Loading...
2024, 05-21 Study SessionMINUTES City of Spokane Valley City Council Study Session Meeting Tuesday, May 21, 2024 Mayor Haley called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. The meeting was held in person in Council Chambers, and also remotely via Zoom meeting. Attendance: Couneilmembers Staff Pam Haley, Councilmember John Hohman, City Manager Rod Higgins, Councilmember Erik Lamb, Deputy City Manager Tim Hattenburg, Councilmember Chelsie Taylor, Finance Director Laura Padden, Councilmember Gloria Mantz, City Services Administrator Jessica Yaeger, Councilmember Kelly Konkright, City Attorney Al Merkel, Councilmember Tony Beattie, Sr. Deputy City Attorney Ben Wick, Councilmember Bill Helbig, Community & PW Director Jill Smith, Communications Manager Sean Walter, Assistant Police Chief John Whitehead, HR Director Jerrerny Clark, Traffic Engineering Manager Virginia Clough, Legislative Policy Coordinator Eric Robison, Housing & Homeless Coordinator Sarah Farr, Accounting & Finance Program Mngr Lori Barlow, Senior Planner Josh Pratt, Homeless Outreach Deputy Patricia Rhoades, Deputy City Clerk Chad Knodel, IT Manager Marci Patterson, City Clerk ROLL CALL: City Clerk Patterson called roll; all Councilmembers were present. APPROVAL OF AGENDA It was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the agenda. PROCLAMATION: GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY: After Mayor Haley explained the process, she invited public comment. Ms. Barb Howard, Spokane Valley (via Zoom), Mr. Erik Lowe, Spokane Valley, Mr. Mike Dolan, Spokane Valley and Kim Slinger, Greenacres all provided comments on various topics. ACTION ITEM: 1. Public Hearinjj: 2024 Budget Amendment - Chelsie Taylor Mayor Haley opened the public hearing at 6:12 p.m. Finance Director Taylor spoke about the 2024 budget and provided details on the changes that have been made since the budget was adopted in November of 2023. Ms. Taylor noted that the changes were reflected in blue on the documents that were provided for review. Ms. Taylor reviewed the funds that were affected by the amendment and detailed the revenues and expenses for those funds. She also reviewed the new funds that would be created with the amendment as well. Mayor Haley invited public comment. Ms. Barb Howard, Spokane Valley (via Zoom) and Mr. Mike Dolan, Spokane Valley provided comment. Council questioned the parks positions, some of the re -occurring expenditures, and details on the CLFR funds. Mayor Haley closed the public hearing at 6.27 p.m. 2. First Reading: Ordinance 24-010: 2024 Budget Amendment —Chelsie. Taylor Council Meeting Minutes, Study Session: 05-21-2024 Page 1 of 3 Approved by Council: 06-25-2024 After City Clerk Patterson read the Ordinance title, it was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg and seconded to advance Ordinance #24-010 amending the 2024 Budget to a second reading. Ms. Taylor noted that the information was all the same from the previous public hearing. Vote by acclamation: in favor: unanimous. Opposed: none. Motion carried 3. Second Reading: Ordinance 24-009: Street Vacation - STV-2024-001 - Lori Barlow After City Clerk Patterson read the Ordinance title, it was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg and seconded to approve Ordinance #24-009. Ms. Barlow provided a quick review of the street vacation request and noted that the information was all the same as the previous presentation. Mayor Haley invited public comment; no comments were offered. Vote by acclamation: in favor: unanimous. Opposed: none. Motion carried, 4. Motion Consideration: Potential Grant Opportunity: Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program ATTIP) - Bill Helbig It was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg and seconded to authorize the City Manager, or designee, to apply to the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program for the Flora Road Trail project, requesting $2, 000, 000 for the project's design. Mr. Helbig provided a PowerPoint presentation with details on the potential grant opportunity that included a background on the funding, requirements for the grant funding, and what the project would include if funds were awarded to the city. Mr. Helbig also noted the project scope would include the redesign of the Flora Road corridor in order to prioritize the inclusion of trail facilities starting at the Appleway Trail, heading north over Interstate 90, connecting to the Centennial Trail, then over the Spokane River and connecting to Flora Park. Council discussed the funding and what the city