you lose; but rather funds not spent go back into the general fund.
Mr. Calhoun went over the three-paged General Fund summary, which shows proposed budget compared
with last year's actual budget, and separates recurring and nonrecurring expenditures; and said that there
will be a 2014 budget amendment transferring $2.4 million into the capital reserve Fund 312, which
represents the 2012 year-end balance over 50%; the said that next year we will be looking at the year-end
balance over 50% for year 2013; and after that transfer,the 2015 end fund would be $20.5 million, which
means we will have met our two major goals: recurring revenues exceeding expenditures, and having an
ending fund balance of at least 50%minimum balance. Mr. Calhoun said we keep those goals throughout
the entire budget process to the actual budget adoption in late October. For revenue projections, Mr.
Calhoun said he uses a six-year history to assist him; that he refrains from being overly optimistic or
pessimistic in his projections and strives to be as conservative as possible. Mr. Calhoun said the property
tax estimate assumes we do not take the 1% as permitted by law, but we do take the percentage of new
construction; and said he hopes to hear from the County Assessor this fall on their estimated new
construction figures. Councihnember Baffler asked about the effect on our budget of the Washington
Supreme Court's edict for school funding as he anticipates state legislators will grab every financial
source possible in order to come up with the necessary funds for education. Mr. Calhoun said the 2015
estimate for our state shared revenues is $1,769,000, compared to 2014 figure of$1,886,000;representing
a drop of$116,000, which he said is not related to the McCleary case(the Supreme Court case referenced
by Councihnember Baffler's comment above); he said we get funds from a variety of state revenue
sources. Mr. Calhoun also mentioned the streamlined sales tax mitigation and criminal justice
disbursements are down from what was budgeted last year; and said we have to be flexible as we don't
know the exact amounts of revenues. City Manager Jackson noted that we are preparing the budget to
include our own city hall, but said that could easily turn around and come off the table and cause us to re-
direct our priorities.
Concerning sales tax revenue estimates, Mr. Calhoun said lie feels his estimates are realistic and the
briefly discussed other revenue sources like gambling tax. Mr. Calhoun also went over some of the other
figures and the recurring expenditures; he mentioned the bond payment and what we think the additional
cost would be if we constructed a new city haIl of approximately 44,000 to 55,000 square feet; and said
our current lease expires March 2017. Mr. Calhoun went over some of the figures under Tab#13: capital
projects, which show a projection cost of$14.4 million for a city hall, adding that he assumes that the
entire $2.4 million over 50% would go into the city hall fund, leaving $8 million that would need to be
financed through a bond issue, and said we would have to budget additional funds to handle the cost of
doing the bond as well. Mr. Calhoun said if we own a building, we would have to include maintenance
costs; and we currently don't pay utilities, so there would be additional expenses of those items plus
janitorial and snow removal. Mr. Jackson said if we were to build a city hall, it would commit other
funds not currently dedicated to city hall; for example, if Balfour Park were to come up,we would have to
look at grants and other sources as committing to a city hall would take all our capital reserve resources.
Mr. Calhoun said that bonding costs are currently at historically low levels; so we if we don't want to
extend the lease,we would start with the March 2017 lease expiration date and work backwards to begin
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Approved by Council:July 22,2014
the process. Mr. Jackson noted that there would be more cost initially for a new city hall, but the savings
would be realized once the bonds were paid, and Mr. Calhoun agreed that after thirty years, the bond
payments would be finished and the City would own the building. Councilmember Higgins mentioned
that another factor to keep in mind is that our lease payments will likely be greater over time.Mr. Jackson
added that we would still have reserves but we wouldn't want to use those; and said if we were ever going
to drop a principle,we would use our own reserves before borrowing money.
Tab#1: Legislative
Mr. Jackson went over some of the data, including the $92,400 for the Lobbyist Professional Services,
and said that that addition accounts for this budget exceeding the 1% increase; in looking at the blue
sheet, Mr. Jackson said travel and mileage have a total figure and any additional Washington, D.C. trips
for Council or the City Manager have not been budgeted separately, but would be included as part of
council travel. Mr. Jackson said if there is a need to go to Washington, D.C., we would go, but any time
something is added to the budget, something else must be subtracted. Mr. Jackson said newly hired
consultant Travis Lumpkin would like to see Mr. Jackson a few times in Washington, D.C. There was
some discussion about council travel and of multiple councilmembers attending AWC (Association of
Washington Cities) and/or NLC (National League of Cities) conferences, and mention that perhaps only
Mr. Jackson and/or Mayor Grafos should travel to Washington, D.C. Mr.Jackson said that detailed travel
expenses could include several trips and be built into the budget, but that he would have to take
something out in order to do that. Council agreed that Mr. Jackson should include some D.C. trips.
Mayor Grafos stated that he doesn't want to change the budget as there are enough discretionary funds to
work in a trip or two to Washington, D.C., and that he likes the idea of examining what we get for our
NLC dues. Deputy Mayor Woodard agreed with the need for Washington,D.C.trips and said there might
be a little less travelling as some councilmembers near the end of their terms; however, Councilmember
Wick said that next year will be a big federal year and lie feels there is a need to plan trips.
