2016, 04-22 Special Council of Governments MINUTES
Special Regional Council of Governments Meeting
Hosted by Spokane County Board of County Commissioners
Friday,April 22,2016
9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Spokane County Fair and Expo Center, Conference Facility
404 N Havana Street, Spokane Valley, Washington
Attendance:
Spokane Valley Council Staff
Rod Higgins, Mayor Christine Bainbridge, City Clerk
Arne Woodard, Deputy Mayor
Ed Pace, Councilmember
Sam Wood, Councilmember
Bill Gothmann, Councihnember Pro Tena
Others in Attendance: Various elected officials and staff members
1. Welcome&Review of Meeting Agenda—Spokane Co. Commissioner Shelly O'Quinn
Commissioner Chair O'Quinn welcomed everyone to the meeting and gave those in attendance the
opportunity for self-introductions.
2. Spokane Regional Law and Justice Council Update—Jackie van Wormer
Ms. Van Wormer explained that she is the project manager for the Spokane Regional Law and Justice
Council; she talked about the nine subcommittees within the Council, the McArthur Foundation and the
awarding of$6 Billion in McArthur Foundation and other grants,and that Spokane County was selected as
a grant recipient of$1.75 million. She explained that the juvenile prison facility has been shut down and
the number of juvenile crimes has dropped; however, the local jail populations have grown tremendously
and they are working on ways to reduce the length of stay as well as the number of inmates. She mentioned
that jails such as L.A. County hold as many as 22,000 prisoners, so we are small in comparison. She
explained that there are opportunities to safely reduce jail populations, and noted that about 85% of those
in jail have some sort of mental health need. She explained that it is possible to reduce jail populations
without increasing the crime rate. She also mentioned people in pre-trial status and that most of those are
eventually not convicted; also noted about 68% nationally have a history of abusing drugs and/or alcohol;
said the consequences of not having housing or stable employment equals to a greater likelihood to reoffend.
Ms. Van Wormer mentioned a 2014 study that included statistics from 150,000 local jails which showed
65-70%of those incarcerated were in pre-trial status; it showed the county populations by race that showed
that about 1.9% of the county population, or 12% of those in jail were African-American; percentages of
length of stay showed the majority were in for thirty days or less with Caucasians at 17%; African-
Americans at 25%, and others at 21%. She said the committee will be examining the data and bringing
back reports; and they are also seeking reform with the bail amounts as many cannot afford the bail. She
said the goal is 20% reduction in the actual population by 2019.
3. 92nd Air Refueling Wing Commander, Colonel Charles B. McDaniel.
Colonel McDaniel gave a short address on his coming to Fairchild, a little about his background at Scott
Air Force Base; the work done and being done to keep air force bases competitive; he mentioned the
weapons school and other training to learn about new aircraft.
Special: Regional Council of Governments 04-22-2016 Page 1 of 3
Approved by Council: 05-24-2016
4.Emergency Communications 1/10`h of 1%Renewal Project Charter—Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and Public
Safety Project Manager Ariane Schmidt.
Sheriff Knezovich spoke about the Emergency Communications and Facilities One Tenth of One Percent
Sales Tax Measure Renewal, the purpose of which is to provide a process to gather information to be
presented to the Board of County Commissioners for their consideration in conjunction with determining
whether to submit a ballot proposition to the voters to renew the one tenth percent sales tax for emergency
communications systems and facilities, which is set to expire September 30, 2018. [The handout on this
Spokane County Project Charter stated"It is not intended to take a position in support or opposition of any
renewal ballot proposition.] The Sheriff explained that if the sales tax measure is renewed,those funds can
only be used for the stated purpose, and that there will be an advisory board to make sure that is the case.
Sheriff Knezovich went over some history of the demise of Crime Check and of the citizen's desire that it
be resurrected; said without Crime Check, there were significant impacts, such as the 9-1-1 system
overloading. Sheriff Knezovich showed a graph depicting the impact of having crime check vs having it;
said to continue interoperability the sales tax must continue or we will be back where we were before;
bottom line: if the tax goes away, so does Crime Check.