match funding would include and discussed what the city would be responsible for if the bridge were constructed. Mayor Haley called for public comment. Mr. Erik Lowe, Spokane Valley, Mr. Mike Dolan, Spokane Valley, and Ms. Kim Slinger, Greenacres provided comments. Mayor Haley called for the question on the motion. Vote by acclamation on original motion: in favor: Deputy Mayor Hattenburg and Councilmember Wick. Opposed: Mayor Haley, Councilmembers Higgins, Padden, Yaeger and Merkel. Motion failed. NON -ACTION ITEMS: 5. Admin Report: Budget Goals - John Hohman City Manager Hohman presented the goals that council had previously discussed at the Strategic Planning Workshop. There were five goals previously discussed and City Manager Hohman wanted confirmation on moving forward with those goals and prioritization of the goals. Council discussed each goal. Councilmember Wick suggested adding a sixth goal to include infrastructure and street network. Council provided consensus to add a sixth goal. Councilmember Wick suggested adding the goal language to include "prioritize infrastructure maintenance and preservation and advance strategic capital projects through grant awards". Council provided consensus on the wording and adding it as the second goal. Council also provided consensus to moving the current member two goal to spot number six. Councilmember Wick also suggested adding "and develop tourism destinations" to the end of goal three that speaks to Economic Development. A consensus was provided to add the language to the end of goal three as suggested. It was moved by Mayor Haley and seconded to take a ten-minute break from 7: 05 p. m. to 7:15 p.m. Vote by acclamation: infavor: unanimous. Opposed: none. Motion carried, 6. Admin Report: School Zone Speed Limit Revision — Bowdish & 12th — Jerremy Clarlc Mr. Clark presented a revision to the school zone speed limit at Bowdish Rd. The suggested revision would move the school zone from 20th Avenue to 24th Avenue and from three hundred (300) feet south of 12th (previously I I") Avenue to three hundred (3 00) feet north of 12th (previously 1 I") Avenue. There are currently improvements being done in that area and would not be an additional cost to relocate the school zone. It would also assist with the current location of the crosswalk that is used by the students traveling to and from school. Council provided consensus to return with a motion consideration on the revision at a later meeting. 7. Admin Report: Homeless Outreach Contract Award --- Sarah Farr & Eric Robison Council Meeting Minutes, Study Session: 05-21-2024 Page 2 of 3 Approved by Council: 06-25-2024 Ms. Farr opened the discussion and provided details of the request for proposals and the services requested, Ms, Farr explained the RFP process and what was included in the RFP. It was stated that the city received two RIT's, one from the Salvation Army and one from Frontier Behavioral Health. Staff reviewed the RFD's and interviewed each agency for qualifications. They reviewed the operation and performance of each agency, the integration with the regional homeless response system, and the budget. Staff also met with the interim task force and reviewed all ofthe materials provided in the RIT from each agency. The decision was made to recommend the council to move forward with Frontier Behavior Health, It was noted that Frontier provided additional resources and has already had an impact with those resources within our community. Council discussed the funding of the program, the application process, performance measures within the scope of the: RFP, partnerships with out- community with the program and the need for this program in out - city. The request for consensus to bring this back to Council as a motion consideration at a later meeting was provided, 8. Advance AggIda - Mayor Haley COLUICilinernber Yacger met with CHAZ and they requested recognition in August and Mayor Haley asked that the request be submitted to her. Councilmeniber Merkel requested a review of the city's protest process for contracts. 