2019, 02-19 Special Meeting, Workshop MINUTES
SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING: WORKSHOP
Spokane Valley City Hall Council Chambers
Spokane Valley, Washington
February 19,2019
Attendance:
Councilmembers 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 Mike Stone,Parks &Roc Director
Sam Wood, Councilmember Chelsie Taylor,Finance Director
Arne Woodard, Councilmember Bill Helbig, City Engineer
Morgan Koudelka, Sr. Administrative Analyst
John Pietro,Administrative Analyst
John Whitehead, Human Resources Manager
Henry Allen, Senior Engineer
Annie Gannon, Public Information Officer
Matt Lyons, Police Inspector
Mark Werner,Police Chief
Christine Bainbridge, City Clerk
Mayor Higgins called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m.
ROLL CALL: City Clerk Bainbridge called the roll, all Councilmembers were present.
1.Review of Public Safety Contracts—Morgan Koudelka, John Pietro, Chief Werner, Inspector Lyons
After City Manager Calhoun gave an overview of the discussion topics, Mr. Koudelka gave a brief
explanation about contracts, cost comparisons, and of the desire to bring Council up-to-date on
developments that may impact the City in the future.
a.Law Enforcement—Chief Werner, Inspector Lyons
Inspector Lyons went through his PowerPoint presentation explaining current and future staff projections,
dedicated commissioned positions, upcoming patrol staffing levels, recruitment efforts and results as well
as efforts to increase the efficiency of processing applicants; outcomes of implementing the power shift;
comparisons of calls for service;patrol hours worked; and the investigation's unit and its primary focus.
There was discussion about recruiting,with Councilmember Thompson asking about a designated recruiter.
Chief Werner replied that we do not have one dedicated recruiter, and Inspector Lyons added that there is
a team of volunteers who do this in addition to everything else they do; they go to job fairs, Fairchild Air
Force Base, the universities, and elsewhere. There was also discussion about educating the public about
how the calls for service work, how they are prioritized, what is not a 9-1-1 call, and why all calls don't
receive a response. Mr. Koudelka stated that we have a high level of service and we want that personal
contact with impacted victims, but it would be nice to have some parameters or performance measures for
customer service;that perhaps we could look at how we deal with those calls when they come in, and then
work to educate the public so as to address any false expectations; that it would be great to solve all cases
and recover all stolen articles, but in many cases,there simply isn't enough evidence to effectively pursue
Special Council Meeting, Workshop:02-19-19 Page 1 of 7
Approved by Council:03-12-19
the crime. Mr. Calhoun said perhaps we could set something on our home page website where it would be
easy to find about how the priorities work;and to also include that information in the Hot Topics newsletter.
Inspector Lyons said we want to be careful and not tell the public we'd never go to a certain type of crime;
but most people are reasonable and will understand about the priorities.
Discussion turned to recidivism; not just putting prolific criminals back on the streets, acknowledging we
can't put everyone in prison; bail reform; trial process; sentencing guidelines; electronic monitoring; that
some crimes could be considered victimless;flight risks versus harm to the community upon release; being
released pending pre-trial, and that there are not enough jail cells. Mr. Driskell noted there will be further
discussions later about incarcerations. Councilmember Peetz mentioned that Spokane has a pilot program
for supervising property crimes, and she questioned if that would work for our city. Chief Werner said the
issue goes back to the Department of Corrections (DOC) not supervising people who commit property
crimes; he said he is not familiar with what Spokane is doing, but doing that kind of a program involves
cost; and a space is needed for when people don't perform as they should; and said he feels the burden
should fall back on the state since they are incarcerated under the DOC. Councilmember Peetz also
mentioned officer training as she stated that she has heard complaints about lack of training,and she asked
if the officer pays for the training. Chief Werner said to his knowledge,that is not the case; adding that they
even allow trainers to use our facility for free classes; that if there were costs involved, those instances
would have to be reviewed to determine if they are reimbursable; and said he is not aware of people who
are paying for classes on their own without reimbursement. Inspector Lyons said they have revamped their
employee evaluation and added a voluntary career development form; that if an officer expresses a certain
interest, he said he would try to move them down that path with appropriate training.
