2015, 09-08 Formal Meeting Minutes MINUTES
City of Spokane Valley
City Council Regular Meeting
Formal Meeting Format
Tuesday, September 8,2015
Mayor Grafos called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Attendance: City Staff:
Dean Grafos,Mayor Mike Jackson City Manager
Arne Woodard, Deputy Mayor Cary Driskell, City Attorney
Chuck Hafner, Councilmember Mark Calhoun, Deputy City Manager
Rod Higgins, Councilmember Erik Lamb, Deputy City Attorney
Ed Pace, Councilmember Mike Stone, Parks&Recreation Director
Ben Wick, Councilmember Eric Guth, Public Works Director
Bill Gothmann, Councilmember Pro Tern John Hohman, Community Development Dir.
Chelsie Taylor, Interim Finance Director
Carolbelle Branch, Public Information Officer
Rick VanLeuven, Police Chief
Chris Bainbridge, City Clerk
INVOCATION: In the absence of a pastor, moments of silence were observed.
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 Gothmann: no report.
Councilmember Wick: reported that he attended the SNAP Planning Commission Board meeting where
they discussed an approach to a pilot for a new program similar to an ambulance program but at a lower
cost; said the new program would be called "cabulance" to take people to urgent care rather than to a
hospital; said this is being funded by larger insurance providers and will start in the City of Spokane, but
it could spread afterwards. Councilmember Wick also reported that he met with the Tourism Promotion
Area committee where things are mostly status quo concerning their recommended split of funds between
Visit Spokane and the Sports Commission.
Deputy Mayor Woodard: no report
Councilmember Hafner: said he attended some meetings regarding the Valley Chamber of Commerce's
Big 5; said due to the fires and so many members on the board unable to attend a meeting, that the 9-1-1
Board meeting was cancelled; reported that the Health District Officer's evaluation was discussed at the
Regional Health Board meeting; said he met with the new superintendent of East Valley School who is
also a former student of his; said the STA met and approved vouchers and examined future bus
requisitions.
Councilmember Pace: said he attended the Valley Chamber's Big 5 meeting; went to the Health District
Policy Committee meeting where they discussed the idea of recommending to the entire board that e-
cigarettes should be banned in those public places wherever tobacco products are banned.
Minutes Regular Council Meeting:09-08-2015 Page 1 of 4
Approved by Council:09-22-2015
Councilmember Higgins: said he also attended the Big 5 meeting; said the Regional Clean Air Agency
had an active month, that due to the poor quality of the air because of the fires, their website visits went
from 2,636 in July,to over 65,000 in late August,which subsequently caused the system to crash;said the
measurement chart for the air quality index tops at 350, and during the week of August 24, there were
several days above 330,with August 27 having a reading of 345.
MAYOR'S REPORT Mayor Grafos said he participated in a promotional recording with Valleyfest
CEO Peggy Doering and County Commissioner O'Quinn discussing some of the exciting things that will
occur at this year's Valleyfest; said the recording will air on channel 5 prior to the festival.
PROCLAMATION: n/a
PUBLIC COMMENTS: Mayor Grafos invited public comment.
Rob Lee, Elk, Wa.: handed the Clerk, who then distributed copies to Council, a copy of a petition in
support of independent law enforcement oversight; he explained that the petition is a copy and that the
original with over 1,000 signatures was previously submitted to Spokane County; said this petition seeks
oversight of the Sheriffs department, and he asked Council for their support; said many organizations
support this cause and that it is not a political event,and he asked Council to please review the material.
Scott Mcclay: said he echoes the movement of the petition mentioned by Mr. Lee; he then read a letter
from Ryan Holyk's mother; and finished by asking Council to support Mr. Lee's petition.
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 Agenda.
a. Approval of vouchers on Sept. 8, 2015 Request for Council Action Form Totaling$816,009.13
b.Approval of Payroll for Pay Period Ending August 31, 2015: $457,154.15
c. Approval of August 18, 2015 Study Session Format Council Meeting Minutes
d. Approval of August 25, 2015 Formal Format Council Meeting Minutes
e. Approval of September 1,2015 Study Session Format Council Meeting Minutes
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Woodard, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the Consent
Agenda.