Councilmember Hafner agreed that it is more important to send Mr. Jackson and Department Heads to
these national or state conventions and doesn't see the need to send several Councilmembers; and said he
feels the travel budget needs to be revised. Councilmember Pace agreed. Mr. Jackson said the budget
figures are fairly conservative, and lie asked Council how they would like to consider revising their travel
budget. Councilmember Pace suggested sending one Councilmember to each conference, and add staff as
appropriate, with the focus on Mayor Grafos and Mr. Jackson going to D.C., and also suggested that
Mayor Grafos and Mr. Holtman visit businesses. Councilmember Hafner said there are many local events
and suggested keeping the funds in one lump sum and prioritize travel, and to send someone to a
conference if it is important to do so. Councilmember Wick said he prefers to make his own choices
based on what is allotted. Mayor Grafos said lie feels the system has worked well and suggested we not
make any changes but rather wait and see how this year's budget ends. Mr. Jackson also noted that the
topic of travel can be addressed when the finance committee meets again.
Legislative Agenda:
Appleway Trail Project — Mr. Jackson said lie will re-work that and continue to request funds for the
unfinished portion of 2B, and sections 3 and 4, and include an update on what has been accomplished to
date. Councilmembers concurred with the suggested revisions.
Protect the Local-State Shared Revenues—no suggested change.
Additional Lien Authority to Recoup Code Enforcement Costs—Mr. Jackson reported that this is an up-
hill battle and we can't get any commitment from legislators as their concern is a potential tax burden on
residents, and even though we explain that this wouldn't simply be due to a garbage problem but a much
larger issue, legislators gave us a very cool reception. Deputy Mayor Woodard said that Senator Pain
Roach is anxious for us to come back with a few revisions and that the lobbyists have some ideas on how
to get local banks and realtors to support this idea.
Long-Range Legislative Agenda Item: Barker Road/BNSF Grade Separation — concerning the Barker
Road Grade Separation, Mr. Jackson said we are moving ahead with the TIGER grant, and Council
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Approved by Council:July 22,2014
agreed to keep this as an agenda item. There was some discussion about bridging the valley with
Councilmember Wick asking about adding that to this agenda item title. Mr. Jackson responded that the
concept would be difficult to achieve, especially if United Pacific and Burlington Northern can't
cooperate on combining the rail corridor. Councilmember Wick said that he is now part of a new ad hoc
rail committee, that the story needs to be told of how many grade crossings we have, and that during the
tour tomorrow with the joint legislative committee, he plans to show them the Barker Grade Separation
and focus on those bridging projects. Mr. Jackson asked if there were any other ideas for the legislative
agenda and none were offered. The meeting recessed at 10:00 a.m.,and reconvened at 10:12 a.m.
Tab 2: General Government
Finance Director Calhoun explained that this tab includes the overall necessary city services, like the
Internet service, software and hardware maintenance and support, and city hall rent, and he went over
some of the recurring and non-recurring activities. The Spokane County Air Pollution Authority (aka
CIean Air Board) was mentioned and Mr. Jackson said while we don't know what they do for their
$117,000 as we can't police other entities' budgets, we run our own budget very tight. Councilmember
Pace asked about the Site Selector, Outside Agencies, and Economic Development line items and those
were briefly discussed.
Tab 3: Executive and Legislative
Mr. Jackson said these figures include the City Manager and City Clerk's office; and he noted that all
legal notices will now be shown as City Clerk expenses rather than splitting them throughout the
departments.
Tab 4: City Attorney
As Deputy City Attorney Lamb highlighted the data, lie noted that the "other services and charges" are
necessary as we use outside counsel for complex litigation like shoreline regulations, or litigation
connected with Hollywood Erotica and could also be used in connection with code enforcement litigation.
Tab 5: Ops and Admin Services
Mr. Jackson stated that this is the Deputy City Manager section and includes the position of Deputy City
Manager as well as other associated items such as professional services, which he said had included a
survey every other year with ICMA (International City/County Management Association), but said that
service was discontinued as a cost savings. Mr. Jackson said we would like to re-instate that at a cost of
about$11,000; he said it is a very structured survey, scientifically accurate, and enables us to compare our
city to other cities; and said that the last survey we did was in 2011. He mentioned the PIO (Public
Information Officer) budget which includes items such as the Hot Topics newsletter, rental of a TV for
city hall at the mall, and a city booth at Valleyfest; and said the major item here is the hot topic newsletter
which gets mailed to all residents once a year.