The meeting took a brief recess at 9:55 a.m. and reconvened at 10:01 a.m.
Mr. Koudellca then went over the materials in the charts included in the packet materials, which compare
Spokane Valley Enforcement to other similarly sized Washington cities. Mr. Calhoun noted that for our
law enforcement contract, we are in the second year of a five-year contract, which contract includes a
twenty-four month termination notice, so we will have an administrative report to Council January 2021,
and with that, the topic moved to possible impact fees for example, apartments or large stores to handle
some dedication of policing or security. Mr. Koudelka said there has not been thought to any impact fees
specific to that type of development; but perhaps we would earmark some of the sales tax revenue for law
enforcement; he also mentioned the idea of working with those large retailers to see if they or their loss
preventive personnel might be interested in receiving some limited commissions;he said he'd like to see a
balance between retailers and our resources so not all the burden would be on the City. There was some
discussion about the City's dedicated officers, `pool' positions, and turnover, which is noted, is a country-
wide problem. Councilmember Thompson again mentioned a dedicated recruiter, and that perhaps with
several positions vacant, of spending some of those dollars not spent on officers,to a contracted recruiter,
and Mr. Calhoun noted that is a discussion we could have in the future with Chief Werner and the Sheriff's
Office to get more people here, and to address the idea of dedicated personnel to recruitment efforts.
Mr. Koudelka explained the implementation of a new cost methodology, with the idea being we want to
know as much as possible about our true costs, but also don't want to be penalized for our successes; said
staff has been working on some of these aspects with the County budget office, and we asked for a couple
corrections to the 2019 estimates, one of which was $3 million more than what we thought it should be;
said estimates are derived on a full staff, but we are not paying for people not providing us services so we
felt the estimate should be based on filled positions; adding that we always have a `settle and adjust' at the
end of the year. Mr. Koudellca also noted Chief Werner is researching what generates the need for over-
time, such as vacations or illnesses, and we have asked for monthly updates so we can work to reduce that
and achieve more efficient staffing levels. Councilmembers Thompson and Woodard each mentioned the
Special Council Meeting,Workshop:02-19-19 Page 2 of 7
Approved by Council:03-12-19
idea of reduced housing for specific positions, but staff said they were not aware of those at the present;
and it was mentioned we do not know if those HUD programs still exist.
b. Detention Services
City Attorney Driskell mentioned he has been on the Spokane Regional Law and Justice Council for about
four years,and that Chief Werner is also on that Council;that they have been asked to participate on a work
group researching region-wide incarceration policies and to look at'big picture' concepts on pre-trial hold;
he said the group will make a recommendation to the Facilities Committee which makes the
recommendation to the larger council; said if we were to build a new jail, how would that function; they
need to focus on a program on who and why they are in jail whether due to drug, mental health, or an
interplay between those things;then give an idea of what such a facility would be like including how much
would it cost to build and operate. Mr. Driskell said the existing facility opened in 1986 and doesn't allow
for any programs,and monitoring inmates doesn't work well.He mentioned the Geiger facility at the airport
area, which is really an old military facility; and that we will likely see a ballot measure before the end of
the year as the existing downtown facility is heavily used and is over thirty year's old and suffering from
some maintenance issues.