5. City and Town Updates:
Spokane Valley Mayor Higgins spoke of the plans for the City's new City hall and of the upcoming
bid award May 3; mentioned the Bridging the Valley project and that he went to Washington, D.C. as part
of the GSI (Greater Spokane, Inc.) "fly-in" and spoke to officials there about our Barker and Pines grade
crossing; mentioned possible grant sources to assist with those projects, such as FASTLANE and TIGER.
Liberty Lake Mayor Peterson spoke about an upcoming bond measure for a community center and
pool and of the need for a gathering space for the community;said construction permitting is up;mentioned
a newly passed ordinance regulating the use of golf carts or similar vehicles on public property; said they
will be working to have reclaimed water on the golf courses; and mentioned a new round-about to replace
a four-way stop.
6. Spokane Gives, Construction Update—Spokane Mayor David Condon
Mayor Condon announced that this year will be the largest construction year ever; and that it all will be
done without raising taxes; said that over the next four years, Spokane will invest about $145 million in
public infrastructure in and around the City core,all of which will transform the look of the downtown; said
the work includes renovation of Riverfront Park, installation of two large underground tanks to manage
overflows from combined wastewater and stormwater sewers, and streetscape improvements. Mayor
Condon also referenced his handout"Link Spokane."
7. City and Town Updates:
A representative from Millwood spoke of various upcoming public works projects, including
improvements for parking;and a representative from Cheney spoke of their"Clean Sweep"project to clean
up city rail/train issues,including the possibility of a Quiet Zone proposal;also mentioned FEMA assistance
from the November windstorm.
8. Election Update, Regional and National—Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton
Ms. Dalton said that this is election season and a ballot will be issued soon for the May 24 Presidential
Primary; she showed a list of expiring taxes/levies and said that if anyone is interested in placing an issue
on a ballot, she would appreciate at least a three-month advance notice.
Special:Regional Council of Governments 04-22-2016 Page 2 of 3
Approved by Council: 05-24-2016
9. City and Town Updates:
A representative from Rockford mentioned their upcoming annual frog race; and said that
tomorrow all the street lights will begin to get switched to LED lights; she also mentioned June 11 as
Fairfield Flag Day.
Commissioner O'Quinn stated that Spokane County will be updating their website soon.
10.Economic Update and Overview of the Community Indicators—Patrick Jones
Dr. Patrick Jones, Executive Director of EWU's Institute for Public Policy&Economic Analysis since its
inception, spoke of the"Spokane Community Indicators"large website and of the methods used for getting
relevant information, and mentioned that this is not an EWU invention; said the data shows how we are
doing economically; it looks at the population and demographics, adding that Spokane Valley is part of the
larger region of Spokane; said all the data helps in growth projections for the County. He said a significant
part of the population data is how people find us; he went over some general housing, population, and
business information, as well as measures of income and earnings and which areas are higher income and
which are lower; said some of the wealthiest areas are in Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake and other outer
ring areas. Dr. Jones spoke about the problem of how we get wages to go up; and what kind of jobs and
how competitive are we;and he mentioned some of our top five employers include health care,government,
retail trade, tourism, and manufacturing,with the highest and best wages in manufacturing.
Commissioner O'Quinn thanked everyone for coming, and the meeting adjourned shortly after noon.
ATTE SAi L.R. Higgi - ro•
Christine Bainbri.ge, City Clef'
Special:Regional Council of Governments 04-22-2016 Page 3 of 3
Approved by Council: 05-24-2016
Spokane County Project Charter
dt"� L"..
SPOKANT COUNT(
Project Title:
Emergency Communications and Facilities One Tenth of One Percent Sales Tax Measure Renewal. The purpose of this
document is to provide a process to gather information to be presented to the Board of County Commissioners for their
consideration in conjunction with determining whether or not to submit a ballot proposition to the voters of Spokane
county to renew the one tenth percent sales tax for emergency communications systems and facilities set to expire on
September 30,2018. It is not intended to take a position in support or opposition of any renewal ballot proposition.
