2020, 05-12 Regular Formal Format MINUTES
SPOKANE VALLEY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING
FORMAL FORMAT
Spokane Valley City Hall
Spokane Valley, Washington
May 12, 2020
Mayor Wick called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. The meeting was held remotely via ZOOM meeting.
Attendance:
Councilmembers Staff
Ben Wick, Mayor Mark Calhoun, City Manager
Brandi Peetz,Deputy Mayor John Hohman,Deputy City Manager
Pam Haley, Councilmember CheIsie Taylor, Finance Director
Tim Hattenburg, Councilmember Cary Driskell, City Attorney
Rod Higgins, Councilmember Bill Helbig, City engineer
Linda Thompson, Councilmember Mike Stone, Parks &Recreation Director
Morgan Koudelka, Sr.Administrative Analyst
ABSENT: Jenny Nickerson, Building Official
Arne Woodard, Councilmember Erik Lamb,Deputy City Attorney
Christine Bainbridge, City Clerk
ROLL CALL City Clerk Bainbridge called the roll; all Councilmembers were present except
Councilmember Woodard. It was moved by Councilmember Haley, seconded and unanimously agreed to
excuse Councilmember Woodard froin tonight's meeting.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: It was moved by Councilmember Hattenburg, seconded and unanimously
agreed to approve the amended agenda.
INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS AND PRESENTATIONS n/a
MAYOR'S REPORT: Mayor Wick reported that as chair of the Health District Board, he met with that
group and said that Dr. Lutz feels comfortable with our community moving to phase 2; said a letter has
been drafted which has now been submitted to and unanimously approved by the Board of Health; that the
letter will then go to the Board of County Commissioners who will approve it and send it to the Governor's
office; he said that letter will include letters of support from the two hospitals in our area,i.e.Multicare and
Providence, that state that while we have had cases,there is considerable hospital capacity; he mentioned
our levels of testing, isolation, and our plans which adds to our strong case to allow us to move forward
into phase 2. Mayor Wick asked if there were any objections from Council in him signing the letter, and
no objections were raised. Mayor Wick also mentioned a draft letter giving recognition to all area high
school graduates, and he asked whether there were any objections from Council in him signing that letter.
No objections were raised.
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 prove to approve the Consent Agenda.
a. Approval of claim vouchers on May 12,2020, Request for Council Action Form Total: $3,108,707.68
b. Approval of Payroll for Pay Period Ending April 30, 2020: $530,306.82
c. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of April 28,2020 Formal Meeting Format
d. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of May 5, 2020 Study Session Format
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the Consent Agenda.
Regular Formal Council Meeting: 05-12-2020 Page 1 of 4
Approved by Council: 05-26-2020
NEW BUSINESS:
2. Resolution 20-008 RCO Grant Applications—Mike Stone
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz and seconded to approve Resolution 20-008 authorizing a grant
application through the Washington Recreation Conservation Office (RCO)for the Flora Road Property
Acquisition.Mr.Stone explained that the proposed resolution is required by the RCO as noted in his Request
for Council Action;that we will be requesting$1 million for the Flora Road acquisition;he said we received
a waiver of retroactivity from the RCO to allow us to reimburse ourselves if the grant application is
successful; that the grant application will be scored and ranked by a RCO team, and that funds must be
approved by the State Legislature in their 2021 session. It was noted there were no public comments. Vote
by acclamation: in favor: unanimous; opposed: none. Motion carried.
3.Motion Consideration: Data Sharing Agreement with Spokane County Assessor—Jenny Nickerson,Erik
Lamb
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz and seconded to authorize the City Manager to finalize and execute
the Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Spokane Valley and Spokane County for site plan
data sharing in substantially the form presented.Building Official Nickerson explained that she and Deputy
City Attorney Lamb have been working on this process, which has taken more than a year; and she
referenced the information in her Request for Council Action form, adding that the name of the software
company is Dude Solutions. It was noted there were no public comments. Vote by acclamation: in favor:
unanimous; opposed: none. Motion carried.