'There was not consensus to move the request forward. Councilineinber Merkel suggested moving the SCRAPS discussion tip as it had not been discussed lately. Councilmember Padden requested a report on lithium battery safety concerns, (storing, fires, etc). A consensus to add to the advanced agenda was approved. COUNCIL COMMENTS COLIuCiluieniber Merkel spoke about RFP/RFQ process and that we shouldn't be choosing providers because they are nice guys and we have worked with them. He feels there needs to be more to the process. Mayor Haley spoke about the RFP process and noted that no one said they knew the providers personally, but that the business community had said they have Seen rCSUItS from Frontier and that was what was considered. Mayor Haley also noted that Deputy Mayor Hattenburg had asked her to speak about a letter on social media and a corrinient made that Hattenburg would be able to stop STA from doing work at a P311iCUlar location, Mayor Haley stated that he is just one of many on a board with ST'A and cannot single handedly stop work or progress with STA protects, It takes the decision of the whole s'rA board to alter or review projects with STA. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS Mr. Hohman reminded council and the community that the dedication of our veteran's memorial on 11:00 a.m. this Friday the 24"' at Balfour Park. Mr. Holinran also noted, the new newsletter being ernailed out to the community. Mr. Hohnian also congratulated Sergeant Pat Bloorner, he was recognized as the Deputy of the Year and the city leas had the privilege of working with him for a long time and we really appreciate his efforts and outstanding work. Mr. Holiman also provided an update on the Centennial Trail construction, He also provided an update on the survey and that it closed yesterday and there will be an administrative report to follow at the next meeting. It was inoved by De[)wy Allq)or LlatlenburA-, seconcled cind unardinously cigreed to 60journ. The meeting was adjourned at 7:58 pm. NJ Marci P� tterson, City Clerk Pam Haley, Mayo-i Council Meeting Minutes, Study Session: 05-21-2024 Approved by Cotuicil: Page 3 of 3 'Tuesday, May 21, 2024 6:00 G EN E R.A 1, 1-1 U 13 1,1 C C 0 M M . E N'r 0 P P 0 1.1 T U N ITY Please sign tip to speak for up to THE minutes and the Mayor will afford the public the opportunity to speak. The public comment opportunity is limited to a maximum of 45.minutes. ...... . ... . .......... NAME TOPIC YOU WILL SPEAK YOUR CITY OF RESIDENCE PLEASE PRINT ABOUT r 10 "LA 0, A.- . ........... ...... .......... . ....... . ............. .............. ......... . . .................. .... . . . ............... ......... . ... .. . .............. ............ ......... . .............. ............ . . ........... . . . ................. ............. ....... . .. . ............. ...... . .......... . . ...................... . ........ . ....... . ..... . ...... . . ..... .. ....... ........ .. ... . ..... Hease note tha,l once hilbrination k entered on tltivfiw,foa, it becomes as public record srd�jecf to public disclo sure. Mard Patterson From: Peggy Doering <peggy@valleyfest.org> Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2024 2:10 PM To: Council Meeting Public Comment,, John Hohrnan; John Bottelli Subject* Motion Consideration: Potential Grant Opportunity- Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program GOVERNING LEGISLATION: RCW 35.77,010: Six -Year Transportation Improvement Program Attachments: Grant Memo.docx [EXTERNAL] This email originated outside the City of Spokane Valley, Always use caution when opening attachments or clicking links. Good afternoon, City of Spokane Valley Council. Members, I support the Potentiat Grant Opportunity to connect the AppLeway TraiL, Flora Rd and the Centennial. Trail. I have attached to this email. my Letter of support. I live in the City of Spokane Valley. My contact information is below. Let me know if YOU need more information prior to the meeting. Peggy Doering Executive Director Valteyfest 509 922-3299 509-2301-6829 MEMORANDUM TO: City of Spokane Valley Council Members FROM: Peggy Doering, Valleyfest DATE: May 21 ", 2024 SUBJECT: Support for Grant Application: Connecting Centennial Trail to Appleway Trail Valleyfest is pleased to support the grant application for connecting the Centennial Trail to the Appleway Trail. This connection is crucial for enhancing the recreational opportunities and community events in Spokane Valley. For over 20 years, Valleyfest has utilized the Centennial Trail to connect Spokane Valley to the greater Eastern Washington region. This trail has been integral to our recreational activities, including triathlons, duathlons, 5K and 1 OK runs, as well as kayaking and fishing events. The proposed connection of the Centennial Trail to the Appleway Trail will significantly benefit our annual Cycle Celebration event held every July. More importantly, it will attract long- distance and endurance riders from the Saltese Uplands and the Peone Prairie, further integrating our community with these avid cyclists. Connecting Spokane Valley