Executive Overview:
The optional one tenth percent sales taxes for emergency communications systems and facilities is currently in place in
Spokane County as a result of a ballot proposition passed by the voters at a Special Election held May 20,2008. 66.23%
supported the imposition of the tax and 33.78%opposed the imposition of the tax. The passage of the ballot
proposition authorized the Board of County Commissioners to impose an additional one tenth percent sales and use tax
in the entire county for emergency communications systems and facilities. The tax commenced on October 1,2008 and
is set to expire September 30, 2018.
The proceeds from the present tax must be used for certain purposes set forth in Section No.8 of Spokane County
Resolution No. 2008-0668 which provides:
Moneys received from the tax imposed under this chapter shall be used exclusively for the financing,
design, acquisition, construction, equipping, operating, maintaining, remodeling, repairing,reequipping,
and improvement of emergency communication systems and facilities, to include equipment, crime check
and the reverse emergency notification system.
In conjunction with the passage of the ballot proposition,the Board of County Commissioners established the Citizens
Emergency Communication Systems and Facilities Advisory Committee to consist of six(6) individuals. The Citizens
Advisory Board was tasked on an annual basis with preparing a fiduciary report which included the status of completed,
pending and future projects/services funded by the tax and the appropriateness of the use of those moneys.
In order for funding to continue,voters must renew the imposition of the optional sales and use tax through a ballot
proposition approved by simple majority vote.
Business Case Justification:
Prior to May 20, 2008,Spokane County emergency communications systems and facilities faced many issues including
among others: (i) no Crime Check services, (ii) radio sites and towers in need of replacement and soon to be out of
compliance with Federal Standards, (iii) separate radio communication systems for Law& Fire\EMS styming radio
interoperability, and (iv) lack of technology to support GPS locations for emergency vehicles.
The Citizens Advisory Committee has followed through on citizen concerns through the reinstatement of Crime Check,
new Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)system,ALERT Spokane citizen emergency notification,state-of-the-art 800 MHz
Radio Network with integrated Law&Fire\EMS radio communication. It has also continued to confirm the stewardship
of all expenditures of sales tax proceeds.
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Spokane County Project Charter
SPotciW Cot>NttY
Renewing this sales tax measure will allow Spokane County public safety agencies to maintain the enhanced
communications system that has been constructed over the last ten years and includes provision for future
enhancement.Specific needs for the renewal funds include:
• Maintain &improve the emergency communications radio and all other emergency communication systems,
infrastructure&facilities(to include necessary upgrades) utilized by public safety responders
• Assess the current and future needs for Public Safety emergency response back-up capabilities and facility
infrsstrucutre provisioning.
• Provide ongoing funds for 911 operations funding shortfalls ("911 delta")
• Maintain &improve Crime Check call taking and reporting functions ("Crime Check delta")
• Maintain and enhance citizen emergency notification(including NextGen 911 )
• Provision for multi-media as part of emergency call receiving and response
• Ability to maintain federal requirements for emergency communications(FCC narrow banding)
• Maintain and improve interoperability with federal and regional partners for emergency response
• Other critical systems for public safety communications used in emergency response including CAD, Dispatch
equipment and Mobile Data computer environment
• Identify opportunities for Public Safety operational integration
With the measures expiration, no other local funding is available to provide the above without negative financial impact
to individual jurisdictions.The renewal will allow for a coordinated,collaborative approach affording the best possible
distribution and operational effectiveness to agencies and our citizens.