There was some discussion about pre-trial misdemeanors and handling bookings in the valley, as well as
transporting more than one person at a time; but it was also noted we do not have a holding facility in
Spokane Valley. Mr. Koudelka said a question to consider is, what are we achieving on the turnaround
release, and what do we want to achieve; that sometime it's a matter of getting accurate identification on
these people, and exploring options. He said that the mental health issue consumes a huge amount of law
enforcement officer's time; regarding a new jail, we don't know where a new proposed cost methodology
would end up; that if there is a successful ballot measure, we could end up with something huge; that now
we have options; and said the preference is to learn as much as we can within the next few months and
come to Council with best solutions for moving forward. Mr. Calhoun also noted this topic is introductory
and will be discussed further in the future.
e.District Court
In looking at the charts included in the Council packet, Mr. Koudelka said there is a coding issue now as
the current code is incorrect which indicates we have a higher number; but comparing us to other cities,we
are significantly lower.
d. Public Defender; e. Prosecutor; f. Pretrial
Mr.Koudelka noted we are the only city in the large cities that does not have an in-house prosecutor; that
we have reached that point where perhaps we need a more tailored service,and maybe it is time to consider
a dedicated prosecutor for Spokane Valley; and said this too could be a future Council topic. Mr.Koudelka
mentioned pretrial and the variety of functions, as well as a risk assessment tool, and said without a tool,
we don't know what kind of jail would be needed or how to address a jail population in order to provide
better outcomes. Mr. Pietro added that a risk assessment is also a tool to help judges concerning whether
to release someone, if they would likely re-offend,and/or return to court as scheduled.
g. Emergency Management; h. Animal Control
After briefly going over some of the information contained on the Emergency Management chart, Mr.
Koudelka moved to the animal control information and mentioned our twenty-year contract with SCRAPS
for animal control, which includes the cost of the new animal shelter. He explained that the County and
SCRAPS have continued to have an unbalanced budget due to over spending,that the beginning costs were
miscalculated,and some costs were not adjusted for inflation;said they over expended the budget for capital
costs with $7 million for the shelter instead of the estimated $4.5 million; said when we negotiated this we
wanted to make sure Spokane City didn't get a better deal than us, and there is a clause in the contract to
address that; but it was discovered SCRAPS has not collected capital payments from the City of Spokane
Special Council Meeting,Workshop:02-19-19 Page 3 of 7
Approved by Council:03-12-19
for this entire period; he said we are willing to listen to discussion about how to make this sustainable in
the future; but if they can't get Spokane to pay their fair share,then ifs a non-starter. Mr. Calhoun added
that we are reaching a point in County discussions where we are almost ready to give Council an
administrative report;and that this will end up as a policy discussion from Council on how to proceed;that
we are only in year six of the twenty-year agreement. Mr. Koudelka said we are stewards of taxpayer
dollars; that animals desire and should be treated humanely; but there is a great demand for taxpayer
resources so we want to keep things in perspective;that they didn't ask us about a$7 million animal shelter,
and they are now attempting to shift those costs on us, and said we are not acquiescent, although we
understand some of the calculations were not accurate in the beginning, there is a need to reach a point
where services and costs are fair and equitable for all.
2. General Fund,Fund Balance -Chelsie Taylor
Finance Director Taylor went over the highlights of the memorandum explaining the process of our General
Fund,fund balance,or reserves,and why we carry a minimum 50%,which she said takes into consideration
cash flows and reflects a six month operating reserve, all as noted within the Memorandum included in the
packet.
3. 2020 Budget Development Calendar—Chelsie Taylor
Finance Director Taylor gave a brief review of the upcoming development of the 2020 budget, and noted
among other dates, the Council's Budget Workshop is tentatively set for June 11.
The meeting recessed at 11:25 for lunch, and reconvened at 12:06 p.m.
4. Waste and Recycle Update—Erik Lamb, Morgan Koudelka,Henry Allen
Deputy City Attorney Lamb explained that Waste Management has requested some amendments to our
contract even though we are only about ten months into its ten year term. He explained, as noted on the
Request for Council Action form,that Waste Management has(1)requested a rate increase of$1.01 to the
monthly rate of each residential customer to recover increased costs of recycling; (2) wants to impose a
contamination service charge on persons with excessive recycling contamination; (3)wants changes made
to the acceptable recyclables list, and (4) wants changes made to the contract language on recycling. Mr.