NEW BUSINESS n/a
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS
2. City Manager Presentation of 2016 Preliminary Budget—Mike Jackson
City Manager Jackson explained that the budget process starts in April each year when we also start the
revision of the Business Plan; said that previously Ms. Taylor provided an excellent review of revenues
and that tonight he will highlight the budget; said this is a time for Council to express concerns and ask
questions; said he would like to talk about Council goals, fiscal policies, and some changes that were
made since the June workshop. Moving to slide #4, Mr. Jackson went over the 2016 Council Goals; said
that this won't be the last opportunity to work on the goals, and asked Council to let him know if they
want more specificity; mentioned that due to population allocation issues, the comp plan will not be
completed this year, but that staff is moving forward as they can. There were no comments from Council
concerning the 2016 Goals. Concerning fiscal policies, Mr. Jackson said that we have been refining these
policies for about the past six years and noted that the City is in excellent financial condition, which he
equates with adhering to the policies and our conservative budgeting nature. Mr. Jackson went over the
information on slide 12 concerning changes since June, and noted that the first item: Solid waste
repayment to general fund will necessitate a budget amendment for 2015. There were no Council
questions concerning changes since the June workshop.
Minutes Regular Council Meeting:09-08-2015 Page 2 of 4
Approved by Council:09-22-2015
Mr. Jackson discussed the snow plow replacement plan and associated costs; explained that we are
proposing nine operating plows and two backups in case of breakdown; said nine plows can do a full
arterial and hillside plow in twelve hours and if we have a snow like we did in 2008 and 2009, we will
appreciate the two extra plows; said we plan to purchase new plows in 2016, 2019 and 2022 as we won't
put a new engine in a twenty-year old plow. Mr. Jackson continued his PowerPoint presentation showing
figures for the City Hall Project and bond payment, and continuing on to a brief explanation of the
concept of the ending fund balance. Mr. Jackson said he was asked about the difference between a 20-
year and a 30-year bond for funding the new City Hall, and said a 20-year bond with about a $600,000
payment is not economically feasible. Mr. Jackson mentioned our lean operations and the proposed 2016
budget recurring expenditures being capped at 1% over the 2015 budget for non-wage expenditures with a
few exceptions. He mentioned that we consistently spend less than our budget and our total actual
expenditures increased an average of 1.14% over the years of 2011-2014, and that figure includes wages
and health care, and taking into consideration all the added new programs as shown on slide 31; said we
are already budgeting operation and maintenance for a new city hall so we don't have to worry if we can
afford a city hall as we're already paying for it; said without the additions of those projects on slide 31,we
would be returning an additional $2 million to the ending fund balance, and said he thinks that is pretty
remarkable. Mr. Jackson explained that next year he would like to discuss REET (real estate excise tax)
funds with the Finance Committee and devise a strategy for use of the funds rather than consuming them
all.
There was discussion/clarification of some of the items, including a suggestion by Councilmember
Gothmann concerning moving the Outside Agencies funding to Community Development; general
questions about our solid waste system and associated funds; and a brief discussion about pavement
preservation and grant funds not included until we actually have the grant. Councilmember Pace said for
the overall budget, he still wants the budget growth held at 1% for everything, including wages;
mentioned the$1 million contingency and said there are some opportunities to take some things out of the
budget; said he likes the Deputy City Manager goals about getting more citizens participating; and still
wants to see at least two bidders for every contract we bid out. Mayor Grafos asked about breaking out
the recurring expenditures in the general fund, and Mr. Jackson brought Council's attention to page 48-49
where those figures are shown. Mayor Grafos mentioned that most of our growth comes from wages and
benefits; and Councilmember Pace noted that public safety shows the largest increase. Mayor Grafos
mentioned that he likes the concept of the grade separation project and that we should start putting some
funds away from the excess funding to start work on that project, perhaps beginning with right-of-way
land acquisition; and said we need to start working on this program. Mr. Jackson agreed, adding that as
Council adopts goals,those plans will likely span several years before completion.
Mayor Grafos called for a recess at 7:25 p.m., and reconvened the meeting at 7:36 p.m.