to the greater Eastern Washington area has long been one of Valleyfest's primary goals. Our mission is to foster community engagement and promote Spokane Valley as a hub for recreation and tourism. By continually enhancing our trail systems and organizing diverse events, we aim to attract visitors and encourage residents to explore the beauty and activities our region offers. The connection between the Centennial and Appleway Trails represents a significant step toward achieving this long-term vision, enabling us to draw more people into the Valley and strengthen our community bonds through shared outdoor experiences. Additionally, this trail connection will enhance Spokane Valley's appeal as a host city for the upcoming Pacific Northwest (PNW) Tandem Bike Ride. This event already has over 500 interested participants, and connecting these two trails will likely attract even more attendees, boosting local tourism and community engagement. We firinly believe that this grant will not only support our existing events but also create new opportunities for recreational activities and economic growth in Spokane Valley. Thank you for considering our support for this grant application. Best Regards, Peggy Doering Good Evening, My name is Erik Lowe and I am a stay-at-home dad residing in Spokane Valley. In front of each of you, I've placed a copy of a May 5`1 RANGE article. The article details the pattern of harassment and intimidation my child and I experienced as a result. of my frequent and pointed comments at STA Board meetings. Despite not being a member of the STA Board, Council Member Merkel reached out to me shortly after publication of the story and we had a spirited hour-long conversation. While we started with his horror at my experience at STA, most of the conversation centered on traffic safety and my pedestrian advocacy efforts in the City of Spokane. Council Member Merkel encouraged me to expand my efforts to Spokane Valley, so you'll probably see more of me moving forward, but in the meantime, I want to ask you some questions: How would you feel to have transit officers following you and your child around? How would you feel about the two of you being followed to the bathroom? How would you feel to find out there is a standing policy to do so, specifically for ,you? The official response from STA's communications officer was that this was enacted out of an abundance of caution due to me being visibly upset and angry at a board meeting, and that solne people present felt threatened. Mayor Haley, in the article, it is mentioned that you did not respond to a request for comment, Am I a threat? I am your constituent. I have a constitutional right to air my grievances, and with STA leadership, I have many. You don't have to like my tone. A right is a right, regardless of tone. "Do you follow everyone into the bathroom? Or just me?"' After facing pointed public testimony from Erik Lowe, Spokane Transit Authority security officers followed Lowe meetings he attended. By Oren Sellers 0 Government 0 May 5, 2024 Erik Lowe has risen to prominence recently as an advocate for bike and pedestrian rights. (Photo by Erick Doxey.) On March 21, transit advocate Erik Lowe pulled a chair up to. the podium nestled at the back of the Spokane Transit Authority (STA) board room. Lowe lifted his four -year -old son Teddy up onto the chair so he could lean into the mic and tell the board members how much he liked riding buses #4 and #74 — the lines he and his son had taken to get to that afternoon's board meeting. Lowe then gave his own testimony, a brief show of support fora cI to make bus fare free on all lines during Expo '74 brought by the Spokane City Council's representation on the board. His son thanked the board for their time and hopped down from the chair. For about an hour, Lowe watched more of the meeting while Teddy watched the buses pull in and out of the bus barn — a favorite activity of his, according to Lowe. "The only thing he loves more than a bus is a train," Lowe said. Then, the younger Lowe got restless and the pair decided to leave. "I went to take him into the bathroom because we have an hour bus ride home," said Lowe, who lives in Spokane Valley. One of the multiple transit security officers at the board meeting got up and followed them, standing outside the bathroom waiting for Lowe and his son to come out. When they were done, Lowe said he asked the guard point " blank, "Do you follow everyone into the bathroom? Or just me?" According to Lowe, the guard stammered, "I don't know, this is my first time working the board meeting, so I don't know." The guard followed Lowe and his son all the way out to the main door. The interaction left Lowe bristling, so he notified RANGE and put in a public records request with the agency to see if staff had specifically flagged him for surveillance. A month later, the records request confirmed that Nancy Williams, STA's Chief Human Resources Officer, had ordered additional security for meetings Lowe was scheduled to testify, and to pay special attention to his presence. 