Tab 6: Human Resources
Human Resources Manager Whitehead explained the expenses associated with his department and
discussed the supplemental requests of a new wellness activity geared to increase the frequency of
exercise by City employees; mentioned an increase in professional services for the ongoing maintenance
of the City's Mobile Apps and mentioned the increase to the health insurance cost; he noted the proposed
classification change to establish an executive assistant to directly support the City Manager as some
duties such as the business plan assigned to the administrative assistant, are outside that classification.He
noted a position was created to manage the daily operations of CenterPlace, but said that has never been
filled and therefore the proposal is to lower that pay Ievel by one grade, Mr. Whitehead said that neither
of these changes would mean any additional FTEs. Mr. Jackson added that Council adopts the budget
and as part of that, also adopts the pay matrix, and that we would like to fill that coordinator position with
someone one grade lower than presently shown; he said the position has not been filled and likely we will
promote someone to that position. Mayor Grafos suggested that perhaps we need to refine the
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Approved by Council:July 22,2014
requirements of each position and Mr. Whitehead explained that staff looks at those positions to ensure
we are at a minimum; but added that we are not a training ground;that we expect to hire people who have
had several years' experience of doing the same work; he said our training budget compared to other
organizations is almost nonexistent, and said training can be very expensive. Mr. Whitehead explained
that every time we fill a position we look at those qualifications to make sure we are not exceeding what
we need; but he said, our expectations are high and we have a very efficient personnel system.
Concerning the extra $1,000 for the Wellness plan, Councilmember Wick asked if that would be enough
to take care of the difference, and Mr. Jackson said we have a pretty fit workforce and would like to be
known as an employer who cares about fitness, and that we are a high performance organization that takes
care of its people, and promotes a healthy and fit workforce.
Tab 8: Public Works
Public Works Director Guth explained that his increase includes adding one and a half vehicles for the
construction improvement project group; he said when they purchased the previous vehicle, they began
setting aside funds for that vehicle's eventual replacement. Mr. Guth said that the wages at the top reflect
the new position of grants engineer. Mr. Guth noted that the topic of funding the street fund would be
held later, but that the idea is to look at some other revenue to continue to provide the service currently
provided; that for this year, they reduced the snow plow replacement allocation, but that means they will
need to be re-allocated at some point. After Mr. Guth went over some of the proposed changes from this
year to next, he talked about the supplemental requests as noted under Tab 12, including the pavement-
marking grinder to remove pavement markings on City projects to help facilitate striping removal; and the
VMS(variable message sign) trailer for public notification of construction and maintenance activities.
Councilmember Pace asked about SRTC (Spokane Regional Transportation Council) fees and Mr. Guth
explained that our dues are based on a tier program,with larger cities paying$18,000 per seat; he said we
are allocated one seat; he explained that SRTC is a metropolitan planning organization that examines
regional projects; he said they are the stewards and planning arm for WSDOT and for all state and federal
funding that comes through the local programs through cities and counties, much like the STP Grant we
applied for with the Appleway Trail; he said they are the ones who determine who gets how much money.
Discussion continued concerning funding from WSDOT, SRTC, CMAC and other available sources for
such things as traffic management/coordination, traffic cameras and coordination of traffic lights for
special events. There was also brief discussion about snow services and that future contracts for road
maintenance and snow services should be separate, which led to mention of the number of trucks we
currently use, and Mr. Guth stating that from his experience, nine appears to be the preferred number for
that fleet. Deputy Mayor Woodard said he would like future discussions about this topic,why nine trucks
works best, and what it takes to fund the fleet. He also asked about what our industrial park dues are used
for and Mr. Guth replied he would have to research that, but assumes it is used to take care of the
common areas related to the sewer needs since we use their land.
Mayor Grafos said he would like to see the number of FTE's or half-time employees above each
department in order to make it easier to understand and read, and Mr. Calhoun said that should be easy to
include. Deputy Mayor Woodard mentioned he would like to consider changing the name of Community
Development, to Economic Development and Community Development. Mr. Jackson said people
identify with all aspects of community development, including engineering and code inspection; he said it
is evolving, but all those aspects are also economic development, and said this can be a topic of a future
discussion.
The meeting recessed for lunch at noon, and reconvened at 12:45 p.m.
Tab 9: Public Safety
Senior Administrative Analyst Koudelka went over the list of items under the "general fund public
safety" spreadsheet; said the wages are associated with the maintenance of the precinct facility; and after
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Approved by Council:July 22,2014
going over some of the figures, explained that the funds under contingency are mostly due to the
unknown bargaining negotiation with the Sheriffs Officers' Union, and said it does not include settle and
adjust. Mayor Grafos said since we own the police precinct, maintenance should be a high priority, that it
is listed as non-recurring but should actually be under recurring expenses. Mr.Koudelka agreed and said
maintenance of the building is a reflection upon us, and that the City Manager has identified this as a top
priority, adding that Mr. Stone's department has the resources to take care of these things.
