2022, 09-27 Regular Formal MINUTES
City of Spokane Valley
City Council Regular Formal Meeting
Tuesday, September 27,2022
Mayor Haley called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. The meeting was held in person by Council and staff in
Council Chambers, and also remotely via Zoom meeting.
Attendance:
Councilmembers Staff
Pam Haley,Mayor John Holtman, City Manager
Rod Higgins,Deputy Mayor Erik Lamb, Deputy City Manager
Tim Hattenburg, Councilmember Bill Helbig, Community/Public Works Director
Brandi Peetz, Councilmember Chelsie Taylor, Finance Director
Ben Wick,Councilmember Cary Driskell, City Attorney
Arne Woodard, Councilmember Tony Beattie, Sr. Deputy City Attorney
Mike Basinger, Economic Development Dir.
Absent: John Bottelli,Parks,Rec&Facilities Director
Councilmember Padden John Whitehead, Human Resources Director
Dave Ellis, Police Chief
Lori Barlow, Senior Planner
Virginia Clough, Legislative Policy Coordinator
Christine Bainbridge, City Clerk _
INVOCATION: Pastor Bruszer of Genesis 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 except
Councilmember Padden.It was moved by Councilmember Woodard, seconded and unanimously agreed to
excuse Councilmember Padden.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA It was moved by Deputy Mayor Higgins, seconded and unanimously agreed
to approve the agenda.
INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS AND PRESENTATIONS n/a
COMMITTEE,BOARD,LIAISON SUMMARY REPORTS
Councilmember Hattenburg: mentioned that the new STA (Spokane Transit Authority) fares will be out
October I along with a new fare system, where people can apply for fare cards to be mailed to them, and
which cards can have money added on them in places like grocery stores; said the money can be carried
over at the end of the month; said on behalf of Mayor Haley he welcomed a new business Total Reclaim,
which he said is a state-of-the-art recycling system located on East Knox; went to the ITZ Sports
Performance ribbon cutting, said the organization is primarily a basketball training facility for all ages and
• that their training includes helping people with their hand/eye coordination; said he participated in the
Valleyfest parade, which was a great evening; went to the Amazon tour and said Amazon tries to tailor
schedules for all employees according to their individual needs,that they have about 1100 employees, and
that the bus just started making stops at the facility.
Councilmember Peetz: said she also attended several of the aforementioned; said her time ended on the
AWC (Association of Washington Cities) Legislative Priorities Committee; she too attended the TIZ
Ribbon cutting,which facility includes various sports; went on the tour of the Amazon building; attended
a concert at the Fair;participated in the Valleyfest parade along with over 60 organizations and businesses;
and said that the ability to text 9-1-1 is now fully implemented throughout the state.
Deputy Mayor Higgins: no report
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Approved by Council: 10-11-2022
Councilmember Wick:reported that he went to the Visit Spokane Board meeting and that they have released
their new version of the Visitor's map;said they are working on more opportunities for tourism and events,
such as the 50`1' anniversary of EXPO, the idea of having two Lilac parades, re-publishing their sculpture
interactive map; and working on re-doing their slogans; said he also went to the Fairchild AFB Ball which
celebrated its 80"'anniversary on base and they welcomed their new commander; spoke of the Association
of Washington Cities approved legislative agenda for the upcoming legislative session, and the top five
priorities they will be working on include response to the Blake decision, addressing public safety and
vehicular pursuits, infrastructure funding and preservation and maintenance of streets, housing, and
providing behavioral health resources.
Councilmember Woodard: spoke of the Continuum of Care Board Meeting where they discussed having
the alternates go through the same qualifying confidentiality that the permanent board members go through;
mentioned the process of receiving government aid and said that they will have another meeting to discuss
final submissions to HUD;went to the Growth Management Steering Committee of Elected Officials where
they addressed drafting policies that will dictate growth for the next 20 years and that they are working to
determine priorities and rules; and that he also attended the Valleyfest Parade which was a fabulous event
on a beautiful night.
MAYOR'S REPORT
Mayor Haley reported that the STA continues working on those fare cards;mentioned that Amazon is hiring
and people don't have to interview,just complete an application; said they also will pay for college; said
she attended the Valleyfest parade and had a great time.
PROCLAMATION: Fire Prevention Week
After Mayor Haley read the proclamation for Fire Prevention Week, it was accepted with thanks from
Spokane Valley Deputy Fire Chief Greg Rogers.
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY [11: After explaining the process, Mayor Haley
invited public comments.