4. Motion Consideration: Commute Trip Reduction Five-Year Plan Update—Morgan Koudelka
It was moved by Councilmember Hattenburg and seconded to adopt the Commute Trip Reduction Plan
update, 2020-2024, Updating the Plan Originally adopted by Ordinance 10-013. Mr. Koudelka briefly
explained that this is a planning document required under the State's Clean Air Act; he mentioned this
material was discussed at last week's Council meeting,and tonight he is asking Council to adopt the updated
five-year plan. It was noted there were no public comments. Vote by acclamation: in favor: unanimous;
opposed: none. Motion carried.
5.Motion Consideration: Commute Trip Reduction Interlocal Agreement—Morgan Koudelka
It was moved by Councilmember Hattenburg and seconded to authorize the City Manager to finalize and
execute the Interlocal Agreement Between Spokane County and the City of Spokane Valley Regarding
Commute Trip Reduction Implementation. Mr. Koudelka explained that this interlocal allows the County
to administer and oversee the programs for all effective employers in Spokane Valley; that it is a two-year
agreement based on the state's bi-annual budget, adding that the County has always performed this service
for us. It was noted there were no public comments. Vote by acclamation: in favor: unanimous; opposed
none. Motion carried.
5a.Motion Consideration: Barker Road/BNSF Grade Separation Project,BNSF Overpass Agreement—Bill
Helbig
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz and seconded to authorize the City Manager to finalize and execute
the Overpass Agreement with BNSF. City Engineer Helbig explained that time is of the essence on this
agreement; that staff has been working for about a year with Burlington Northern regarding the Barker
Road Grade Separation Project; he noted the agreement is an accumulation of temporary and permanent
easements and associated exhibits outlying costs, including a $70,000 administrative fee for removal of
signal and tracks, which fee he noted is a conservative estimate; that the fee is based on 300 working days
of flagging and we will have 220, so the figure will be lower. It was noted there were no public comments.
Vote by acclamation: in favor: unanimous; opposed: none. Motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: There were no public comments as it was noted that the one person who had
initially signed up,was no longer participating in the ZOOM meeting.
Regular Formal Council Meeting: 05-12-2020 Page 2 of 4
Approved by Council: 05-26-2020
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS.
6. Mental Health Crisis Stabilization Facility Update—Ariane Schmidt, Spokane Regional Project Mgr
Spokane Regional Project Manager Ariane Schmidt,along with Pioneer Human Services Regional Director
Dan Sigler,and Ms. Kirsten Gable, Sapere Consulting with Pioneer Human Services Project Management,
gave an update on the Mental Health Crisis Stabilization Facility. Ms. Schmidt mentioned that she has
been working with the City of Spokane and Spokane County on the creation of a Mental Health Crisis
Stabilization Center to divert qualifying individuals form the jail, provide the opportunity to stabilize their
condition, enter them into treatment, and manage their conditions to reduce recidivism, thereby allowing
for more productive lives while reducing the demand on emergency responders, the jail, and the overall
criminal justice system. Ms. Schmidt started the PowerPoint slide presentation, with Mr. Sigler explaining
the actual site plan, the floor plan showing the different areas for such things as medical clearance,
stabilization, inpatient beds, and withdrawal management and detox areas; he also noted that this facility is
not meant for long-term treatment.Mr. Sigler showed some of the suggested soft decor as well as depictions
of the multipurpose area,and the lounge and dining area,noting the openness of the rooms.Councilmember
Thompson asked if the men and women would be separated, and Mr. Sigler said not necessarily, although
they have the capability of doing so; he said with this design, there will be separate areas to shower and
change clothes, and that other accommodations can be made when necessary.
Moving to the estimated construction timeline, Ms. Schmidt stated that they are on time and on schedule;
that they are currently finalizing the design documents and getting ready to go out to bid the first week in
June, with the goal to have the bid and selection done by the end of June, and with construction starting in
July.She also noted that the next step after that is to begin the documents tied to the long-term and regional
partnership, and verifying that this is a regional ownership,rioting the three partners to a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) would include Spokane County, the City of Spokane, and the City of Spokane
Valley. As shown on slide 14, she went over the revenues and expenditures as well as the purpose of the
MOU, which would cover construction costs not funded by the state or Trueblood capital grants, that it
would include a formula for cost sharing, but would not include long-term site maintenance costs as that
would be part of the interlocal agreement. She also went over some of the operating figures for the first and
second years of operation, as shown on slide 15.