3. Traffic Detection Equipment—Sean Messner
After Traffic Engineer Messner explained some of the history of the vehicle detection equipment, and the
various methods used today, he said that more information will be forthcoming as we have a good
maintenance plan for the 84 traffic signals but don't have a replacement plan and that staff is working on
developing such a plan due to the age of the equipment; said that only one-quarter of our signals are
fifteen years or newer. Councilmember Wick asked about how the different types compare concerning
cost, and Mr. Messner said that generally loops are less expensive, but that depends on whether they are
under concrete or some other material; said radar is more expensive, is one of the better systems, has a
longer lifespan, and can detect bicycles. Mr. Messner said whenever we do a reconstruction, we replace
old or faulty equipment at that time; and said some grants can cover some of these changes. Mayor Grafos
asked about high volume intersections like Sullivan and Broadway, and said pedestrians can't make it
halfway across the street before the light changes. Mr. Messner said he will examine those pedestrian
times as sometimes the timing needs to be adjusted.
Minutes Regular Council Meeting:09-08-2015 Page 3 of 4
Approved by Council:09-22-2015
4.Advance Agenda—Mayor Grafos There were no suggested changes to the Advance Agenda.
INFORMATION ONLY:
The (5) Outside Agency Funding Allocation Method, and (6) Mansfield Speed Limit Change were for
information only and were not reported or discussed.
CITY MANAGER COMMENTS
In response to a previous question from Councilmember Gothmann about the contingency in the street
capital project fund, Mr. Jackson explained that each year we budget $1 million and that applies to all
those projects, that many times grants offset the contingency, and it is rare that we spend the entire $1
million.
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Woodard, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn. The meeting
adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
ATTES . can Grafos,Mayor
I./i.vy1A./ / i t'i,
Christine Bainbridge, City Clerk
Minutes Regular Council Meeting:09-08-2015 Page 4 of 4
Approved by Council:09-22-2015
I COMMENT /
GENERAL PUBLIC
SIGN-IN SHEET
SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
GENERAL CITIZEN COMMENTS
YOUR SPEAKING TIME WILL GENERALLY BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTE:
Please sign in if you wish to make public comments.
NAME TOPIC OF CONCERN YOU YOUR CITY OF RESIDENCE
PLEASE PRINT WILL SPEAK ABOUT
RRr3 j e & 54e707 at/el/544ff- tiAr :.✓14
/7 X(4, i-ori "yr:. /now Kg
Please note that once information is entered on this form, it becomes a public record subject to public disclosure.
Petition of Spokane County Citizens in Support of Independent Law Enforcement Oversight
Unlike many other jurisdictions, including the City of Spokane, Spokane County lacks independent
G ,, ,„ .f= :tis. i `;gii oversight of the Spokane County Sheriff's office, particularly review of incidents that result in the death or
� �� �� f injury of citizens. While most incidents involvinguse of force are justified, there are examples where law
�' ';` ,1 Xn , ` ��;y�{��"i enforcement action is inconsistent with County policies or the law. Independent oversight provides
? impartial review and helps protect the trust of our community in the officers charged to protect us.
ice.
We, the undersigned, are concerned Spokane County citizens who urge the Spokane County Board of
404 County Commissioners to enact a CountyCode requiring q ing the appointment of an independently-
'-c-;$14 � y - s appointed law enforcement oversight commission with the ability to review law enforcement-involved use
= Y� of force and incidents that result in the injury and/or death of citizens. This Commission must have the
t , ., 3 authority to investigate incidents and issue findings as to the consistency of officer actions with County
, 3 s 4' policies and applicable law.
j7KC,.p5 —yR�- s a h 7 't .
baa
fxv4 °#" € a i � ...,
"mow,
3 F.^� ,..r r .,E;si-a�a,.�'�}a`
Knezovich wants ombudsman oversight for his department
Published On:Oct 14 2014 07:24:02 PM PDT
Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said he'd like to add another level of oversight to his department by hiring
an ombudsman, and, not wanting to rebuild the wheel, is looking to hire Spokane ombudsman Tim Burns for the job.
KXLY4's Jeff Humphrey reports.
Show Transcript Hide Transcript
THE SPOKANE SHERIFF SAYS HE'D LIKE TO ADD ANOTHER
LEVEL OF OVER-SIGHT TO HIS DEPARTMENT BY HIRING AN
OMBUDSMAN.