'Looking for answers' Lowe is a transit advocate who has gotten p recently for an ambitious plan to make Spokane's roadways safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. He gets amped up talking about it. He only started testifying at STA board meetings in January after RANGE broke the news that board members and the STA CEO Susan Meyer had been making coordinated efforts to stall transit priorities championed by Spokane City Council Members Zack Zappone and Betsy Wilkerson. "Previously, 1 haven't been too involved in STA politics largely because of the competence and professionalism of STA staff. From the drivers to maintenance to planners to customer service, they're all top notch and I salute each of them for their hard work and commitment to their community," Lowe told the board during his first public testimony. His words for the group were pointed, and especially so toward Meyer and Board Chair Al French. "I'd like you to explain why you lead a transit agency: Mr. French as chair of the board, Ms. Meyer as CEO of Spokane Transit, with seemingly no desire to actually serve the mission of the agency," Lowe said. "Spokane Transit Authority deserves so, so much better than you two." But Lowe wanted to do more than just give comment, so he applied for both a paid position at STA and a volunteer position on the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC). Lowe wasn't chosen for either position, which he didn't initially think was strange. But then he heard from Dan Brown, a friend who chairs the CAC, that Lowe's application for the volunteer position hadn't even been sent to the committee as an option. In a February 7 email, Brown told Lowe that STA Chief Communications officer Carly Cortright had recently sent the CAC just three applications. Lowe's application — which .. he sent to STA in December hadn't been one of the applications sent to the CAC for consideration. Frustrated and looking for answers as to why his application had been held up, Lowe wrote a statement and delivered it during public testimony section of the next STA meeting, on February 15. `"I have my thoughts on the CAC's byzantine appointment process, but I'll leave that for another time. For now, I'm looking for some answers," Lowe said at the conclusion of his planned testimony. "So, Dr. Cortright, could you please explain to the board why my application wasn't brought forward for consideration?„ Lowe had finished what he'd come prepared to say the posts his full written statements on Twitter in advance of public meetings, and hands them out to reporters as well) but French quickly chimed in, saying "We're not going to engage in conversations." A quick back -and -forth between Lowe and French ensued, with Lowe describing his qualifications for membership on the CAC and his passion for engaging with STA. "You were talking about the CAC earlier and how it's important for citizens to engage with the board," Lowe said. "How are citizens supposed to engage with the board when you have staff screening their applications in order to prevent them from joining the CAC?" French responded, "We can take it up with our staff." The exchange ended with both men giving curt "thank yous." Lowe attended the rest of the meeting, then left without issue. He said he didn't try to talk to any staff or board members outside of the public testimony portion, and none of them approached him to chat, either. The next day, he sent an email to all board members, Meyer and Cortright following up on his comments and asking for clarification on what happened with his application. He received no response. A week later, on February 23, he sent a second email asking why there hadn't been any follow up. Lowe's tone is chippy, and references Cortright by name. "Commissioner French, in his capacity as STA Board Chair, said staff would reach out to me. No one has. If my job title was Chief Communications and Customer Service officer, I'd try to be at least decent at communications or customer service, but I guess `head in the sand' is considered a legitimate comms strategy by some," Lowe