Ms. Pam Marlow, Spokane Valley [via zoom]: said she spoke with Deputy City Manager Lamb about
activity at Eagle Point Apartments,that she met with the managers at Valley 206 and that they are working
on the problems, and giving warnings and evictions, but those people are moving over to Eagle Point and
just moving in with existing tenants so there is no accountability with the management at Eagle Point; said
she is trying to get her neighbors to come to a Council meeting to show support that something needs to be
done in this neighborhood;said four to five motor homes just pulled up and when neighbors call there is no
action; and mentioned maybe having staff write that letter to Eagle Point.
Mr.Dan Allison, Spokane Valley: relinquished his time to speak.
Mr. Gary Edwards: said he does not live in our City but had a car accident in our city, and he read his
statement about how poorly the Spokane Valley Police handled the situation.
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.
Proposed Motion:I move to approve the Consent Agenda.
a.Approval of Claim Vouchers on September 27,2022,Request for Council Action Form: $632,927.24
b. Approval of Payroll for Pay Period ending September 15, 2022: $469,744.17
c. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of September 6,2022, Study Session
d.Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of September 13, 2022, Formal Meeting
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Higgins, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the Consent Agenda.
2. First Reading Ordinance 22-020 Street Vacation STV 2022-0002, Cameo Lofts—Lori Barlow
After City Clerk Bainbridge read the ordinance title, it was moved by Deputy Mayor Higgins and seconded
to waive the rules and adopt Ordinance 22-020. Ms. Barlow gave the highlights of the proposed street
Council Meeting Minutes,Formal: 09-27-2022 Page 2 of 5
Approved by Council: 10-11-2022
vacation.As a public hearing was held previously,no public comments were solicited. Vote by acclamation:
in favor: unanimous; opposed: none. Motion carried.
3. Motion Consideration: Grant Opportunity: Water Quality Combined Funding Program—Adam Jackson
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Higgins and seconded to authorize the City Manager or designee to apply
for the Sprague Avenue Storinwater Improvement project between Herald Road and Mullan Road. Mr.
Jackson explained about the program and the project; said that this would be a pilot program but the road
would be four lanes; said typically we'd pay a 15%match,but that he recently learned that the Department
of Ecology feels it would be more competitive if we handled that so the total estimated cost would not
change, but our financial impact would be about $500,000 instead of the $345,000. Mayor Haley invited
public comments; no comments were offered. Vote by acclamation: in favor: unanimous; opposed: none.
Motion carried.
4.Motion Consideration: Expo Center LTAC Award Modification—Erik Lamb,Mike Basinger
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Higgins and seconded that Council return the $3,500,000 in lodging tax
proceeds allocated in 2022 towards the Expo Center Expansion project, back to Fund 104. Mr. Lamb
explained that these funds were originally set aside for the Expo Center Project;he noted our Tourism Study
is currently underway, and that the study looks at a variety of tourism facilities, including sports facilities;
said that because the cost of this project has increased at least$4 million, resulting in a cost of at least$14
million; and that prices have escalated since the City's withdraw of the EDA (Economic Development
Administration) grant application and the ongoing Tourism Study, that the $3,500,000 awarded from the
capital lodging tax funds is no longer needed for the Expo Center Project; and once the Tourism Study is
completed and Council determines an appropriate use of the money, it can then be allocated pursuant to the
Lodging Tax process towards the determined project or projects; said staff feels it would be better to put
the funds back into the LTAC fund at this point; and he mentioned the draft letter included in the Council
material,that will be sent to LTAC should Council approve this motion. Mr. Basinger also noted that once
ready,we would want a lot of stakeholder involvement in allocating the funds toward a determined project.
Mr. Hohman noted that during the last six to eight months, the question of the future management of the
Expo Center has been discussed with the County; said he also feels it would be prudent at this point to
return the funds as there are other elements that need to be solved. Mayor Haley invited public comment;
no comments were offered. Vote by acclamation: in favor: unanimous; opposed: none. Motion carried.
5. Motion Consideration: Use of Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery (CLFR) Funds for Gang Task Force
Funding—Chief Ellis, Erik Lamb
Mayor Haley said as there are options on this issue,it will be discussed prior to making a motion.Mr.Lamb
explained that if we want to participate in funding for those enhanced patrols for over-time, that only
Council consensus would be required. However, if Council prefers to reallocate an amount from another
allocation category, a motion would be appropriate; said he believes the use of CLFR funds would be
appropriate for this purpose; that the purpose is to decrease crime especially violent crime; and if Council
wants to use CLFR funds, should that come out of an existing category or be re-allocated; he said that if
Council wants to re-allocate to another category,a motion would be necessary since the original allocation
was done by motion. Chief Ellis confirmed that the extra patrols would be assigned to target the worst
offenders. After Council discussion, there was unanimous consensus to pull $100,000 from the $842,000
previously allocated CLFR funds, and use that for these expanded patrols. Since this agenda item was
originally shown as a motion, Mayor Haley invited public comment. Ms. Barb Howard, Spokane Valley
jvia zoom]: she had initially expressed a desire to speak, but withdrew her request to comment. Mr. John
Harding, Spokane Valley: said he supports the issue, and then spoke about gangs and how law enforcement
handles things in general. There were no other public comments.