Parks and Recreation Director Stone said he has a list of twenty-two projects they are working on, and it
is a challenge to manage the time and resources; said if there is a roof leak, we take care of the problem
immediately, and that he is aware of the challenges of the precinct; lie also mentioned there are seventy-
five leaks at CenterPlace that still have issues related to finances. Mayor Grafos stated that he can't
believe there are no discretionary funds to fix that building, and that lie would like a copy of that list of
twenty-two projects. Mr. Stone replied that the goal is to have those projects completed at the end of the
year; that lie has two maintenance people with limited time to devote to every single aspect, so they bring
in expertise, and said they are working as quickly as possible and have been making progress. Mr. Stone
noted that they are in the process likewise, of bringing someone in to assess the police precinct roof. Mr.
Koudelka explained that the plan is to create a timeline and provide progress reports to the City Manager.
Mayor Grafos mentioned his concern with the appearance of the front of the building; lie said it shouldn't
be a "high-tech deal" we just need a handyman to power wash and paint the front of the building as it
needs to be presentable. Mr. Stone explained that they have been writing specs and getting bids and some
of the work has been done, but explained that we can't just hire someone off the street; that we must
comply with the state bid laws including the Davis Bacon Act; and said they have re-bid some of the
items and are moving forward. City Manager Jackson said that we realize this is a critical need and the
projects will get done.
Discussion continued on the subject of law enforcement in general and police precinct repairs and
supplemental requests in specific, including the annual increase in county costs. Mr. Koudelka added that
staff has explored the idea and is working on a cost plan that would identify true costs associated with
every line of business; said the work is involved and there are more costs than "meets the eye;" he said
there will always be administrative costs and he has had discussions about the idea of assigning primary
personnel whose duties would be associated with all those issues; and he noted that we get a lot of work
accomplished from a small staff. Councilmember Wick asked about the public defender costs and Mr.
Koudelka replied that the county has not hired anyone else yet but they are looking at their 2015 budget,
and said we plan to have more meetings with the County to discuss how they measure their cases. Mr.
Koudelka mentioned page 2 and the data for public defender; he said we made a correction in what we
had seen in previous years and brought the figure down, but there are added caseload standards on top of
that; he said staff is looking at the use of investigators to support the attorneys.Mr.Koudelka said that the
public safety contract represents two-thirds of our general fund budget and he suggested getting a
quarterly report in order to better project what we receive from the county specific to the public safety
contract. Mr. Koudelka distributed copies of a "2014 City of Spokane Valley Public Safety Contract
Quarterly Cost Projections" and said that John Pietro is responsible for the daily management of
contracts. Mr. Pietro went over the cost projections handout, especially noting the table on the front page
and the nine steps of the contracting cycle. Mr. Jackson stated that this will be included in the quarterly
report from now on; and Mr. Koudelka agreed it is a useful tool and could he expanded in the future to
examine trends over multiple years.
Tab 10: Parks and Recreation
Director Stone explained that his department contains six divisions, and that the overall non-payroll
increase is 1.11%, which includes $20,000 for the annual Centennial Trail maintenance fund; and said
without that, his department would be mostly status quo. Mr. Stone noted he has a lot of interaction with
the public and that staff works to accommodate those requests; lie said this year the plan is to begin to
replace some of the old Spokane County Park signs with new signs like our gateway signs; lie said they
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don't have the exact replacement and installation costs yet. Mr. Stone said there are no full time staff
members in the maintenance program, and we contract with Senske to cover all the parks as well as some
of the maintenance on city properties such as the gateway property, Centennial Trail,Appleway Trail, and
Balfour Park. For the recreation division, Mr. Stone said they have one FTE; he said recreation programs
including the summer day camps recover 100% of costs as they are paid for by user fees; and he said their
overall budget is down from 2014. He explained that the aquatics program has no FTEs as that is all done
through a contract with the YMCA, adding that revenue from aquatics is significantly less than budgeted
and there is no way to recover costs; he said the cost to swim is $1.00, and if participants are unable to
cover the fee, we have partnered with Spokane Valley Partners for scholarships and swim passes so we
don't turn anyone away.
Director Stone said the Senior Center has one FTE and the majority of the expenses are attached to that
position, which staff member he explained, does an outstanding job. Mr. Stone said the Senior Center
also has Meals on Wheels delivered five days a week. There are five FTE's for CenterPlace, Mr. Stone
said, which includes two administrative assistants, and two maintenance people; he said the Center is
open over eighteen hours a day, seven days a week, which poses some staffing challenges. He explained
that the janitorial contract costs went down a little from their first year's bid, adding that the contractor
also handles cleaning restrooms and carpets, and helps in the evenings when a room needs to be quickly
turned around from one use to the next. Mr. Stone said that the supplemental requests under Tab 12
include Phase 2A of the Appleway Trail, which is from University to Pines; and a request for funding to
replace the existing modem and dial-up communication at the three outdoor pools. Mr. Stone said the
current technology is outdated and extremely difficult to service and repair and has caused numerous
problems and customer service issues with the payments of pool patrons; lie also noted the request for
carpet replacement at the lounge to replace the ten-year old carpet. Mr. Stone mentioned that next year
CenterPlace will celebrate its ten-year anniversary and they are working on plans now for an event
perhaps in September. Other projects Mr. Stone mentioned included the volleyball courts at Browns Park
and the pocket dog park at Valley Mission Park on the site of the former Senior Center. Councilmember
Pace asked why have a ten-year celebration of CenterPlace since it's just a building; and Deputy Mayor
Woodard replied that CenterPlace also includes the Senior Center, and it is more than a building as it is
our community center, and said he thinks a celebration is a good idea. Councilmembers Pace, Hafner,
and Deputy Mayor Woodard also said they like the idea of the dog park. Councilmember Wick said he
likes the idea of being able to have Wi-Fi at the pools, and said perhaps the cost of the admission should
be $2.00 with free Wi-Fi provided; and he expressed surprise that we still use a dial-up modem. Mayor
Grafos asked if Comcast might be able to help with the Wi-Fi and Mr. Stone replied that he has been
working with Comcast. Councilmember Pace said he thinks it would be nice to fund it without raising the
entrance cost; and Mr. Stone said he would do everything possible to keep pool fees as they are and still
have Wi-Fi.