wrote. "Now I'm forced to speculate as to why my application hadn't been seen by the CAC, Did Dr. Cortright's assistant take it upon herself to screen applicants?" Can February 28, Meyer emailed him back, stating that the CAC would review applications in a March meeting that would be open to the public. In early March, CAC chair Brown emailed Lowe to say, "[Meyer] and I have discussed our concerns that applications were not getting to the committee and I think that this practice of "pre-screening" will not continue" In early March, Lowe's application was discussed by the CAC and he was chosen for an interview, but ultimately not chosen as an applicant that would be forwarded to the STA board's Performance Monitoring & External Relations (PMER) Committee for approval (although, recently the CAC had a resignation, so Lowe may get another chance.) On March 8, Lowe also called the hiring manager for the paid Associate Transit Planner position he'd applied for, and said he was told by her that she'd never received it for review — it hadn't been forwarded by the HR department. All of that confusion and frustration had built up for Lowe. He sent RANGE a timeline of his experiences on March 9, complete with hyperlinks and email forwards of his communications with STA staff and board members. Ten days later, he submitted a records request to STA for all staff and board communications with his name in it, and a day later, he attended the March 21 board meeting with his son Teddy, where they were followed closely by the transit off ice r. Teddy (face blurred for privacy) looks up at Erik Lowe as they testified at the March 21 board meeting. Photo courtesy of Lowe. `Visibly upset and angry and shaking! On April 25, Lowe sent RANGE a collection of documents he'd received from his public records request, including an email exchange between Williams, STA's Chief Human Resources officer and transit officer Warren Earp. "Thanks for sticking around tonight. Sounds like it was uneventful, which is good!" Williams wrote to transit officer Warren Earp on March 12, when Lowe attended a public ". meeting of the CAC. "Of course. Always a pleasure. Lowe was accepted for an interview; if that gets scheduled on a Tuesday I will be happy to stand guard," Earp responded. Williams concluded the exchange by writing, "Wonderful! Thank you so much!" In her capacity as Communications officer, Cortright told RANGE that while having transit officers present for public board meetings is standard practice to prevent disruptions, officers had been specifically asked to attend meetings when Lowe would be in attendance, because of his comments at the February 15 meeting. "He was pretty hostile toward me and accused me of burying his application to the CAC," Cortright said. "He was visibly upset and angry and shaking." Cortright said that while she understood what she saw as Lowe's anger, "considering what he thought had happened," his demeanor caused a few staff members to be concerned. Cortright did not say who these few staff were, other than herself. "For everyone's benefit, I will just say that people were made uncomfortable and in the abundance of caution a request was made." So, the next time they saw his name on the sign-up sheet for public testimony, they arranged for officers to be in attendance. RANGE reviewed the video footage of the meeting, and though Lowe's voice remained level for most of his testimony — with the exception of the back and forth with French — because of the camera placement of the recording, his demeanor isn't visible. We called French, Spokane Valley Mayor and STA board member Pam Haley and Spokane City Council Members Kitty Klitzke and Paul Dillon who also sit on the STA board to ask about Lowe's presence at meetings. French and Haley did not answer requests for comment. Dillon, who was also a reference on Lowe's CAC application, said he'd never seen Lowe visibly angry or "shaking." "Eric can get personal at times," Dillon said. "But to me, it's nothing I think merits this response." Klitzke said that she'd never felt threatened by any of his testimony either at STA or at Spokane City Council meetings. "I'm not a particularly sensitive person. I am a veteran, I'm also a medic. I don't think I ever would've described him like that. Agitated would be the word I'd use," Klitzke said. "But I think I probably would've noticed if he was shaking, because <, I would've been concerned ... for his physical or mental health, and I am trained to observe those kinds of things." Lowe said he was more nervous than anything else -- he's terrified of public