2020, 03-03 Study SessionMINUTES
City of Spokane Valley
City Council Regular Meeting
Study Session Format
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Mayor Wick called the meeting to order at 6 pm.
Ben Wick, Mayor
Brandi Peetz, Deputy Mayor
Pam Haley, Councilmember
Tim Hattenburg, Councilmember
Rod Higgins, Councilmember
Linda Thompson, Councilmember
Arne Woodard, Councilmember [left at 6:25 pm]
Mark Calhoun City Manager
John Hohman, Deputy City Manager
Cary Driskell, City Attorney
Erik Lamb, Deputy City Attorney
Mike Stone, Parks & Rec Director
Chelsie Taylor, Finance Director
Mark Werner, Police Chief
Jenny Nickerson, Building Official
Gloria Mantz, Engineering Manager
Mike Basinger, Economic Dev. Manager
John Whitehead, Human Resources Manager
Christine Bainbridge, City Clerk
ROLL CALL: City Clerk Bainbridge called the roll; all Councilmembers were present.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz, seconded and unanimously agreed to
approve the amended agenda.
ACTION ITEMS:
1. Motion Consideration: Sprague & Barker Intersection Improvement Project — Gloria Mantz, Erica
Amsden
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz and seconded to authorize City Staff to advance the design of the
Sprague -Barker intersection, with a roundabout. Ms. Mantz explained the existing conditions, the options
of a traffic signal or a roundabout, including the pros and cons of each, and ended by stating that staff
recommends the roundabout for this location. She also mentioned that this project's concepts were
presented to the public on February 20, 2020, which was attended by approximately 70 people; said staff
received twenty-five written comments, with twelve in favor of a roundabout, nine in favor of a signal, and
four with no preference. Councilmember Higgins asked if staff accommodated the concerns voiced by a
woman at the previous meeting and Ms. Mantz said that Ms. Amsden sent her an invitation to meet via e-
mail, but that Ms. Amsden has been out for the last few days so she (Ms. Mantz) doesn't know if a meeting
has been scheduled. Ms. Mantz also noted that the concepts showing are not the final designs, but are just
concepts to compare the signal versus a roundabout. Mayor Wick invited public comment. Ms. Barb
Howard, Spokane Valley: said this would be three -fourths of a mile from the school being built in Liberty
Lake; said she heard they want a sports complex out there, and she asked why isn't Liberty Lake or the
school district helping with the expense; said she also doesn't understand why the City would destroy this
woman's property. There were no further public comments.
Discussion ensued about the various aspects of the project. Councilmember Woodard said that he hopes the
engineering staff will go to the property in question to better address the woman's concerns; said he realizes
this is not final but that maybe the roundabout could go north and maybe twist into the west, otherwise, it
will make accessibility with her property a problem and that likely she will have a problem selling it. Ms.
Mantz assured Council that staff works closely with property owners on this and on every project, and that
staff offered to meet the woman at her property at her convenience. Councilmember Haley said she is
uncomfortable with this project and would like something worked out so the woman doesn't have a
Council Meeting Minutes: 03-03-2020 Page I of 4
Approved by Council: 03-24-2020
roundabout in her front yard, and if staff could do that, she would support the roundabout. Mayor Wick
asked about the next steps and Ms. Mantz said that staff could come back with another administrative report
if that is Council's desire. Mr. Calhoun explained that if Council wants staff to come back at the 60% design
point, we can, and if Council thinks at that point the option is unacceptable, we could backtrack and do a
signal, at our cost. There was some question about right-of-way guidelines and Ms. Mantz said there isn't
anything in the federal process on how far to take a right-of-way, but we would have to comply with the
federal process and compensate for any damages to the property. Mr. Hohman said we will get into the
specific design elements in the coming months, and asked Council to keep in mind that a signal takes a lot
more property than a roundabout; he said staff will do all we can to minimize impact and if Council wants
to see the final concept, we can oblige. Vote by acclamation: in favor: unanimous. Opposed: none. Motion
carried.