Councilmember Bates asked about parkland acquisition and Finance Director Calhoun said that is
addressed in section 13. Mr. Jackson said parkland acquisition is a general request and depending on how
we prioritize the City Center, the impact might show it is not even feasible; and said that parkland
acquisition is more of a placeholder; he said we are not approving capital projects at this point; and
depending on how the budget is prioritized,there is little chance we can afford most of those items.
Tab 11: Community Development
Director Hohman said his department experienced a big transition this year; that one of the long-time
division managers resigned, so Mr. Hohman is taking the opportunity to Iook at possible different
department configurations, although no decision has been made yet; he said the data sheets for his
department and the business plan were done before that staff member's resignation; he said many changes
were made since last year including incorporating the economic component; that they changed their goals
and mission statement, and looked at measurables and work plan items in an attempt to integrate
economic development into every division as well as keep that in mind as each project comes forward;
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and said staff wants to further the economic development of the City. Mr. Hohinan said that last year he
designated Mr. Basinger as the Economic Development Coordinator, and since then determined since the
job is large, that Mr. Basinger needs some assistance, and he chose part-time Development Engineer
Gloria Mantz. Mr. Holunan said this is the start to what lie hopes will be the Economic Development
division. Director Holunan said they have created that separate group from the existing budget without
exceeding the recommended 1% increase,with this representing a .89% increase. Mr. Hohman explained
that means their capabilities are stretched and there is very little backup on any one position; he said he
has witnessed some of the stress as they have tried to recruit a plans examiner for the past six months; and
said they currently have four different openings. Mr. Hohman said some of the other agencies and
jurisdictions are now hiring, making it difficult to find someone to "fit our mold." Concerning
supplemental requests, Mr. Hohman said they are asking for a development engineer to try to
accommodate for some of the vacancies, and he agreed a column on the spreadsheet showing an
employee count would be beneficial; he said they went from a high staffing level of 36 in 2011, to the
current 29.5 positions now; and are therefore doing a lot more with a lot Iess personnel.
Tab 12: Supplemental Requests
City Manager Jackson said that he and Finance Director Calhoun have discussed these requests with the
department directors to determine what we can afford, and will be revising the general fund estimates.
Mr. Jackson said that the requests are broken down as either recurring or nonrecurring; and mentioned the
request for two scanners as part of the document management process. After Mr. Jackson went over the
list,he explained that none of these items are currently included in the budget.
Tab 13: Potential Capital Projects
Mr. Jackson said unless there are further questions, this won't be discussed further since these projects
have been discussed throughout today's meeting.
Tab 14: Financial Objectives
Mr. Jackson brought Council's attention to page 6 of the Business Plan, and said there have been no
changes in fiscal policies. Deputy Mayor Woodard said he would like to talk about the three challenges
on page 7; said there is also a potential increase as the Sheriff's Office union works toward settlement,
which has a potential increase in their COLA (cost of living allowance); said he understands between
2014 and 2105 there is a best case scenario for us of about $650,000 extra, and a worst case scenario of
about $2 million; and said he recognizes the law enforcement records management system (the CAD
system [computer aided design software])needs to be able to work throughout all law enforcement.
15. Council Goals
The 2014 Council Goals on page 28 of the Business Plan were discussed with the following results:
I. Monitor the Discharge Permit Process:there was Council consensus to remove this goal.
2. Solid Waste Alternatives: there was Council consensus to remove this goal.
3. Pursuing funding for Appleway Trail Project: this goal will remain as stated.
4. Economic Development Plan: Councilmembers briefly discussed this and determined the goal will
remain as stated.
5. Street Preservation: it was agreed to have this focus beyond 2018, and to include something about the
street fund. Although it was mentioned that Bridging the Valley is in the legislative agenda, Council
determined it would be appropriate as a goal as well.
6. With the addition of the two police officer positions,there was Council consensus to remove this goal.
After brief discussion concerning law enforcement, Mayor Grafos asked for a list of what is included for
each officer, such as training, retirement, etc., and how we arrive at the figure of 100 officers. Mr.