KXLY FOUR'S JEFF HUMPHREY WORKING FOR YOU TONIGHT
WITH A LOOK AT WHY OZZIE KNEZOVICH MAY NOT HAVE TO
LOOK FAR TO FIND A QUALIFIED CANDIDATE.
THE SHERIFF SAYS THERE'S NO SENSE RE-BUILDING THE
WHEEL.
HIS
POLICE AND SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES SHARE THE SAME BUILDING,
BOMB SQUAD AND ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER CALLED THE
BEARCAT.
WHY NOT HAVE THE SAME OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN.
OZZIE KNEZOVICH/SPOKANE SHERIFF 12;27 you know jeff
we've used the ombudsman over the past four years
about four time for some high profile cases.
it's time to formalize that arrangement, because they've
done it for free for us 12;37
KNEZOVICH ENVISIONS THE OMBUDSMAN FIELDING COMPLAINTS
ABOUT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND SITTING IN ON INTERNAL
AFFAIRS INVESTIGATIONS.
OZZIE 13;41 that's what im looking for.
that third eye if you will to come in review, make
sure that everything was done correctly 13;49
NATS OZZIE PROTEST HOLDS BIN
AND BECAUSE EVEN THE SHERIFF HIMSELF HAS COME UNDER
FIRE, TODAY HE ASKED IF A NEW OMBUDSMAN IS HIRED,
THAT ANY FINDINGS BE REPORTED TO COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.
NOT SOMEBODY WEARING A BADGE.
OZZIE 14;18 the reason i gave the presentation to
the board was this now needs to come from them.
this arrangement really can't be through the sheriff's
office if you truly want to have that independent
oversight 14;31
TODAY CITY OMBUDSMAN TIM BURNS SAID WITH A SMALL BOOST
IN HIS STAFF.
HE COULD REVIEW COUNTY COMPLAINTS AND USE OF FORCE
CASES AS WELL.
TIM BURNS/OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN 20;25 i think the
strengths far outweigh the challenges and clearly
the sheriff understands the value of that and it is
the future of law enforcement oversight it's only
going to strengthen the profession of law enforcement
in my opinion 20;38
SO NOW, WITH SOME CITY COUNCIL MEMBER'S APPROVAL,
BURNS IS GOING TO CALCULATE JUST HOW MUCH AN OMBUDSMAN
FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE MIGHT COST.
IT COULD BE A CONTRACT.
OR THE COUNTY COULD BE CHARGED FOR EACH CASE THE OMBUDSMAN
INVESTIGATES.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WANT TO SEE SOME NUMBERS FIRST
...BUT ONE DAY BURNS ENVISIONS HAVING A REGIONAL OMBUDSMAN
SERVING BOTH LARGE AND SMALL POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN
OUR AREA.
REPORTING IN SPOKANE, JEFF HUMPHREY, KXLY FOUR.
P
1.
,,,iii
r
d.
SPOKANE �' I ,9,3:fiF '1 1COUNTY
Public Records Office
1116 W.Broadway Avenue
Spokane,WA 99260-0270
Phone:(509)477-1721 FAX:477-1725
September 4,2015
Mr.Rob Lee
P.O.Box 6406
Spokane,Washington
Jlectronic Mail
namoper@qwest.net
Re: Public Records Request-Received September 3.2015
Mr.Lee:
Pursuant to RCW 42.56.520, this correspondence serves as Spokane County's acknowledgement of
receipt of the above-referenced public records request wherein,you request the following in pertinent
part:
"...Public documents and records related to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office, Citizens
Advisory Board(CAB)...chartering documents,mission statement,policies and procedures
and by-laws of the CAB...
It's my understanding that you directed your request to the Spokane County Sheriffs Office, Board of
County Commissioners and the Spokane County Public Records Office.
The Spokane County Sheriffs Office will respond to your request under separate cover.
Please be advised,the Board of County Commissioners,the Spokane County Public Records Office and
the Spokane County Prosecutor's Office do not possess any records satisfying your request.
My file on this matter is closed. I can be reached me directly at(509) 477-2882 should you have any
questions or concerns regarding the processing of your public records request.
Respectfully,
ICAc3 ` '
Lori Zaagman-Bacon
Spokane County
Public Records Specialist
104,o „le'*,.,ry, �il,i,r,u ;