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY f2]: Mayor Haley invited public comment
Ms. Barb Howard, Spokane Valley [via zoom]: said it is nice to see the SCOPE people present at tonight's
meeting; said she feels crime is getting worse instead of better and she would like to see some programs
brought back, like the neighborhood clean-up program; mentioned people driving without license plates
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Approved by Council: 10-11-2022
and that she got a letter from the prosecuting attorney that they wanted her to testify but said she would not
because the judges simply turn the people loose anyway. There were no other public comments.
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT:
6. SCOPE Presentation—Chris Conway SCOPE Director
After SCOPE Director Ms. Chris Conway gave a presentation on SCOPE activities, Councilmembers
thanked her and SCOPE for their volunteerism.
7. SVPD Update—Chief Ellis
Spokane Valley Police Chief Ellis went through his PowerPoint giving an update on such things as bike
patrols, crime statistics, training center construction, staffing, community outreach, and precinct building
painting.
8. Fire Dept Monthly Report—Chief Soto
Spokane Valley Fire Chief Soto went through his PowerPoint giving an update on incident and response
statistics for August as well as the year-to-date statistics;and went over some of the more significant events
that occurred during August.
9. Capital Reserve Fund 312—Chelsie Taylor,Erik Lamb,Bill Helbig
Finance Director Taylor mentioned that Council held discussions on this during the June 14 budget
workshop and again during the September 6 Council meeting; in looking at the allocation table, she noted
we started with about $5.7 million available and unallocated for 2023, in Fund 312, which includes a
$950,000 reduction for the Fair&Expo Center which was returned for allocating and proposed for Balfour
Park; that much of the remaining is going toward City Hall repairs; that previous discussion on this issue
included improvements to the City Hall basement, a pilot project for different street treatments and local
street programs; and that staff is here tonight to bring Council additional information.
Deputy City Manager Lamb stated that Council's passed a resolution last April authorizing the City to apply
for two grants to the Washington Recreation Conservation Office(RCO), one for$1,000,000 and the other
for $500,000 which were for the Greenacres Park Phase 2 project improvements; with the $1.5 million in
grants we could have a$2 million project with a $500,000 City match;that at the time, we understood that
we were not required to certify any match or enter into agreements; however, he explained, the process
changed and the RCO is now asking for certification on the$1 million grant; he said that staff wants to see
how the funding plays out in the final determination and if we got full funding, we would bring that to
Council to discuss that$500,000; said tonight he is seeking Council consensus to continue moving on this
path, keeping in mind that if we continue there would be no obligation to accept the grant and we could
decline the grants it necessary. There was fill Council consensus to continue.
Director Helbig stated that there is a proposed allocation for a local streets pilot project for surface treatment
types;that we currently do this but the pilot would be to try different surface treatments; said we no longer
have contractors that do this but some adjacent jurisdictions piggyback with other jurisdictions,so we could
work with the City of Spokane and other agencies to bring a contractor into this area to work with these
alternate surface treatments. Councilmember Wick said he does not want to go with chip sealing but hopes
we could try something new. Mr. Helbig explained that we would have to work with other jurisdictions to
see what we can do, and would work extensively with neighborhoods to see if they'd be willing to go with
some of these other treatments; and said that a pilot program would be to examine other treatment
alternatives. Director Taylor reminded Council that this is just a draft allocation to start discussions, as
allocations are up to Council. Mr. Hohman added that we would bring proposals to Council for discussion;
said he has not been a proponent of chip sealing but there could be other treatments for further discussion.
Mr. Lamb also noted there are additional police vehicles on the list, but staff is not looking for any at this
time, as this was due to some challenges in the vehicle purchasing market. Basement improvements were
mentioned and Mr. Helbig gave an estimate of$250,000 for men's and women's showers and lockers and
said there would be no additional finished space. Couneilmember Woodard said the basement is not a high
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Approved by Council: 10-11-2022
priority for him and prefers to keep the City Hall at the $4.3 million. Deputy Mayor Higgins agreed and
said we could do pilot projects or fix the basement any time, but wants to make sure we have a secure
building. The allocation chart was discussed with the following results:
$250,000 for local streets pilot project-Council consensus
City Hall Basement improvements $250,000-no consensus
Balfour Park $950,000-two in favor of keeping, and four to leave it unallocated
City Hall Repairs of$4.3 million plus the $250,000- Council consensus
Finance Director Taylor said these will be included in the budget for allocation.