Jackson said the topic would be a good future agenda informational item. There were no other goal
suggestions. The meeting recessed at 3:00 p.m. and reconvened at 3:10 p.m.
Workshop minutes:June 17,2014 Page 8 of 10
Approved by Council:July 22,2014
BRAINSTORMING:
Mr.Jackson said this is an opportunity for Council to discuss whatever is on their mind.
Staff and Council Coordination: Councilmember Pace said lie is aware of the need to maintain a good
boundary between Iegislative and executive, but said they also need to work as a team, and he would like
to pair a councilmember and staff member to attend seine of the various committee, board meetings and
conferences. Mr. Jackson said some of the boards, like the Health District, want elected officials; he said
that doesn't mean staff couldn't attend meetings, and said he could look at some of those committees and
boards where that idea might be applied. Mr. Jackson also noted that this is one of the reasons lie seeks to
fill the Deputy City Manager position so that person can keep abreast of what is happening with other
organizations,committees and boards.
Community Events: Councilmember Hafner said this is the third year lie has mentioned a farmer's
market; he also suggested a carnival, and a one-day garage sale. Mr. Jackson said the farmer's market
idea was brought forward previously but at that time, Council was not interested. Councilmember Bates
said there is a lot of activity going on sponsored by others, like Valleyfest; and agreed with the idea of
having community events as a gathering place for citizens. Councilmember Wick added that once the
Balfour Park is developed, that would lend itself to those kind of events.
Bridging the Valley (conversation with the railroads): Deputy Mayor Woodard said he would welcome
interactions and/or round-table or other discussions with members of the two railroad companies or other
groups.
Expand Outside Agencies for Neighborhood Organizations' Events: In relation to offering grants to
neighborhood associations, Councilmember Pace asked about including them in community events, such
as the 4th of July Parade at Greenacres Park; and suggested inviting Greenacres Neighborhood group to
apply. Councilmember Wick suggested that might prove difficult to include neighborhood groups with
the outside service agencies.
Old Mission Trailhead: Mayor Grafos said there is a lot of development on Indiana Avenue, and that we
should make sure we complete the Old Mission Trailhead as soon as possible.
Trent: Pines to Sullivan: Mayor Grafos suggested looking at that to see if perhaps through text
amendments,we could initiate some changes of more appropriate uses on Trent.
Land Acquisition: Councihnember Wick mentioned that now that the economy has improved, perhaps we
could look for land to purchase for development or to develop pieces of land for parks. Deputy Mayor
Woodard said that perhaps people who have land for possible neighborhood parks, aren't aware they
could donate or bequeath the land; and Councilmember Higgins said that perhaps it would be an incentive
to be able to name a park after a donor.
Market Economic Development and Economic Development Tax Tools, or Incentives: Councilmember
Higgins suggested having a team go out and market various places, like California. Councilmember
Hafner suggested having some kind of tax breaks or other incentives to attract businesses here. Mr.
Jackson said that Deputy City Attorney Lamb has gathered some information on what is available, and
perhaps he can refine that into a report for Council. Mr. Lamb acknowledged that he has been working
with Mr.Basinger on how to make those tools available to potential businesses.
Historic Preservation: Mayor Grafos suggested adding historic preservation to this list to explain the
heritage of the valley and who we are. Mr. Jackson said that topic is on our pending agenda list.
Workshop minutes:June 17,2014 Page 9 of 10
Approved by Council:July 22,2014
In reference to a city hall, Councilmember Wick asked how many years it would take to pay cash, and
how much would we gain. Mr. Jackson said we would have to examine how much we would have each
year to allocate to a city hall, and come up with a plan. Realizing we would have to account for inflation,
Deputy Mayor Woodard said he would like to have it by 2019. Councilmember Wick said if we wouldn't
have paid for a couple projects, we would have several million more as at least a couple million has been
removed from that fund for various purposes. Mr. Calhoun said time would work against us in terms of
inflation, land cost and construction cost, but that current interest rates are remarkably low now; adding
that at some point interest rates will reverse and the next two to three years could be dramatic.
Councihnember Pack asked about grants and Mr. Jackson said those are difficult to come by as most deal
with self-sustaining and "green"buildings.
Concerning the McCleary decision, Mr. Jackson said that Deputy City Attorney Lamb has put together a
synopsis of the potential impact. Mr. Lamb explained that this will represent a significant challenge for
us; and said that the paramount duty of the state is to supply ample education to all its children; that
formerly the funding methodology was based on how many students were enrolled, but said that has
shifted now to a performance-based education model; but in 2005-2007, the state still had significant
amounts of basic funding needs coming from local Ievies, all of which were subject to voter approval.
