2014, 09-23 Regular Formal Format MINUTES
City of Spokane Valley
City Council Regular Meeting
Formal Meeting Format
Tuesday, September 23,2014
Mayor Grafos called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Attendance: City Staff:
Dean Grafos,Mayor Mark Calhoun,Deputy City Manager
Arne Woodard, Deputy Mayor Cary Driskell, City Attorney
Bill Bates, Councilmember John Hohman, Community Development Dir.
Chuck Hafner, Councilmember Mike Stone, Parks & Rec Director
Rod Higgins, Councilmember Eric Guth, Public Works Director
Ed Pace, Councilmember Erik Lamb, Deputy City Attorney
Ben Wick, Councilmember Carolbelle Branch, Public Information Officer
Chris Bainbridge, City Clerk
INVOCATION: Pastor Darrell Cole of Living Hope Community Church gave the invocation.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Council, Staff, and audience rose for the Pledge of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL: City Clerk Bainbridge called the roll; all Councilmembers were present.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: It was moved by Deputy Mayor Woodard, seconded and unanimously
agreed to approve the agenda.
INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS AND PRESENTATIONS: n/a
COMMITTEE,BOARD, LIAISON SUMMARY REPORTS:
Councilmember Higgins: mentioned he participated in the Valleyfest parade.
Councilmember Pace: reported he attended the Inland NW Foundation reception, that they pool their
money together to do good things for the area; participated in the Governance Manual Committee
meeting where the process of placing items on the agenda was discussed; attended the Appleway
groundbreaking; went to the STA (Spokane Transit Authority) Board meeting where he expressed
disappointment about the plaza renovation, and said he had hoped pedestrians, bus riders and businesses
would all be stakeholders in the conversation, but they were not; went to the Chamber of Commerce
monthly breakfast where they introduced their new CEO Katherine Morgan, who said at that meeting that
she wants the organization to help make Spokane Valley the best place to live; and said he participated in
the Valleyfest parade.
Councilmember Hafner: said he attended the Visit Spokane meeting where they discussed different types
of things involved for the benefit of arts; went to the STA meeting, said a study was conducted in 2009 at
which time it was determined that downtown is the best location for the plaza and he mentioned that the
recent meeting included a request for a three-month moratorium on the renovation in order to give all
participants opportunities to consider various options; went to the Health Board workshop, and said they
continue the evaluation of the Health District Officer, and also discussed the opiate program and situation
in the area; went to the Appleway Trail groundbreaking; attended another Visit Spokane meeting; went to
the Board of Health Executive meeting as well as their Governance Committee; and mentioned that the
STA Board meeting addressed their "Moving Forward" program, which is a program to plan for transit
needs in the next twenty years; participated in the Valleyfest parade; and this morning attended a Visit
Minutes Regular Council Meeting 09-23-2014 Page 1 of 4
Approved by Council: 10-14-2014
Spokane conference where the guest speaker mentioned there were over three million visitors in Spokane
County in 2013.
Councilmember Bates: reported that he attended the Appleway Trail groundbreaking; went to the ribbon
cutting of the new Grocery Outlet store at Pines and Sprague; and participated in the Valleyfest parade;
and he mentioned the upcoming Sheriff and Police Department sponsored Prescription Drug Take-Back
Event set for Saturday, September 27.
Councilmember Wick: mentioned not only did we not receive any TIGER grant funds, no municipality in
Eastern Washington received any funding; he mentioned the AWC (Association of Washington Cities)
newsletter included information about diverting funds from the Transportation Improvement Board, and
said he hoped that our lobbyist Briahna Taylor will be able to assist us in that regard.
Deputy Mayor Woodard: said he also attended the Appleway Trail groundbreaking; went to the Inland
NW Community Foundation 40th year celebration; attended the Chamber business connection meeting
where he heard a speaker talk about how to entice television shows and movies to our state, said our state
offers $10 or$11 million compared with other states which offer much higher incentives.
MAYOR'S REPORT: Mayor Grafos said he attended many of the same activities mentioned by other
Councilmembers, including the Valleyfest parade, said he judged the bed race; spoke at the Appleway
Groundbreaking; mentioned the health fair at Pines Manor today; and said that every month he signs
letters thanking new Spokane Valley businesses, and he said one of the reasons we get new businesses is
the outstanding customer service our staff provides, and he read a thank you letter expressing thanks to
Planner Micki Harnois and Receptionist Roxanne Crafton for their extraordinary assistance in dealing
with the business license application process.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: Mayor Grafos invited public comments.
Mr. Ian Riley of Spokane Valley: said he is a business owner, just recently sold the Oz Fitness business
and also owns the Black Pearl; said he understands taxes are a requirement, but that a 10% gaming tax is
a gross tax and said this year he will pay about $330,000 in gaming taxes; said he obviously makes
money to be able to pay that, but it includes B&O tax, payroll taxes, etc. and that all total taxes were in
excess of $700,000; said he has 95 employees; said the gaming industry has declined over the years
possibly due to taxation; and he mentioned other businesses that closed such as Ringo's and Players &
Spectators; said Spokane Valley's budget is $70 million and his company's tax represents a significant
amount of that and he would like some consideration to have taxes reduced; he said the City of Spokane
is considering reducing their tax from ten to two percent, and if that goes through, it would offer a
considerable advantage to his competitors, and said Airway Heights and other large casinos do not pay
any taxes; and he asked for consideration of a tax reduction or moratorium for a time period.