2. Motion Consideration: Adoption of Federal Legislative Agenda — Mark Calhoun, John Hohman
It was moved by Councilmember Thompson and seconded to approve the 2020 Federal Legislative Agenda
as proposed. Mr. Calhoun explained that from the conversation last week, staff has implemented the
suggested changes and the update before Council, reflects those changes; he said this includes one policy
and two capital projects, and if Council approves this, he will give Councilmember Thompson physical and
electronic copies for her trip to Washington, D.C. next week as part of the National League of Cities
delegation; he said once adopted, he will also e-mail the updates to our federal lobbyist and set up a trip to
Washington, D.C. likely in May, for City delegation to communicate those items. Mr. Hohman said in
addition to the editorial changes, staff also changed the color to have it stand out more on the page. Deputy
Mayor Peetz also reminded staff about adding the website on the pages. It was also confirmed that the
version of the federal legislative agenda motion is the version placed before Council at the dais. Mayor
Wick invited public comment; no comments were offered. Vote by acclamation: in favor: unanimous.
Opposed: none. Motion carried. Mr. Calhoun said that staff and Council took the trip to D.C. last year
about mid -May and he was thinking to go again this May; he said Mayor Wick indicted is was leaning
toward the third week in May; he also noted that for the D.C. trip this year in addition to himself, Mr.
Hohman and Ms. Mantz, that we want to include Grants Engineer Adam Jackson; and that the Council
participation will be decided by Mayor Wick.
At 6:25 p.m., Councilmember Woodard excused himself, and left the meeting.
NON -ACTION ITEMS:
2a. COVID-19 Coronavirus Report — Spokane Regional Health District
Spokane Regional Health District Administrative Officer Ms. Amelia Clark, and Mr. Mark Springer,
Epidemiologist, spoke about the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Ms. Clark said she is happy to see Spokane
Valley help spread the news as the Spokane Regional Health District works with its local partners on their
activation levels and offers guidance to reduce the transmission of the virus. She also invited people to visit
the Health District's website, and said it will be updated as the situation evolves.
Mr. Springer explained that as of this morning, 27 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and there
are nine deaths; he said the virus is moving fairly quickly and there has been some local transition on the
west side of the state with people being added in each day in terms of being diagnosed. He explained that
the focus is on containment; he mentioned evidence in Oregon and California as well as our own state
where we are seeing local transmission of the virus; he noted that is not unexpected. He stated that we don't
want to overwhelm those health care resources, but that work is being done with the various sectors on
preparedness; said there is a lot of focus on K-12 and preparedness with the schools; he noted this virus
doesn't seem to affect the very young in terms of hospitalization or mortality; but it does focus on elderly
and those with chronic medical conditions. Mr. Springer also noted a concern with care workers and said
the long-term care centers are probably where we will see the most risk, especially those with chronic
medical conditions; and that we want to identify cases early so we can respond early. He said we also want
Council Meeting Minutes: 03-03-2020 Page 2 of 4
Approved by Council: 03-24-2020
to look at the homeless and homeless shelters, colleges and college dorms, and the jail and other populations
where it is difficult to remove people. He said we are in a good position now in terms of being able to
identify if the virus is coming into our community, but there is a lack of resources in terms of testing; said
they are running about 200 samples a day as approved through the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention); said there is a clinical lab with the University of Washington that has been approved for testing,
so once that is set up, we will be able to move approximately 1,000 samples a day and if we can, we want
to identify when the virus comes into our community, but the hope is to delay that coming in, and lessen
the impact.
In response to several questions from Council, Mr. Springer explained that regarding a mask, there is a
resource problem; he explained that the virus is spread through respiratory droplets and if you are sick,
those droplets will get caught in the mask; he discouraged others to wear the mask to protect them from
illness, because he said, it won't; he said that people should wear a mask if they are sick or experiencing
symptoms, and if that is the case, they should call their health care provider first; he said anyone who has
symptoms of shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing, those are urgent and could indicate a person has
pneumonia. Concerning young children, Mr. Springer said less than 2% of those under the age of 20 don't
appear to be having a problem with the virus; said he doesn't know if that means most of those people are
not having complications, or not having significant symptoms; and again said the more severe cases deal
with the older population and that children have a much lower risk in terms of complications.
Ms. Clark encouraged people to visit the Spokane Regional Health Department's website; said they
encourage deep cleaning especially in grades K-12 to include sanitizing countertops, toys and other high -
volume areas. Regarding costs, Mr. Springer said that there will be a cost associated with testing, but he
doesn't know what that would be; he also noted there will be state public health lab testing at no charge and
those resources will be prioritized by those individuals not covered like in care centers, jails and other
groups where there might not be resources. Mr. Springer explained that an epidemic is an increased amount
of disease over a finite geographic area, like hepatitis A in Eastern Washington, or whooping cough that
happens about every eight to ten years; whereas a pandemic would be more world-wide, which is about
what we have now. Mr. Springer said he advises the public to stay calm and don't panic; that what is
occurring is significant but if we manage it correctly and focus on preparedness, we can get through this
with limited impact to the health care of the community; he suggested people be prudent and focus on what
they can control, such as hand washing and if people feel sick, to stay away from people and work at home
if possible; also don't go to large events; he also suggested people not be fearful and start hoarding supplies,
and said we will know more after another week or so of significant testing.
