2018, 11-13 Regular Format MINUTES
City of Spokane Valley
City Council Regular Meeting
Formal Meeting Format
Tuesday,November 13, 2018
Mayor Higgins called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Attendance: Staff
Rod Higgins, Mayor Mark Calhoun, City Manager
Pam Haley, Deputy Mayor John Hohman,Deputy City Manager
Brandi Peetz, Councilmember Cary Driskell, City Attorney
Linda Thompson, Councilmember Erik Lamb, Deputy City Attorney
Ben Wick, Councilmember Chelsie Taylor,Finance Director
Sam Wood, Councilmember Mike Stone, Parks &Rec Director
Arne Woodard, Councilmember Matt Lyons, Police Inspector
Bill Helbig, City Engineer
Lori Barlow, Senior Planner
Elisha Heath,Executive Assistant
Shane Arlt,Public Works Maint. Superintendent
Tom Danielson, Maint. Construction Inspector
Brant Collier, Maint. Construction Inspector
Christine Bainbridge, City Clerk
INVOCATION: Pastor Darrell Cole of Living Hope Community Church gave the invocation.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Council, staff, and the audience stood 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 Haley, seconded and unanimously agreed to
approve the amended agenda.
INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS AND PRESENTATIONS nla
COMMITTEE,BOARD,LIAISON SUMMARY REPORTS
Councilmember Thompson: reported that she attended the GSI (Greater Spokane, Inc.) Development
breakfast where they heard about what's happening with our economy.
Councilmember Wick: said he also attended the GSI economic forecast, and the United States is in its
second largest economic expansion,but interest rates have not risen and inflation has been low; said he also
attended the Health Board meeting where they continue the search for an executive director.
Councilmember Wood: no report.
Councilmember Peetz: said she attended several grand openings; went to the Heritage Museum's
fundraiser; and the Sheriff's Office Advisory Board meeting where they heard a report concerning the
Crimes Against Person Unit.
Councilmember Woodard: stated he attended the SRTC (Spokane Regional Transportation Council)
meeting where they approved the priority list of projects for funding,which now goes to the Department of
Transportation and said he hopes to hear by the end of January about our five approved projects; said there
were over 40 priority projects and only 23 were funded partially, with only a few fully funded.
Deputy Mayor Haley: said she attended the STA (Spokane Transit Authority) board meetings and last
month was the first time there was no increase in sales tax, said a lot of bidding is going on, and she noted
that Kendall Yards developer had given out free bus passes.
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MAYOR'S REPORT
Mayor Higgins reported that he attended the Clean Air Agency meeting where the concern is smoke and
particles from wood burning; said he went to Eyemart, and had an interesting tour of ICatera; also attended
the Museum's fundraiser;mentioned that several cub scouts came to city Hall on the 801; said he gave some
comments at several Veterans' Day events;went to the North/South Corridor Advisory Committee meeting
where they learned from citizens groups that they intend between now and 2022 to spend$100 million and
$30 million in 2019; said the timeline set to complete the project is the end of 2021.
PROCLAMATIONS: Small Business Saturday
Mayor Higgins read the"Small Business Saturday"proclamation,which it was noted,was previously sent
to the Director of the Small Business Saturday Coalition.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: After Mayor Higgins explained the process, he invited public comments.
Mr. Eric Sachtjen, Liberty Lake: said he is an attorney at Paine Hamblen, and his client is the Black Pearl
Casino; said his client presented to Council in 2014 that he would like the gambling tax reduced,and it was
reduced to 6%;and said it was done with the idea it would be revisited in the future;said the City of Spokane
has 2% and Spokane Valley's is three times that; said they would save two-thirds of that if they moved to
the City of Spokane; said his client is a small business and is put at an unfair disadvantage to those who
operate in the City of Spokane; said this his client's revenues would be relatively small and he would like
future discussion to reduce that gambling tax down to 2%, so his client won't be forced to relocate his
business.
Ms. Nina Fluegal, Spokane Valley: asked to have someone look into the possibility of having a school
crossing at North Pines; said there are five schools on Broadway Avenue and all except North Pines have
a crosswalk; said it is a brand new school and she doesn't understand why they haven't initiated a crossing
guard or a crosswalk.