There was further discussion about grants, and criteria for using those funds, including how much of those
funds would be used toward start-up; mention of the County's motor pool building that was built about
1913 and that nothing much has been done to it,which means the building would have to be brought up to
code prior to use;mention of the prior estimated municipality fee of$5.00 compared with the figures shown
today of$20.00 and how such a change would affect the left over, unfunded areas. Ms. Schmidt said she
can have further discussions about the more realistic fee as we move closer to signing the documents,adding
that the numbers have not been verified and are preliminary. Mr. Calhoun asked if the municipality fee
would be the same for each participating entity and Ms. Schmidt said the fee would be the same,but perhaps
not the percentage of how that fee would be applied. Discussion moved to services, then on to the public
and partnership engagement timeline,with the last slide showing the project status report of the three phases
of the facility.
Councilmember Thompson asked if a person started out in mental health but was later determined they
couldn't stay there and had to go to jail, would there be two fees. Ms. Schmidt said they haven't got that
far down in the details yet; she said perhaps there could be an overnight fee separate from the booking fee,
and that would be something to consider.M
r. Sigler added that the expenditure figures are based on about 95% capacity. There was also discussion
about the number of beds, and Ms. Schmidt said the number of 16 is a fixed number. Liability was also
mentioned and Mr. Sigler said that they would be primarily liable as the facility provider;with Ms. Schmidt
Regular Formal Council Meeting: 05-12-2020 Page 3 of 4
Approved by Council: 05-26-2020
adding that the County would assume the risk as the parent entity; and that the County is double-checking
with their risk management on that issue.
Finally, there was discussion about the make-up of the team in that the grant from Trueblood allowed for
one deputy and one mental health worker to vet the concept of the unincorporated areas, and she said that
has been very successful;and that the team has been formally analyzed and they are now up to two deputies.
Mayor Wick remarked that we had advocated for our own dedicated segment and Mr. Calhoun said he will
look to bring in Chief Werner to bring us a future update. Councilmembers concurred. Ms. Schmidt also
noted they will be working with our legal department and Mr. Calhoun on drafting the legal agreement to
get us all to our individual comfort levels; and to determine how to close the capital gap; where the
municipalities fall and where they want that user fee to come in in the long term. City Attorney Driskell
said we are always interested in the cost methodology and he asked for a copy of the initial draft interlocal
so he could begin his review. Council thanked the presenters for their information.
7.Advance Agenda—Mayor Wick
Mayor Wick said as we get ready to move into phase 2 of the stay home, stay healthy, there are many
restrictions on restaurants, and he would like staff to look at our Code to see if something could be done to
add flexibility for the next phases of opening restaurants and other businesses; and to perhaps look at the
use of sidewalks or parking lots and/or tents. Couneilmembers agreed and Mr. Calhoun said staff will
discuss this in their director's meeting tomorrow and will schedule an administrative report for an upcoming
Council meeting.
8. Police Department Quarterly Report
The Police Department Quarterly Report was for information only and was no reported or discussed.
CITY MANAGER COMMENTS:
City Manager Calhoun mentioned there will be no meeting next week but we will be back May 26; he also
noted that we were informed by the Association of Washington Cities that Councilmember Haley has been
awarded a certificate of municipal Ieadership,and congratulations were extended to Councilmember Haley.
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn. The meeting
adjourned at 7:32 p.m.
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ATTR _ Ben Wick,Mayor
ristine Bainbridge, City Clerk Lf'f----r
Regular Formal Council Meeting: 05-12-2020 Page 4 of 4
Approved by Council: 05-26-2020
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May 12, 2020
The Honorable Jay Inslee Dr. John Wiesman
Washington State Governor Washington State Secretary of Health
Office of the Governor 111 Israel Rd SE
P.O. Box 40002 Tumwater, WA 98501
Olympia, WA 98504-0002
Dear Governor Inslee and Dr. Wiesman:
Thank you for your continued leadership during this difficult time throughout Washington State,
and we appreciate your willingness to act on recommendations to use a phased approach to re-
opening Washington in a safe and healthy manner. We are confident that the citizens in our
communities will continue to abide by the social distancing measures which have and will
continue to protect lives against the COVID-19 disease.