10. Solid Waste Management Plan.Consultant Agreement- Bill Helbig
Director Helbig explained that per state statute,the City is required to prepare a coordinated,comprehensive
solid waste management plan to provide guidance for the solid waste system in the City, which includes
garbage collection and disposal, and programs for waste reduction, recycling, organics, and hazardous
waste; and also according to state statutes, the City is required to keep the Solid Waste Management Plan
and Moderate-Risk Waste Management Plan current,reviewed,and periodically revised. Mr.Helbig stated
that the City has issued a Request for Qualifications for a consultant to assist with the necessary updates;
that two consultants submitted their statement of qualifications, and Great West Engineering was selected
to complete the updates; he noted that development and adoption of the Plan will take approximately two
years as it involves significant public involvement as well as coordination with the Department of Ecology.
Mr. Helbig stated that a motion to authorize execution of the Consultant Agreement will be presented at a
future Council meeting.
11. Advance Agenda-Mayor Haley
Councilmember Woodard said he would like the property restoration program brought forward, and there
was consensus from five Councilmembers; Councilmember Woodard said he would also like a motion
scheduled sooner than usual,concerning the upcoming holiday, and there was unanimous consensus to do
so.Not an advance agenda item,but Councilmember Woodard extended compliments to city staff in dealing
with the clean up of the property on East 4th; said the neighbors are very appreciative.
12. Department Monthly Reports
These reports were for information only and were not reported or discussed
CITY MANAGER COMMENTS
Mr. Hohman said that we are waiting for confirmation concerning the dedication of the Dragon Fly
sculpture, and are shooting for next Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., for a 30-minute ceremony; said he had a
productive meeting with the County concerning Plantes Ferry as they work through some items and in the
new few weeks might be bringing forth a budget request for a later budget amendment
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Higgins, seconded cmd unanimously agreed to adjourn. The meeting
adjourned at 8:27 p.m.
ATT4(0- VIA-
_ Pam Haley, Mayor
iristine Bainbridge, ity Clerk
Council Meeting Minutes,Formal: 09-27-2022 Page 5 of 5
Approved by Council: 10-11-2022
SIGN-IN SHEET
SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
6:00 p.m. Regular Meeting
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY
11
Citizens may only speak at one or the other, but not both General Public Comment Opportunities.
THIS IS GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY 1 -
THIS OCCURS EARLY IN THE AGENDA.
SPEAKERS MAY SPEAK AT EITHER GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT
OPPORTUNITY 1 OR 2 - BUT NOT BOTH.
YOUR SPEAKING TIME WILL GENERALLY BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES
You may sign in to speak but it is not necessary,as the Mayor will afford the public the opportunity to speak.
NAME TOPIC OF CONCERN YOU YOUR CITY OF RESIDENCE
'`LEASE PRINT WILL SPEAK ABOUT
C5-"d"We- y
� JJ �
Please note that once information is entered on tins.form, it becomes a public record subject to public disclosure.
Madam Mayor, Council members guests and public,
I am Gary Edwards and although not a citizen of Spokane Valley, I
was in a car accident last night in the Spokane Valley and called
911 and saw how the City of Spokane Police Department handled
an incident in which the responsible party did not have any car
insurance. I had two witnesses that can attest to what the incident
report said and what was in the report that I gave to my insurance.
The other driver ran a stop sign and crossed four lanes on Fancher
In front of my car and I hit the right rear portion of his truck. He
was turning around and stopped when a witness took a picture of
him and his license plate. This witness said that the other driver
appeared to him to be acting as he was either drunk or on some
type of substance. One of them took charge and wrote an exchange
of information report that showed that the other driver did not have
any insurance.
I asked the officer if she was going to cite the other driver for lack of
insurance. She said no because by her looking at the other driver,
she said that he was the type that could not afford the cost of the
ticket that he would get for not having insurance. Also that he
would not even try to pay for either the ticket or the insurance, and
that he would therefore have the money he would need to pay for
the damage that he caused to our car.
Several questions, How does the officer decide who is able to pay for
insurance? If I did not have insurance, would I have been cited for
not having insurance because of my appearance? Is it the policy of
the City of Spokane Valley to encourage drivers in your city not to
have insurance and thus pass the costs of accidents over to
the responsible citizens driving in your city? If it is the policy of the
City of Spokane Valley to encourage this citizen irresponsibility,
The witness said that the other driver to him appeared to be not
normal and possible under the influence of something. When I
called the accident in, we expressed concern about the way the
other driver appeared. This was mentioned by me to the officer as
well as on the 911 phone.
She said that she did not think it was necessary to check the other
driver. What is your city policy and or the police department on
this? I hope that does not mean that the department is becoming
woke and is as a result giving privileges to people that some officers
consider not able to live up to the requirements of the law.
Sincerely,
Gary Edwards
Cell and Text: (909)841-8766