Mr. Lamb explained that the McClearys were a family faced with horrible school conditions and terrible
facilities, and that low-paid teachers brought a challenge to the state alleging that the state was not
meeting its Constitutional duties; and in 2012 the court agreed. He said the Supreme Court retained
jurisdiction since the schools hadn't done what was needed to be done for the last thirty years. Mr.Lamb
said he understands that the legislature came up with about $1 billion but still needs at least another $4
billion,which would be 10% of the state's budget. He said that the Court required a report for a funding I
plan by 2018; that the state came out with a plan but the court blasted it as not being a real resolution to 1
tackle significant funding issues. The court told the state that a direct plan was needed, and to come to the
Court in September with a plan or show why the state legislators shouldn't be held in contempt and have
the Court take over the budget. Mr. Lamb said there is a doctrine addressing separation of powers and
said one power doesn't hold control over the other; that the legislature sets policy and the judiciary states
the law; he said if the Court were to assume control of the budgeting process, it would likely cause a
major fight between the court and the legislature. Mr. Lamb said he has not heard the State's rebuttal
about having a plan in September; and said the State is looking for money, and that because so much is
locked up in programs like basic education, that leaves cities as a prime area where they can make cuts.
Mr.Lanib said the issue remains in a large state of flux.
There being no further business, it was moved by Deputy Mayor Woodard, seconded and unanimously
agreed to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 3:45 p.m,
.4110111r ,--
A ST/ Dean Grafos, Mayor
‘F
ristine Bainbridge, City Clerk
Workshop minutes:June 17,2014 Page 10 of 10
Approved by Council:July 22,2014
2014 City of Spokane Valley Public Safety Contract Quarterly Cost Projections
Cost Projection Table User's Guide:
The City of Spokane Valley contracts for public safety services. All these services are provided by Spokane County and, therefore,these costs are not controlled
by the City's budget appropriations. In most cases, the costs are not fixed. For these reasons, it is important to track the City's usage and project annual City
costs for these contracts to insure that the City's budget can accommodate the associated public safety costs. These projections are guides to allow staff to
investigate changing trends and project whether actual costs will be substantially different from estimated costs. These projections are also useful in helping the
City Manger and City Council gauge the annual financial commitment necessary to accommodate public safety needs_
Steps in Public Safety Contracting Cycle
Step 1 City staff prepares Public Safety budget based upon multiple years of usage and cost trends
Step 2 County provides contract estimates to City
Step 3 County provides quarterly usage figures for City
Step 4 City staff prepares annual cost projections, updated quarterly
Step 5 City staff calculates final end-of-year cost projection
Step 6 City staff calculates a liability to book and prepare an accompanying budget amendment if necessary
Step 7 Spokane County staff calculates the actual contract costs for Spokane Valley and reconcile those costs to the
estimated costs that were paid during the year
Step 8 City staff reviews County calculations for accuracy and appropriateness of costs
If the actual costs are less than the estimated costs, a credit is issued to the City;if the actual costs are greater
Step 9 than the estimated costs,the City Manager authorizes payment to County for the difference
This quarterly cost projection report is the result of Step 4 above. City staff has prepared cost projections based upon the most recent information available.
During the course of the year, projections will incorporate the latest Spokane Valley usage statistics as the City's usage often determines how much of the total
costs are charged to the City. At the end of the year, staff will also incorporate any actual cost data that is available from Spokane County into the cost
projections.
Table 1 on the following page displays, by contracted service, the County provided cost estimate and usage estimate,the County provided current quarter's City
usage,the City staff calculated cost projection for each of the eight public safety contracts,the City budget amount, and the difference between the budget and
the projection; represented either as a cost overage or a cost savings. These costs are only specific to the contracts listed and do not represent the entire Public
Safety budget but they do represent the majority of that total budget. Tables 2 and 3 show in greater detail the calculations for Law Enforcement and District
Court.
1
-/.7- 7,1675/
2014 City of Spokane Valley Public Safety Contract Quarterly Cost Projections
Table 1. 2014 Public Safety Contract Cost Projections Incorporating 1st Quarter Usage Statistics
County Provided
County Provided at Beginning of Year City Calculated
Quarterly
Contracted Service 2014 2014 Year to Date 2014 Difference:Cost
2014 Spokane Valley 2014 Spokane Valley
Spokane Valley Spokane Valley Spokane Valley Overage/(Cost
Cost Estimate Budgeted
Usage%Estimate Usage Projected Annual Cost Savings)
Animal Control $ 287,081 n/a n/a $ 287,081 $ 287,081 $ -
District Court $ 866,842 Refer to District Court Table _ $ 883,409 $ 891,304 $ (7,895)
Emergency Mgmt. $ 82,542 19.06% 19.06% $ 82,542 $ 81,398 $ 1,144
Detention Services $ 1,464,592 4.46% 3.61% $ 1,184,721 $ 1,501,222 $ (316,501)
Pretrial $ 114,812 16.91% 17.52% $ 118,945 $ 102,894 $ 16,051
Prosecutor $ 415,137 36.12% 33.89% $ 391,687 $ 406,777 $ (15,090)
Public Defender $ 617,431 37.23% 34.25% $ 568,385 $ 852,965 $ (284,580)
Law Enforcement $ 17,709,872 Refer to Law Enforcement Table $ 18,174,439 $ _ 18,144,552 $ 29,887
Total $ 21,558,309 $ 21,691,209 $ 22,268,193 $ (576,984)
Notes:
1.Annual increases in Animal Control costs can increase no more than the increase in the CPI. Usage statistics are not used. There is no settle and adjust provision
i.e. the estimate and the projection are the same
2. The County does not provide a District Court cost estimate at the beginning of the year. Instead, we receive estimated Cost Per Case (CPC) rates which are
calculated using prior year cases and costs. These rates are then applied to our current period case totals and constitute our estimate. Until the final quarterly
usage report is prepared, the total Annual District Court cost estimate in the table above is the annualized amount paid year to date and will change each quarter_
This differs further from the Projected Annual Cost which involves our recalculating the estimated CPC to factor in changes to the total number of cases per case
type, which is a component of the calculation of the actual CPC for the year. CPC=Case Type$'s/#of cases by case type.