Lamb explained that Waste Management indicated that the basis for the requested changes are due in part
to the recycling market changes implemented by the Chinese Government.
Via their PowerPoint presentation, Mr. Allen briefly went over the information on slide 3 showing the
percentage composition by commodity, as well as the data for 2018, including the residual of 7.7%, which
was explained includes anything not recyclable. As noted on slide 4, Mr. Lamb discussed Waste
Management's request for change as well as the City's response, including that the rate change is not
warranted,the rates were established from a competitive process,the contract is very new,per the contract
the hauler bears the risk of market changes, and there are no clearly identified local impacts. Mr. Lamb
noted Waste Management also wants to remove glass as well as several plastics, and explained that China
has now placed limits on contamination, which must be so low that they effectively stop accepting
recycling. Mr. Lamb noted that we do not want to be going through an annual process to try to evaluate
recycling markets; although we recognize things are changing and he added that this is a partnership and .
we want to work with them. Mr. Koudelka added that if we entertained some of these rate changes after
Waste Management winning the bid, others could be unhappy; he said we want Waste Management to be
successful and we understand there are issues with recycling, but our goal is to maintain low rates for our
customers while preserving the service level; that if for example, Waste Management removed plastics
numbered three through seven, if might be determined that those have very little value and represent a very
small impact to our citizens; but we have to ask if we are caught up in recycling for the sake of recycling,
or if there is net gain; is there value to this, or is it so cost, energy, and resource consuming that we will
have a net loss. Mr. Koudelka said if we can see there's no get gain, we might be willing to consider that.
Special Council Meeting,Workshop:02-19-19 Page 4 of 7
Approved by Council:03-12-19
Mr. KoudelIta mentioned that they want glass in its purest form; that glass can be used as road fill, or in
insulation or sandblasting so it can be re-purposed and kept out of the landfill;that if those possibilities are
acceptable by the Department of Ecology, perhaps that would be something to consider; he said that glass
is a very heavy commodity, and it would be our preference to open other markets for it; that if we removed
it from recycling,the bigger impact is we don't have the volume;that we've been emphasizing that people
can save money by recycling and therefore maybe reduce the size of the garbage container; but to depose
of glass via garbage instead of recycling would have a big impact.
Deputy City Attorney Lamb noted we relied heavily on an outside consultant through the procurement
process,but that consultant will be retiring in June so we are considering getting a consultant to assist with
the credibility of some of the issues, such as is the market failing for glass, and what are the secondary
markets, and how can contamination be reduced. Mr. Lamb also noted we realize Waste Management has
had some corporate challenges, but we want them to put the message out to our citizens about what our
contract provides and what we want; he said we are looking at what kind of education we can use moving
forward, and if we need to, we can put together an appropriate education program for such things as
decontamination. Mr. Lamb also explained as noted on slide 5, that recycling works in a global economy
and one change has rippling effects through the rest of the system; he noted glass has historically been a
challenging commodity and not highly profitable; and he stated that it doesn't appear the glass market was
impacted by the Chinese government even prior to our contract. Mr. Lamb explained that because glass
breaks, it also contaminates other recycling,so staff is looking at glass to see if there are other options, such
as not having a single source pickup, but doing that is also more effort and therefore lends to less public
participation. Mr. Koudelka added that when Waste Management converted to single stream, China was
accepting just about everything, so it was beneficial to the haulers to reduce the number of drivers and
routes, and have a mechanical lift for one bin instead of the driver needing to get out,which also results in
fewer injuries; but there would be an extra cost to revert back as it would mean slower and more routes.
Mr. Koudelka said we have asked Waste Management to think about the entire picture: sorting at the
facility,having material sorted at the curb, and how much that would reduce the cost. Mr. Lamb mentioned
that the City of Spokane has issued an RFP (request for proposal) for someone to take glass so it will be
interesting to see that response.