Mr. Matt Hillbrich, Spokane Valley: said he is the representative for the neighborhood of Ridgemont and
they are concerned about how to reduce the volume of traffic that uses 22"d as a major thoroughfare; said
there are no sidewalks or speed prevention measures and there are three blind corners, and a steep grade;
he expressed thanks for what has taken place over the past few weeks in performing another speed test and
in responding to his e-mails; said he is asking for a permanent solution before traffic increases by another
one or two thousand; and he handed the City Clerk signed petitions from Ridgemont residents asking for
traffic enforcement measures. City Manager Mark Calhoun mentioned that this topic will be an agenda
item on the December 4,2018 Council agenda.
1. PUBLIC HEARING: 2019 Budget—Chelsie Taylor
Mayor Higgins opened the public hearing at 6:26 p.m. Finance Director Taylor briefly went over the
highlights of the budget. Mayor Higgins invited public comments and noted that this is the only opportunity
tonight to comment on this as no comments will be taken on the next agenda item. No comments were
offered and Mayor Higgins closed the public hearing at 6:30 p.m.
2. Second Reading Ordinance 18-024 Adopting 2019 Budget—Chelsie Taylor
After City Clerk Bainbridge read the ordinance title, it was moved by Deputy Mayor Haley and seconded
to approve Ordinance 18-024 adopting the 2019 budget. Councilmember Thompson expressed
appreciation of how this process was conducted and of the high level of interaction and work.
Councilmember Wick said he understands that some help is needed in public works and he wants to be
accommodating, but that he is not sure he is comfortable with five additional employees; said two would
be more in line; said hire the two engineers and the others could be contracted out; said he talked to some
who would be interested; said he realizes that last time we didn't get a response to such proposal, but
perhaps the timing was wrong;in addition; said we will have extra money projected in the end fund balance
and he would like to take$2.8 million and move that toward capital projects.Deputy Mayor Haley said she
is opposed to both of Mr.Wick's suggestions;that she is very fiscally responsible and conservative and has
a problem with spending money we haven't received yet;that she thinks we need the engineers as we have
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Approved by Council: 12-11-2018
huge projects coming up and had difficulty filing those positions, or we spent more money because of
consultant errors; and said she likes the budget the way it is. Councilmember Peetz said she would support
CounciImember Wick if he made a motion regarding the additional FTEs;she suggested hiring maybe two
or three at a time and then add some later as she wouldn't want to lay anyone off.Councilmember Woodard
said we have at least 25 unassigned projects and Mr.Hohman confirmed there is an upcoming backlog, and
three construction inspectors and two engineering-level positions are needed; that each of those positions
has been thoroughly thought-out and the scope of the situation is, we do have a lot of projects, probably
more than 25; said staff has tapped out the consultant market; that they did put out an RFP (request for
proposal)and only had one of the three qualified individuals who knew how to do the federal process; said
we have outgrown the staffing model in engineering and need these positions. Mr.Hohman also mentioned
that staff is highly dedicated and there are several project managers working sometimes seven days a week,
ten or more hours a day for weeks at a time; said these positions are necessary, and if we don't have them,
we would have to come back to Council and discuss which projects not to pursue,which could have grant
funding implications. Mr.Hohman noted these positions would be budgeted between the general fund and
grants. Vote by acclamation: In favor: Mayor Higgins, Deputy Mayor Haley, and Councilmembers
Thompson, Woodard and Wood. Opposed: Councilmembers Wick and Peetz. Motion carried.
3. 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 claim vouchers on Nov 13,2018 Request for Council Action Form Total: $$4,468,319.81
b. Approval of Payroll for Pay Period Ending October 31, 2018: $488,997.41
e. Approval of October 16, 2018 Council Meeting Minutes, Study Session Format
d. Approval of October 23, 2018 Council Meeting Minutes, Regular Formal Format
e. Approval of Tearing Examiner Interlocal Agreement
f Approval of Federal Lobbyist Contract
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Haley, seconded and unanimously agree to approve the Consent Agenda.