Today, we urge your office to approve Spokane County's application to move into Phase Two of
the Safe Start plan which Spokane County and the Spokane Regional Health District have
submitted to the Department of Health. Just as you appropriately phased in the restrictions during
the onset of COVID-19, we ask that you follow the guidance of our regional health experts who
have used data to determine that Spokane County is ready to move forward ahead of other areas
of the state.
From a regional perspective, our citizens have respected the order to stay home, and because of
their response, we are seeing low numbers of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Spokane is
now surrounded by counties in Washington (Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry, and Lincoln) and
Idaho (Bonner, Kootenai, and Benewah) that are more rapidly reopening. We are a regional
healthcare system, community, and economy.
Our collective efforts in Spokane County have kept the total number of COVID-positive cases to
just 386, and our new daily positive test count has been in the mid-to-low single digits for the
past month with one exception(April 24). In fact,the past two days have seen no new cases and
our 5-day average is 0.8, a measure used in the Rand Corporation model. Perhaps even more
telling, our current hospitalization rate has dropped to four the past two days.
The Honorable Governor Inslee&Dr. Wiesman
Page 2
We are grateful for our citizens' compliance and recognize the hardship and sacrifice it has
brought upon our small businesses and struggling families. Unlike the west side of our state, our
communities rely on small businesses, healthcare, and manufacturing—businesses that have seen
reduction in force or shuttered completely for months, wreaking havoc on families already
struggling financially.
We are grateful for your measured approach to re-opening residential construction, elective
surgery, and outdoor recreation state-wide. Now, regionally, we have a model for re-opening
sectors and services unique to our local communities and maintain the gain achieved by the hard
work of our Inland Strong community. By working with local health experts, we know our
citizens can begin to safely return to work and get our economy back on its feet.
We strongly request that just as we have trusted your leadership, that you trust us to do what is
best for our communities.Please consider the varying needs of the state—population size,
healthcare capacity, business sectors`--and let us lead our citizens forward on a safe path to
revitalization. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Nadine Woodward Ben Wick
Mayor, City of Spokane Mayor, City of Spokane Valley
Shane Brickner Kevin Freeman
Mayor, City of Liberty Lake Mayor, City of Millwood
Kevin Richey Chris Grover
Mayor, City of Airway Heights Mayor, City of Cheney
Shirley Maike
Mayor, City of Medical Lake
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Dear Class of 2020,
Congratulations on reaching this milestone in your life—the end of your senior year. As elected
officials throughout the Spokane region, we honor you and celebrate your accomplishment.
At the start of the school year, no one could have predicted that you would be celebrating this
special time as the world faces a global pandemic—one that will be remembered as one of the
most impactful events in our nation's history.
While everyone's lives have been affected to varying degrees, we recognize that this has been a
unique disruption to special moments in your life that you pictured very differently just a few
months ago. Occasions like your graduation ceremony,prom, spring sports and activities,finals
and other events that define the end of an academic era. They are meant to be enjoyed with
friends and family, and cherished for the rest of your life.
This year's celebrations may look quite different, but not even this unprecedented pandemic can
diminish your accomplishments. You met the challenge of your academics. You participated and
led activities. You made lasting friendships. You committed to recent actions such as the Stay
Home, Stay Healthy order from the Governor, doing your part to help keep everyone safe. We
recognize that contribution and honor you for making this sacrifice.
You are a bright spot in these difficult times. As the next generation of leaders, you will play a
pivotal role in taking lessons we have learned and shaping the future. We wish you the best as
you embark on your next journey. Congratulations on all you have achieved.
Best Wishes,
Al French Josh Kerns Mary Kuney
Commissioner,Spokane County Commissioner,Spokane County Commissioner,Spokane County
Nadine Woodward Kevin Richey Chris Grover Tim Verzal
Mayor,City of Spokane Mayor,City of Airway Heights Mayor,City of Cheney Mayor,City of Deer Park
Shane Brickner Shirley Maike Kevin Freeman Carrie Roecks
Mayor,City of Liberty Lake Mayor,City of Medical Lake Mayor,City of Millwood Mayor,City of Rockford
Ben Wick Glen Nenema Rodney Cawston Carol Evant
Mayor,City of Spokane Valley Chairman,Kalispel Tribe of Indians Chairman,Colville Tribe of Indians Chairwoman,Spokane Tribe of
Indians