2020, 12-22 FormalMINUTES
City of Spokane Valley
City Council Regular Meeting
Formal Format
December 22, 2020
Mayor Wick called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. The meeting was held remotely via Zoom meeting.
Attendance:
Councilmembers
Ben Wick, Mayor
Brandi Peetz, Deputy Mayor
Pam Haley, Councilmember
Tim Hattenburg Councilmember
Rod Higgins, Councilmember
Linda Thompson, Councilmember
Arne Woodard, Councilmember
Staff
Mark Calhoun, City Manager
John Hohman, Deputy City Manager
Chelsie Taylor, Finance Director
Cary Driskell, City Attorney
Mike Stone, Parks & Recreation Director
Jenny Nickerson, Building Official
Greg Baldwin, Development Services Coordinator
Lesli Brassfield, Economic Development Specialist
Jeff Kleingartner, Public Information Officer
Carrie Koudelka, Deputy City Clerk
ROLL CALL: Deputy City Clerk Koudelka called the roll; all Councilmembers were present.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: It was proved by Deputy Mayor Peetz, seconded and unanimously agreed to
approve the agenda.
INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS AND PRESENTATIONS: n/a
COMMITTEE, BOARD, LIAISON SUMMARY REPORTS
Councilmembers Higgins and Woodard had nothing to report.
Councilmember Haley said she attended the Continuum of Care board meeting and they said the young
adult shelter is moving forward and they are looking to locate it near SCC, and they are working on a draft
template to determine how their five-year plan to address homelessness has gone. She said she also attended
the STA board meeting and they adopted the 2021 capital and operating budgets and they approved the
Spokane Police Department contract that places one police officer in the plaza and he will provide training
to the security officers.
Councilmember Thompson said she attended the City of Spokane's legislative meeting and they discussed
how the legislative agendas of our cities can be woven together and how agencies can work together with
our legislators, and later that afternoon she discussed the City's legislative agenda again at the GSI
legislative forum. She said at the AWC Board of Directors meeting they discussed operational items, the
budget and the legislative agenda, and proposed changes that were adopted by the board to include equity
and diversity training in the leadership section for their municipal leadership certificate.
Deputy Mayor Peetz said that at the Valley Chamber committee meeting, Deputy City Manager Hohman
and Mr. Basinger gave a presentation to include the Fair and Expo project on the Chamber's legislative
agenda and it was approved. She said the school districts also provided updates and she said Ridgeline High
School is on schedule.
Councilmember Hattenburg said the owners of Valley Bowl have offered their facility to use as a COVID
vaccination center.
MAYOR'S REPORT
Mayor Wick said that SRTC offered the interim Executive Director position to Kevin Wallace; and he
asked for a moment of silence in remembrance of Ed Mertens who recently passed away and was a key
figure in the City's incorporation efforts.
Regular Formal Council Meeting: 12-22-2020 Page 1 of 3
Approved by Council: 01-12-2021
PROCLAMATION: n/a
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY (11:
Bob West, Spokane Valley, wished Councihnembers and staff a Merry Christmas, he thanked the Council
and staff for everything they accomplished in 2020, and he thanked Mike Stone for his service and wished
him well in retirement.
NEW BUSINESS
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.
a. Approval of Claim Vouchers on Dec. 22, 2020, Request for Council Action Form Total: $4,599,042.48
b. Approval of Payroll for Pay Period Ending December 15, 2020: $402,589.90
c. Approval of November 17, 2020 Council Meeting Minutes — Study Session
d. Approval of November 24, 2020 Council Meeting Minutes — Formal
e. Approval of December 8, 2020 Council Meeting Minutes — Formal
f. Approval of December 15, 2020 Council Meeting Minutes — Special w/4th District Legislators
g. Approval of December 15, 2020 Council Meeting Minutes — Study Session
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the Consent Agenda.
2. Proposed Resolution 20-016 for 2021 Fees — Chelsie Taylor
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz and seconded to approve Resolution 20-016 repealing and replacing
Resolution 19-019, and approving the Master Fee Schedule for 2021. Finance Director Taylor said there
are a few changes since the report given to Council at the December 8`1' meeting, highlighted in blue in the
packets. She said the most significant change is the statement on schedules A and C for an automatic annual
increase at eighty percent of any change to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
west region, which is typically used by the City in contracting, and capping any increase at a maximum of
four percent regardless of the CPI-U increase. Ms. Taylor said future resolutions would come back before
Council with proposed adjustments for approval. There were no registered public comments. Vote by
acclamation: in favor: unanimous. Opposed: none. Motion carried.
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY 121: Barb Howard, Spokane Valley, spoke against
Secure Investments Corporation and questioned Council as to how her water got contaminated.
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS:
3. Marketing and Communications 2020 Report — Lesli Brassfield
Public Information Officer Kleingartner and Economic Development Specialist Brassfield presented their
slideshow that highlighted the marketing accomplishments for 2020 which focused on City branding and
community engagement, tourism and event development, and economic and business development; and
they discussed how the pandemic impacted their marketing efforts and responses to assist community
businesses.
4. House Bill 1590 Update — Cary Driskell
City Attorney Driskell said that in 2020 the Governor signed House Bill 1590 amending RCW 82.14.530
and providing for a new way to implement sales and use tax beyond what the statute allowed before. He
said it provides that a 0.1 percent sales and use tax increase can be approved by Council without a vote of
the people; at least sixty percent of the funds raised would have to be used for affordable housing and up to
forty percent of the funds could be used for mental health and behavioral health treatment diagnoses
facilities.
5. Advance Agenda — Mayor Wick
Councilmember Haley said she would like to discuss options for dealing with abandoned cars parked on
the streets. Mr. Driskell said he can provide an administrative report at a future meeting that will discuss
both abandoned and legally parked cars.
Regular Formal Council Meeting: 12-22-2020 Page 2 of 3
Approved by Council: 01-12-2021
6. INFORMATION ONLY: Campaign Donations and Potential Conflicts of Interests was not reported on
or discussed.
CITY MANAGER COMMENTS:
City Manager Calhoun proposed that the Winter workshop typically held in February be skipped in 2021
and resumed again in 2022 due to COVID-19 and a potential six -hour Zoom meeting to conduct the
workshop, adding that topics typically discussed at the workshop, such as the public safety contracts, can
be addressed throughout the year in study sessions. He said City Attorney Driskell has been working with
WSDOT to process the paperwork to complete the acquisition of the 45-acre Flora property from WSDOT
and we are just waiting on confirmation of closing. Related to that, he said that Governor Inslee included
our 2021 state legislative agenda request for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Grant program to
reimburse $1 million of the $2.1 million that we paid for the Flora property in his 2021-2023 capital budget.
Mr. Calhoun said the December 29th Council meeting will be cancelled and City buildings will be closed
December 24th and 25th, and December 31 ' beginning at noon through January 1st. He then mentioned that
Parks and Recreation Director Stone is retiring effective January 4th and he acknowledged his work and
accomplishments throughout the Spokane region for the past 43 years; and he then highlighted some of the
accomplishments of the City over the past year.
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn. The meeting
adjourned at 7:23 p.m.
ATTEST: Ben Wick, Mayor
Carrie Koudelka, Deputy City Clerk
Regular Formal Council Meeting: 12-22-2020 Page 3 of 3
Approved by Council: 01-12-2021