speaking. "I'm never angry or agitated," he told RANGE. "I was accusatory because I was questioning why my application was shelved, but that is my right because it's a public forum." Both Klitzke and Dillon acknowledged that Lowe is a tall guy, with Dillon comparing their heights and saying he knows that can cause people to perceive him as a threat, (Lowe is 6'9" and Dillon is 6'5"). Klitzke said it seemed Lowe was aware of the perception of his height, and may have brought his son as a way of showing he was not a threat. Lowe himself acknowledged his height in a text to RANGE, stating "I know I'm a big guy, but I don't think I'm particularly dangerous. According to their org chart, STA has 16 transit officers. I've seen three standing around outside a single board meeting," he wrote. "Am I expected to start throwing furniture or something?" Cortright said STA has a total of 23 security positions on staff including the manager and leads, as well as 16 contracted security positions. She also said there hadn't been any "further issues," with Lowe after the February meeting. Heightened security at meetings he attended afterwards were just "an abundance of caution," she said. The heightened security was also to address increased public presence at meetings in the new year, Cortright added. "It's like Fort Knox in there' While Lowe seems to be at odds with STA leadership like French, Meyer and Williams, one thing they can all agree on is the importance of transit safety. They disagree on how to get there, though. Board members like Haley and French have been regularly bringing up safety concerns as a reason to steer away from free fare policies, with Haley saying free fare in the past had turned buses into "rolling Jails," and French claiming that in other cities, it had transformed buses into "mobile. _c el l shelters." Lowe said he also wants to see STA prioritize driver safety, as they're the organization's "best resource," but doesn't think that French and Haley have the best perspective on that. "You're going to sit there and you're going to talk about transit safety and complain about the safety of our drivers," Lowe said, "But you don't ensure [drivers] are safe by having your transit officers loitering outside of board meetings and chilling outside the Plaza's customer service office. Cortright couldn't give details on STA security protocol, to "protect the integrity of our security plan," but said that officers do random patrols and try to hit every route multiple times a month. Drivers can also request security if they're noticing "a particular pattern of behavior," on their route. Lowe said he'd ridden the bus more than 20 times since he moved to Spokane, and he'd never seen an officer on the bus, though he'd seen plenty "standing inside the customer service office" at the Plaza. Dillon rides the bus weekly, often three or four times a week, and said he had also never seen a security officer on his bus line — "only at the STA plaza." Lowe found it frustrating that STA was "wasting resources babysitting," and said security at STA board meetings went way overboard compared to the other meetings he attends, like Spokane City Council, the Spokane Regional Transportation Council and the Board of County Commissioners: "It's like Fort Knox in there." Lowe holds a sign for his advocacy group, Spokane Reimagined, on the Sioomsday route. Photo taken by Sarah Rose and provided courtesy of Lowe. Dillon and Klitzke, who sit on the dais for one of, if not the single spiciest meeting in the region — the Spokane City Council — both found the security presence a little overblown. Dillon described it as "weird," Klitzke went into more detail. "I tend to think we have too many security guards at meetings. Sometimes we have five police officers at city council meetings and that I feel like is a bit much," she said. "In a lot of situations I'm surrounded by too much security and the STA security, I feel like they're a little more like police officers than our City Hall guards so having four of them there at some of our meetings seems a bit much." Dillon said it was extremely disappointing that Williams had asked transit officers to spend time watching Lowe. "Erik is not a threat, he's a very engaged advocate. It's just ridiculous and demonstrates a pattern of hyper - defensiveness," Dillon said. "protest and accountability are an important part of the job, and if you don't want it to be, then you're in the wrong role for the wrong reasons" Editor's note: A sentence was added to provide more context to the increased security presence at meetings.