Project Manager:
Ariane Schmidt
Project Team:
1. Undersheriff Jeff Tower(Representing:SCSO, Spokane County, Regional Law Enforcement)
2. Bob Lincoln (Representing:Spokane Regional Emergency Communications(SREC)and prior measure leadership)
3. Chief Bobby Williams(Representing:City of Spokane,Spokane Fire Department, Regional Fire Service/CCC
Liaison)
4. Chief Bryan Collins ( Representing: Emergency Communications Board Chair)
5. Lorlee Mizell (Representing: 911 and Crime Check)
6. Assistant Chief Craig Meidl (Representing: City of Spokane,Spokane Police Department)
7. Councilman Chuck Hafner(Citizen Representative)
Subject Matter Experts(SMEs):
1. Jim Emacio, Chief Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, statutory legal counsel for County
2. James Caddy, City of Spokane (Analytics)
3. Valerie Keegan,SREC(Financials)
4. Becky Gehret,Spokane county ISD
5. Eric Finch, City of Spokane CITO
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Spokane County Project Charter
SPOKAg COUNUY
6. Gavin Cooley,City of Spokane CFO
7. Public Safety Information Technology Governance Committee
Stakeholders&Governance:
Oversight
Emergency Communications Policy Board
Public Safety Agency Stakeholders
Spokane County 911
Law Fire/EMS
Spokane County Sheriff's Office (and contract agencies) Spokane Fire Department
Spokane Police Department Spokane Valley Fire Department
Spokane Valley Police Department Spokane Fire District 2
Liberty Lake Police Department Spokane Fire District 3
Airway Heights Police Department Spokane Fire District 4
Eastern Washington University Police Department Spokane Fire District 5
Cheney Police Department Spokane Fire District 8
Washington State Patrol Spokane Fire District 9
Spokane International Airport Police Spokane Fire District 10
Spokane Fire District 11 _
Spokane Fire District 12
Spokane Fire District 13
Airway Heights Fire Department
Cheney Fire Department
Medical Lake Fire Department
Spokane International Airport Fire Department
Other Government Stakeholders
Spokane County City of Airway Heights
City of Spokane City of Cheney
City of Spokane Valley Inland Empire Mayor's Association
City of Liberty Lake Regional Employee Representative Groups
Department of Natural Resources(DNR)
Bureau of Land Management(BLM)
Adjacent Counties Law, Fire and EMS Agencies
Tribal Agencies
Other Stakeholders
Greater Spokane Department of Emergency Management
Private sector emergency response partners
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Spokane County Project Charter
SPOT COUNT!
Project Objectives and Deliverables:
Objectives
1. Coordinated effort by above stakeholders for a renewed measure
2. Easily understandable and articulated renewal points for the initiative
3. Wide distribution of fact sheet to the community for awareness and support of renewal
4. Clear legal interpretation for the renewal
5. Decision as to whether or not to have a sunset(may impact vote for simple or majority) and how long assets are
valued as related to recalculations for either scenario
Deliverables include, but may not be limited to:
1. Approved financial plan including priority of expenditures
2. Preparation of a resolution that could be used by jurisdictions consistent with RCW 42.17A.555 for support of
initiative
3. Informational packet consistent with RCW42.17A.555 for distribution methods and schedule
4. Recommend to the Board of Spokane County Commissioners a ballot date as well as overall schedule leading up
to the vote date
5. Identification of potential financial and operational impacts if the measure does not pass
Project Scope(Boundaries):
Entire County as provided for in RCW 82.14.420
Project Assumptions and Risks:
Assumptions:
• Participation of all agencies either directly or via delegates
• All items included in the measure renewal are justifiable expenditures
• Balanced budget
• Identification of critical radio and other communications system components.
o Determine and Prioritize which components will be a part of the proposed ballot.
• Coordinated consensus and support among agency stakeholder
• Provision for third party(citizen, elected employee groups) initiative support
Risks:
• The measure is not renewed
• Lack of local government and community engagement
• Too many competing measures
• Opposition to ballot measure
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Spokane CountycCharter
p Project1
SPOKARE COWIY
Project Budget:
A monthly project operating budget from the project team will be presented to the Emergency Communications Policy
Board for the duration of the project. Expected costs include project management and minor administrative needs by
the project team.
Renewal
Project Timeline: Measure Sunset of
Project Written and Original
Charter Reviewed, Measure
Authorization and (September
(April 2016) Approved 2018)
• •
Project Team Ballot Vote
Gather
Requirments
Motion fo °pproval:
�meyge y Com. u ic- i•ns Policy Board Inland Empire Law Enforcment Association
Ch of Bry: • ins, r Kevin Holden,Chair
Combined Commu icati.ns Center(CCC) Board Association of Northeast Washington Mayors
Chief Bruce Holloway,Chair Mayor Kevin Freeman,Chair
Project Sponsor(s):
Spokane County Commissioners
Commissioner Shelly O'Quinn,Chair
Commissioner Al French,Vice-Chair
•
Commissioner Nancy McLaughlin
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