Ms. Marilyn Cline, Mr. Ray Ward, and Ms. Alberta Schmidt all spoke about their concerns with trucks
parking in residential areas, with concerns including noise pollution, exhaust fumes, odor, being
awakened by noisy trucks during pre-morning hours, parking on residential streets, blocking views, etc.
1. CONSENT AGENDA: Consists of items considered routine which are approved as a group. Any
member of Council may ask that an item be removed from the Consent Agenda to be considered
separately.
Proposed Motion:I move to approve the Consent A 'ends.
a. Approval of claim vouchers on Sept 23, 2014 Request for Council Action Form Totaling:
$967,864.55
b. Approval of Payroll for Pay Period Ending September 15, 2014: $309,528.28
c. Approval of September 2, 2014 Council Study Session Meeting Minutes
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Woodard, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the Consent
Agenda.
Minutes Regular Council Meeting 09-23-2014 Page 2 of 4
Approved by Council: 10-14-2014
NEW BUSINESS:
2. Motion Consideration: Outside Agency Allocations for 2015 —Mark Calhoun
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Woodard and seconded to allocate outside agency funds as follows:
Greater Spokane, Inc: $23.286 *Meals on Wheels: $12,857
Chamber of Commerce: $15,400 *Spokane Substance Abuse Council: $7,285
Arts Council: $12,000 *Hearth Homes: $9,571
Valleyfest: $19,714 * SNAP: $4,000
*Big Brothers/Sisters: $2,214 * Valley partners: $33,142
*Children's Home Society: $2,571 *YWCA: $4,671
Deputy City Manager Calhoun explained the allocation process as noted on his Request for Council
Action Form, and as what had been done in previous years, and of the various recommended allocations
from Council as shown on the spreadsheet, noting that the recommended allocations left a balance of
$3,287 from the original budgeted amount of $150,000. It was moved by Councilmember Hafner to
amend the motion to split that $3,287 evenly among those eight social service agencies allocated above
(as noted with *). After brief discussion, a vote by acclamation on whether to amend the motion resulted
in those In Favor: Mayor Grafos, Deputy Mayor Woodard, and Councilmembers Hafner, Higgins, Wick
and Bates. Those Opposed: Councilmember Pace. The motion passed. Vote by Acclamation on the fully
amended motion: In Favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Motion carried.
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS:
3. Proposed 2015 Property Tax Ordinance—Mark Calhoun
Deputy City Manager Calhoun went over the upcoming 2015 budget process, and of the proposed
ordinance to levy 2015 regular property taxes, which for 2015 is being proposed as it has been for several
years past, that of a zero percent increase, except we will include new construction, and he explained that
those figures won't be finalized by the County until November or later. Mr. Calhoun also explained
banked capacity; and noted that this ordinance is scheduled for a first reading at the October 14 meeting,
with the second reading scheduled for October 28.
4. Comprehensive Plan Amendment Process—Lori Barlow
Speaking for Planner Barlow, Mr. Hohman noted there have been no privately initiated comprehensive
plan amendments, although the deadline for submitting such is November 1. Mr. Hohman also noted that
this year staff does not expect to propose updates to the plan due to the upcoming legislative update,
which has a deadline of June 30,2017. Mr. Hohman said staff is negotiating with a company for the scope
of working on the project, fees, etc., and hopes to accomplish those negotiations within the next few
weeks. Mr. Hohman said he would keep Council updated should any privately-initiated proposals come
forward.
5. Advance Agenda—Mayor Grafos
Councilmember Hafner suggested having an agenda item to discuss the full cost of police body cameras,
and the remainder of Council appeared to concur. Councilmember Bates asked if we have a date yet for a
meeting with the City of Spokane, and Mr. Calhoun said that Mr. Jackson is working on that but there is
no date yet. Mayor Grafos said he would like to see something about gambling tax with our rates
compared with others such as Liberty Lake, and to determine if Spokane is contemplating a rate change.
Concerning last week's capital projects report from Director Stone, Deputy Mayor Woodard said he had
challenged the parks department about the building, but that he did some research and said those
buildings are different and it would probably be tough to beat that from a local standpoint, and he
encouraged Council to go out and examine those shelters.
Minutes Regular Council Meeting 09-23-2014 Page 3 of 4
Approved by Council: 10-14-2014
INFORMATION ONLY (will not be reported or discussed):
The (6) Department Reports; (7) Trial Court Decision on City of Fife Marijuana Ban; and(8) Draft 2014
Amended Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) were all for information only and were not reported or
discussed.
CITY MANAGER COMMENTS
Deputy City Manager Calhoun mentioned the November 18 meeting is being moved to Monday,
November 17 in order to accommodate Council travel schedules; and he invited everyone to this
Thursday's 3:30 p.m. Sullivan Bridge Project Launch Event.
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Woodard, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn. The meeting
adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
ATTESTS Dean Grafos, Mayor
•
ristine Bainbridge, City Clerk
Minutes Regular Council Meeting 09-23-2014 Page 4 of 4
Approved by Council: 10-14-2014
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