NEW BUSINESS:
4. Second Reading Ordinance 18-023 Approving 2018 Budget Amendment—Chelsie Taylor
After City Clerk Bainbridge read the ordinance title, it was moved by Deputy Mayor Haley and seconded
to approve Ordinance 18-023 amending Ordinance 17-014 which adopted a budget for the period January
1, 2018 through December 31, 2018, as subsequently amended by Ordinance 18-011. After Finance
Director Taylor briefly went over the amendments,Mayor Higgins invited public comment. No comments
were offered. Vote by acclamation:In favor: unanimous. Opposed: none. Motion carried.
5.Resolution 18-008 Amending Governance Manual—Chris Bainbridge
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Haley and seconded to approve Resolution 18-008 amending the Spokane
Valley Governance Manual, as presented City Clerk Bainbridge explained that this item has been before
Council numerous times now,that the attached manual is not in track-change format as it becomes difficult
to actually read the content with so many changes, so the"clean" version is attached; she mentioned that
the deleted chapters were very small: one had two pages and the other was one page; and those chapter
materials was either deleted as previous noted, or moved elsewhere in the manual. Ms. Bainbridge noted
that the only other change in the manual is as shown on the Request for Council Action form, concerning
travel funding allocations for Councilmembers. There were no objections to the proposed change. Mayor
Higgins invited public comment. Mr. Bob West, Spokane Valley: said he noted there was a vote a few
weeks ago to put a cap on public comments;said this would be suppressing his right to address this Council
and hopes this could be set aside and addressed separately;and he suggested either having two opportunities
for public comment, or not put a cap on the first one. There were no further comments.
Councilmember Peetz said she can't support cutting back the time for public comment; that people come
here to speak their minds. Councilmember Wick said he feels the 45 minutes was a good compromise.
Councilmember Woodard said no one is trying to suppress the people's opportunities or to suppress
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Approved by Council: 12-11-2018
government; said this is a business meeting; but if there are"hot button" items Council wants to hear about
those things; said in the past he has sat through Council meetings over two hours before even getting started
into the business part of the meeting;and he suggested maybe looking in the future to change the placement
of the public comment, which might help with people who would arrive late to the meeting. Vote by
acclamation: In favor: Mayor Higgins, Deputy Mayor Haley, and Councilmembers Thompson, Wick,
Woodard, and Wood. Opposed Councilmember Peetz. Motion carried.
6. Motion Consideration: Approval of 2019 Legislative Agenda—Mark Calhoun
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Haley and seconded to approve the proposed 2019 Legislative Agenda as
drafted. City Manager Calhoun explained that this is the third time this has come before Council for
discussion;that this version is similar to what was discussed the previous time,with the change concerning
the funding for basic law enforcement academy, adding that we desire two training sessions. Mr. Calhoun
said he has also forwarded this agenda to Spokane County in case they might want to use our language; that
staff worked to condense the language to fit on two sides of one sheet of paper,but that the language is still
very clear. There was brief discussion about our statement at the bottom of the legislative agenda about
supporting AWC (Association of Washington Cities) legislative agenda items with the caveat added, that
serve the best interests of Spokane Valley; so even though AWC might support Seattle's local income tax,
that does not mean we support that as well. Councilmember Wick suggested adding the word "region" in
the item concerning law enforcement,to it would read: ".... to be held in the Spokane region." It was then
moved by Deputy Mayor Haley and seconded to amend the motion to include the word 'region"as noted.
Mayor Higgins invited public comment;no comments were offered. Vote by acclamation on amending the
motion: In favor: unanimous. Opposed: none. Motion carried. Vote by acclamation on the fully amended
motion to approve the proposed 2019 Legislative Agenda as drafted except adding the word region where
indicated:In favor: unanimous. Opposed:none.Motion carried Councilmember Wick mentioned the idea
of having a federal agenda for the future, and Mr. Calhoun said staff has discussed that as part of the scope
of work for our newly contracted Iobbyist. Mr. Calhoun said we are working to set up a meeting with the
4th District Legislators, for perhaps December 11,and he will let Council know as soon as the date and time
are confirmed.