2
2014 City of Spokane Valley Public Safety Contract Quarterly Cost Projections
Table 2.2014 District Court Projections Incorporating Current Usage
Estimate Paid Projected
2014
2014 2014 2014 2014
Total District 2013 Total All Annualized
Case Type 2014 Cost Annualized Annualized Projected Spokane Valley
Court$'s Per Jurisdictions Total All
Per Case Spokane Valley Spokane Valley Cost Per End of Year
Case Type Cases Jurisdictions
Cases YTD Paid Estimate YTD Case Projection
Infraction $ 1,153,689 37,568 $ 30.71 6,480 $ 198,997 36,484 $ 31.62 $ 204,909
DUI $ 815,389 1,820 $ 448.02 348 $ 155,910 2,172 $ 375.41 $ 130,642
Criminal Traffic $ 759,300 4,862 $ 15617 1,196 $ 186,780 4,704 $ 161.42 $ 193,053
Misd.Domestic Violence $ 396,549 850 $ 466.53 308 $ 143,691 776 $ 511.02 $ 157,393
Criminal Non-Traffic $ 501,598 1,758 $ 285.32 636 $ 181,465 1,616 $ 310.39 $ 197,411
$ 866,842 $ 883,409
Notes:
1. The "Total District Court$'s Per Case Type"use to determine the 2014 estimated Cost Per Case(CPC) rates include 2013 actual direct costs and 2012
actual indirect costs.
3
2014 City of Spokane Valley Public Safety Contract Quarterly Cost Projections
Table 3. 2014 Law Enforcement Costs Projection Incorporating Current Usage
County Provided City Calculated
2014 Law Enforcement 2014 Contract
Contract's Cost Component/ Estimate's Usage 2014 Actual YTD 2014 Estimated 2014 Projected
Department (Actual 2012 Usage Annual Cost Annual Cost
Usage)
Forensic Unit 49.63% 51.97% $ 271,100 $ 283,832
Crime Check 54.96% 52.70% $ 202,229 _ $ 193,923
Property Room 54.43% 63.11% $ 150,172 $ 174,119
SIRT(Incident Response) 45.61% 32.56% $ 18,773 $ 13,402
Radio Dispatch 45.01% 48.98% $ 798,694 $ 869,233
Records Management 53.61% 53.20% $ 655,974 $ 650,948
K9 55.45% 73.76% $ 429,367 $ 571,174
Investigative 51.98% 54.90% $ 2,428,643 $ 2,564,963
Items below are not impacted by quarterly statistics projections
County Explosive Disposal 34.09% 34.09% $ 4,451 $ 4,451
Spokane Explosive Disposal 34.09% 34.09% $ 813 $ 813
Helicopter 19.04% 19.04% $ 16,935 $ 16,935
SCOPE 38.84% 38.84% $ 137,923 $ 137,923
Dedicated SV Admin 100.00% 100.00% $ 331,370 $ 331,370
Intelligence Led Policing 47.83% 47.83% $ 203,682 $ 203,682
Dedicated Officer Charge 47.17% 47.17% $ 11,614,918 $ 11,614,918
School Resource Officers 57.14% 57.14% $ 542,754 $ 542,754
Total Projected Cost $ 17,807,798 $ 18,174,439
Notes:
1. Law Enforcement estimate excludes the two year prior S&A which is paid with booked prior year expenses
2. Explosive Disposal, Helicopter, and SCOPE usage is only available at year end
3. Dedicated SVAdmininstration, Intelligence Led Policing, Dedicated Officer Charge, and SROs are allocated
using Spokane Valley FTE totals that are kept constant in this projection (Spokane Valley FTE totals are only
modified through Council action)
2014 City of Spokane Valley Public Safety Contract Quarterly Cost Projections
2014 Public Safety Budget Contract Cost
Projections
$22,400,000
•
$22,200,000
$22,000,000
$21,800,000
$21,600,000 = $21,691,209
$21,400,000
1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q
=Budget — —Projected
S