3. 2019 Accomplishments Reports — Mark Calhoun
City Manager Calhoun explained that the annual report is an impressive summary of accomplishments
throughout the year; and that there are times when the same project is referred to by various departments.
Mr. Calhoun went through the administrative section of the presentation, which included highlighting the
2019 Council goals and some of the associated projects such as the Barker and the Pines Grade Separation
Projects; he noted the City's Pavement Preservation Program in conjunction with Nichols Consulting, and
of our contract with StreetScan to scan all City owned streets in order to update the pavement condition
index; he mentioned the number of regional committees Council is involved with, including four in-house
committees; he noted Council held 53 meetings last year and passed several resolutions and ordinances;
and noted some of the figures associated with the work of the City Clerk's Office, in particular those dealing
with public records requests.
Next, Mr. Koudelka went over the Contract Administration slides which included information and review
about our various contracts with Spokane County, and mentions our participation regarding a regional
shelter as well as the participation with other City departments in analyzing proposed solid waste disposal
rates. Mr. Whitehead discussed some of the accomplishments of the Human Resources Department,
Council Meeting Minutes: 03-03-2020 Page 3 of 4
Approved by Council: 03-24-2020
followed by City Attorney Driskell highlighting his department's accomplishments, including the
assistance in addressing issues relating to homelessness, land acquisition, and assistance in responding to
numerous public record requests. Finance Director Taylor giving the highlights of her department, with a
focus on the annual financial report and related audit, and working with all departments to complete the
2020 budget; she also noted IT continued to follow a replacement schedule for equipment, and that they
closed almost 1,200 helpdesk calls. Deputy City Manager Hohman, Engineering Manager Mantz,
Economic Development Manager Basinger, and Building Official Nickerson briefed Council on the
accomplishments of the Capital Improvement Program's various construction projects, traffic operations,
stormwater utility, street maintenance, economic development, and building and planning which included
mention of various major projects such as Kruger Sheet Metal and Duluth Trading; and ended with data
concerning permits and permit valuations, and code enforcement.
Parks and Recreation Director Stone discussed the various divisions in his department including
Administration and Maintenance, CenterPlace Regional Event Center, Recreation and Aquatics, and the
Senior Center; and lastly, Chief Werner gave a brief re -cap of accomplishments in the patrol division, traffic
unit, investigations, crime prevention, recruitment, and the Valley Precinct building.
4. Advance Agenda — Mayor Wick
There were no suggested changes to the Advance Agenda.
S. Finance Department Monthly Report
The finance Department monthly report was for information only and was not reported or discussed.
6. Council Check -in — Mayor Wick
Concerning the Federal Legislative Agenda, Mayor Wick asked that if any members of Council are
interested in going to Washington, D.C., to please let him know as soon as possible. Mayor Wick also
mentioned that he has received several e-mails and phone calls concerning moving our Senior Center from
CenterPlace to the library or someplace else; he confirmed that there is nothing on our agenda and this is
not even a topic of discussion. City Manager Calhoun echoed those sentiments and confirmed such topic is
not on an agenda; he mentioned that when we were working with the Library District several years ago to
update our interlocal agreement for Balfour Park, there was an ad hoc committee to work on that five-year
contract, but it was a concept and never moved beyond that; that there was never formal discussion with
Council on that topic nor were there even any presentations on the topic.
7. City Manager Comments — Mark Calhoun
In connection with the Coronavirus, City Manager Calhoun mentioned that our City's 2009 Continuity of
Operations Plan was discussed during the Directors' meeting and that staff are working to update that
document; he explained that that plan is for continuing operations in the event of a pandemic. Mr. Calhoun
said for now, we are encouraging people to wash their hands, and he noted there are Clorox wipes and hand
sanitizers throughout the building.
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn. The meeting
adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
6
ATTEST: Ben Wick, Mayor
(WV
Christine Bainbridge, City Clerk
Council Meeting Minutes: 03-03-2020 Page 4 of 4
Approved by Council: 03-24-2020