As noted on slide 6, it was mentioned that there are proposed state legislative changes with at least fourteen
bills being introduced, with Mr. Allen giving a very brief overview of some of the bills such as no straws
and/or no plastics;adding that even if those were passed,we do not know how those bills would be enforced.
Mr. Lamb said staff will continue to monitor these bills.
Discussion ensued about recyclables, with Councilmember Woodard mentioning an article he saw about
plastics and possible uses; he mentioned crushed glass could also be used in asphalt although he
acknowledged that the Department of Transportation would need to approve that method; he added that he
does not want to change our contract as we haven't been in it long enough. Councilmember Wick
mentioned that our contract indicates they must take these items now,but what is the benefit to our citizens,
and what are we gaining; and he too mentioned we are in the beginning of a ten-year contract and doesn't
know if it is worth the time to spend researching commodity issues for glass when we have limited resources
and limited staff. Mr. Koudelka explained that part of the limitations includes that the language in our
contract makes it restrictive on what can be done; but there are also legal implications to consider as we
don't want to put the City at risk; he said staff is trying to understand the reality of the issues and feel we
need to do some fact-checking, adding that maybe a consultant could help provide some straight
information for realistic options. Mr. Lamb stated that our contract mirrors state laws about items to be
recycled and not disposed of as waste; that state law states that repurposing glass in roads doesn't fit into
the definition; so are there other avenues to explore on how to repurpose glass while still addressing the
contamination issue. Mr. Lamb noted that some of the smaller cities such as Liberty Lake and Deer Park
amended their contracts to remove glass from recycling so it is now garbage; and there have been petitions
Special Council Meeting,Workshop:02-19-19 Page 5 of 7
Approved by Council:03-12-19
to the UTC (Utilities and Transportation Commission) to remove glass from recycling. City Manager
Calhoun noted this discussion will continue to evolve as it involves numerous players; that he is sensitive
to how much staff time is committed to this; that it is something we will evaluate and it will be a future
topic for Council as well.
5.Neighborhood Restoration Program—Erik Lamb, Morgan Koudelka, Henry Allen
As noted in the Request for Council Action form, Deputy City Attorney Lamb explained that Council has
previously identified the topic of neighborhood restoration as an advance agenda item; and that staff and
Deputy Mayor Haley and Councilmembers Woodard and Wood have been meeting over the last several
months with solid waste providers as well as with a representative from SCOPE,to outline some parameters
for a pilot neighborhood restoration program for Council consideration.Deputy Mayor Haley said this was
done in the Edgecliff neighborhood as a volunteer program, and it was very effective; said staff chose the
same neighborhood as a pilot project since there is familiarity with the neighborhood;and that staff pursued
issues including funding to see if Council is interested. Councilmember Wood said all involved realize this
is not a substitute for garbage collection, but is a way to clean up a neighborhood where health and safety
issues are involved. Mr.Lamb said the estimated cost of this pilot event is$20,000,which would be funded
through Solid Waste Fund 106.
Mr. Allen said that it seems every municipality has at least examined this issue; that he contacted several
similar cities and many have annual neighborhood clean-up events; some of these events started because of
the accumulated garbage not being removed;that there are also health issues as well as pride in community;
he said this is a pilot project so we don't know how many people will show up or what they might bring,
noting some people in the pilot area subscribe to waste pickup,while others do not.They went through the
details of the event, including sending a letter and ticket, and of the process to participate; adding that one
of the goals is to make sure people only come through once since there will be limited capacity, and we
want to keep track of the participation,Councilmember Woodard asked if the ticket would include the name
and address of the ticket holder, and Mr. Allen said that can be accomplished. It was also mentioned that
as other municipalities have done,this would be limited only to single families and not multi-family areas;
and that the result is, one ticket would enable one family to bring a regular pickup truck full of materials.
The question of accepting household hazardous waste like paint and/or sharp objects like needles was
mentioned, and it was noted those will not be accepted for this pilot project.