6a. Motion Consideration: City Hall/CenterPlace Holiday Closure—Mayor Higgins (added item)
Mayor Higgins said that traditionally, we have taken a half day off before Thanksgiving; and this year
Christmas and New Year's both fall on a Tuesday, which means the preceding Monday will largely be a
useless day as far as business goes, and he recommended closing at noon the Wednesday prior to
Thanksgiving, and to close all day December 24 and all day December 31. It was then moved by Deputy
Mayor Haley and seconded to close City Hall and CenterPlace at 12:00 pm, noon, Wednesday,November
21, 2018 to allow staff time to prepare for their Thanksgiving Holiday; and to close City Hall and
CenterPiace for the entire day on Monday December 24, 2018, and Monday December 31, 2018. This
closure affects only normal administrative functions of the City, however, all pre-planned events at
CenterPiace will take place as scheduled. Mayor Higgins invited public comment; no comments were
offered. Vote by acclamation:In favor: unanimous. Opposed: none. Motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: Mayor Higgins invited public comment.
Ms. Nina Fluegal, Spokane Valley: mentioned she is again seeking sponsors for next February's open
martial arts tournament; said this is a huge tournament that brings several thousand people to the area from
all over.
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS:
7.Annual Comprehensive Plan Amendment 2019 Docket—Lori Barlow
Planner Barlow briefly explained the annual Comprehensive Plan amendment process, and said the
amendments are divided into map amendments, and text amendments; that the amendments may be
privately initiated or proposed by City Council, Planning Commission or staff, and that most privately
initiated amendments deal with land use changes.Ms.Barlow said the City received three privately initiated
amendments,and that Council is scheduled to take action on the official docket at the November 20 Council
Minutes Regular Council Meeting: 11-13-2018 Page 4 of 5
Approved by Council: 12-11-2018
meeting. With the aid of her PowerPoint, Ms. Barlow explained the three privately initiated map
amendments; the two City-initiated map amendments, which she said is mostly housekeeping to rectify
these maps to make them consistent with the construction projects, adding that they have not been updated
since 2011; and the City-initiated text amendments to Chapter 5 and Chapter 2. There was no objection to
staff bringing this forward at the November 20 Council meeting.
8. Snow Removal—John Hohrnan, Shane Arlt,Torn Danielson, Brant Collier,Elisha Heath
Deputy City Manager Hohman introduced accompanying staff members, explained their titles and duties
relative to snow removal; and said they are here to talk about snow removal activities.Via their PowerPoint,
staff explained the snow removal options, what we are doing now,what we have done in the past, and the
time/cost breakdown for each option; they showed photos of sidewalk clearing and expectation of what is
a clear sidewalk,compared with what would and would not result in a violation.Further discussion included
snow berms, why the roads are cleared at night,whether or not to continue with slowing down the plows;
estimated annual cost of$800,000 for performing this service; education of the public,warning notices and
citations; purchasing two more plows; and that time is money.Enforcement in commercial areas was also
mentioned as well as comment from Mr. Hohman that most of those businesses have someone clear their
parking lots,so it is not much more to have them clear the frontage sidewalk.Total miles of Safe Routes to
School, and total sidewalks were also mentioned; and Mr. Arlt indicated we might be able to rent some
equipment with a contractor for sidewalk clearing. Council ultimately agreed to move forward with option
2 on a trial basis, which includes returning to normal speeds, and if that doesn't work as expected, other
options can be re-examined.
9. Advance Agenda—Mayor Higgins
Councilmember Thompson said she drove down Broadway and only saw two people jaywalking at North
Pines; and suggested we need to look at crosswalks information. City Attorney Driskell said traffic
engineering staff can give advice on what the options are as we don't want to identify what is an appropriate
response for any given area; and said in that regard, a member of WCIA (Washington Cities Insurance
Authority) will be before Council December 4 giving a briefing on that issue. Councilmember Woodard
mentioned re-addressing the Governance Manual for discussion on the placement of the public comments
on the agenda, and Mr. Calhoun said he will put that on as early as possible.
INFORMATION ONLY (will not be reported or discussed): n/a
CITY MANAGER COMMENTS
City Manager Calhoun mentioned the SRTC grant awards;noted there will be a Council meeting next week
but not the 27`1'ofNovember;and reminded everyone of the November 29 Christmas tree lighting ceremony
here at City Hall at 5:30 p.m., compliments of the Rotary Club.
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Haley, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn. The meeting
adjourned at 8:17 p.m.
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hristine Bainbridge, City Clerk
Minutes Regular Council Meeting: 11-13-2018 Page 5 of 5
Approved by Council: 12-11-2018
SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
6:00 p.m. Regular Meeting
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