Councilmember Woodard suggested maybe getting sponsors in the future and Mr.Lamb said we will likely
develop a contract with SCOPE, the Sheriff's office, and the Department of Transportation as they have
cleared out some properties along 4th near the Freeway, for $100 a day which we could use as a staging
area. Mr-. Calhoun again reminded everyone that this is just a pilot project; and there will be more research
and more to Council in the future.
6. Social Media—Annie Gannon
Public Information Officer Gannon gave a brief overview of the City's new Facebook account, which was
just launched February 4th; and explained that this is in conformance with the objective of engaging the
community; she explained that Facebook is the world's largest social media site; that we would still have
to conform to the regulations under the Public Records Act so its contents would be subject to disclosure;
and she briefly went over the social media guidelines,and roles and responsibilities.Ms. Gannon noted we
welcome dialogue with the public, however, there will be restrictions on comments so as not to have
anything profane or threatening as the primary usage is for distribution of City information and messages.
She noted the City also reserves the right to remove any content that violates the listed restrictions, and/or
to ban or block any user who violates those restrictions. She noted the site will also include a disclaimer
that the City shall not be liable for any content posted by or usage of the account by any site user or visitor.
Ms. Gannon noted we will use this media means to tell our own story and highlight what's important to the
City; and it will also be an opportunity to directly correct misinformation.
Special Council Meeting,Workshop:02-19-19 Page 6 of 7
Approved by Council:03-12-19
Councilmember Woodard asked if that would be another way to let people know about our Tuesday night
agenda,and Ms.Gannon nodded yes;adding that we will probably have a lot of repeat followers. Mr.Lamb
stated that although we would have some control over some of the comments, we would not inhibit free
speech; and that we can establish limited public forms, as we want comments on the topics we post, so we
can dictate that as well.Mr.Allen noted Facebook would also be a good means to address natural disasters,
with Mr. Stone adding that it would also provide a means of notifying parents when pools are closed, or to
remind them about movies, and said he anticipates it will be more heavily used than a media release.
7. Advance Agenda--Mayor Higgins
Councilmember Wood said that he attended a Public Utilities District meeting where there was a lot of
discussion about way signing and that perhaps that is something to re-visit. At least four Councilmernbers
agreed, and Mr. Calhoun said we can bring back information that was presented earlier. Councilmember
Wood also mentioned the previous presentation from Avista and that radiation is a real concern in our
country; said Avista didn't talk about opting out and he wants that to be clear to our residents, and said he
hopes Avista will make that clear. He also noted that Laura Padden has been sending out e-mails about
sidewalks and she suggested plowing snow so as to keep the bike lane open for people to walk on;or raising
the blade a couple of inches instead of taking it down to the road in residential areas; and Councilmember
Woodard agreed he would like to review the snow plowing techniques again. There appeared to be
consensus on bringing the topic back for further discussion. Councilmember Woodard also mentioned the
topic of discussing the pros and cons of mandatory garbage service, but there was no indication of Council
consensus for that item. Mr.Calhoun said he will e-mail Avista representative Ms.Melanie Rose to request
Avista makes it clear citizens have the option of not participating. Mr. Calhoun noted we will also look at
carrying something forward again on the snow plowing issues.
8. EXECUTIVE SESSION [RCW 42.30.110(1)(i)]: Potential Litigation
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Haley, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn into executive session
for,fifteen minutes to discuss potential litigation, and no action will be taken upon return to open session.
Council adjourned into executive session at 2:28 p.m. At 2:43 p.m., Mayor Higgins declared Council out
of executive session, at which time it was moved by Deputy Mayor Haley, seconded and unanimously
agreed to adjourn.
411 Amok120
ATTE ' L.R.Higgins,' . e•
pristine Bainbridge, City Clerk
Special Council Meeting,Workshop:02-19-19 Page 7 of 7
Approved by Council:03-12-19