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2025, 03-18 Formal B MeetingMINUTES City of Spokane Valley City Council Meeting Formal B Format Tuesday, March 18, 2025 Mayor Haley called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. The meeting was held in person in Council Chambers, and also remotely via Zoom meeting. Attendance: Councilmembers Staff Pam Haley, Mayor John Hohman, City Manager Tim Hattenburg, Deputy Mayor Erik Lamb, Deputy City Manager Rod Higgins, Councilmember Chelsie Walls, Finance Director Laura Padden, Councilmember Gloria Mantz, City Services Administrator Jessica Yaeger, Councilmember Kelly Konkright, City Attorney Ben Wick, Councilmember John Bottelli, Parks & Rec Director Al Merkel, Councilmember Robert Blegen, Public Works Director Jill Smith, Communications Manager Tony Beattie, Senior Deputy City Attorney Dave Ellis, Police Chief John Whitehead, HR Director Virginia Clough, Legislative Policy Coordinator Adam Jackson, Engineering Manager Lesli Brassfield, Tourism & Marketing Manager Jenny Nickerson, Building Official Justan Kinsel, IT Specialist Marci Patterson, City Clerk INVOCATION: PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Council, staff and the audience stood for the Pledge of Allegiance. 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. SPECIAL GUESTS/PRESENTATIONS: PROCLAMATIONS: National Vietnam Veterans Day Mayor Haley read the proclamation and Ms. RaeAnna Victor with the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) accepted the proclamation and spoke about the upcoming event on Saturday that will be held at Balfour Park to honor our veterans. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY: After Mayor Haley explained the process, she invited public comments. Mr. Darrin Watkins, Spokane Valley; Mr. Justin Haller, Spokane; William Hulings, Spokane; Ms. Sherry Lang, Spokane Valley; Mr. Al Schrock, Spokane Valley; Mr. Ben Lund, Spokane Valley; Mr. Darryl Williams, Spokane Valley; Ms. Diana Wilhite, Spokane Valley; Mr. John Harding, Spokane Valley all provided comments on various topics. ACTION ITEMS: 1. Ordinance 25-001: Second Read- Sign Code Changes — Kelly Konkright Council Meeting Minutes: 03-18-2025 Page 1 of 5 Approved by Council: 04-22-2025 After City Clerk Patterson read the Ordinance title, it was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg and seconded approve Ordinance No. 25-001 Amending SVMC 22.110.020 Relating to Signs Within City Rights -of -Way. City Attorney Konkright opened the discussion with a PowerPoint presentation that detailed the overview of the changes in the code from what the previous code read. Previously all non-commercial signs were prohibited and with the new code, non-commercial signs would be allowed in the right-of-way. Mr. Konkright also provided a history of the previous code, noted the legal considerations, noted the requirements for any non-profit groups, the allowable areas within the rights -of -way, noting what needs to be listed on a proper sign and the requirements of what the sign should look like. Council discussed the meaning of right-of-way, the temporary signs, locations of some of the temporary signs and the need to clear up some of the items related to the locations and type of signs. Mr. Hohman offered that council may want to defer the Ordinance to a later date until the items presented could be reviewed and refined in the Ordinance. It was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg and seconded to withdraw the previous motion made. Vote by acclamation: infavor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Motion carried. 2. Motion Consideration: ILA with SVFD —Jenny Nickerson It was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg and seconded to authorize the City Manager to execute the amended Interlocal Agreement for Fire Services in the City of Spokane Valley as presented Ms. Nickerson provided brief details on the interlocal agreement, noted that any previous comments and concerns had been clarified and asked for any questions. Council did not have any questions. Mayor Haley invited public comment: no comments were offered. Vote by acclamation: in favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Motion carried. 3. Motion Consideration: Potential Grant Opportunity — SRTC Funding — Adam Jackson It was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg and seconded to authorize the City Manager, or designee, to apply to the SRTC grant for those projects identified in ranked order as shown in Table 2. Mr. Jackson opened the discussion with a review of the table of projects that would be considered for the SRTC grant submission. Mr. Jackson provided brief details on a couple of the projects on the list. Councilmember Merkel asked if awarded the grants would be new match money to the city and Mr. Jackson pointed out the column that specifically stated new city match funding. Council further discussed details on the arterial crossing projects and how they would score with the SRTC matrix. Councilmember Merkel made a motion to move for a division to consider each project separately. He noted that it was a privileged motion and didn't need a second. Mayor Haley asked if he wanted to look at each item separately and noted that this was not how this works for this process. Mayor Haley asked to call for a vote and Councilmember Merkel noted that he didn't think it needed a vote and requested the parliamentarian answer. Councilmember Higgins poised a point of order and stated that you do not have that sort of power sir. Mayor Haley agreed with the point. Councilmember Merkel interrupted and stated that Roberts Rules allows for a call for division for any item that has more than one part. Councilmember Higgins called for an additional point of order and stated that he is inventing Roberts Rules and Mayor Haley also called out that Councilmember Merkel is speaking out of turn and was not called on and was not ok. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg explained that splitting the items is not part of the process and it is intended to be submitted as one as listed in the table. Mayor Haley also explained the process for grant process. Mr. Jackson provided reasons for the list of projects. Councilmember Wick explained that they are all important and asked Councilmember Merkel which ones he didn't want to see on the list. Councilmember Merkel then noted that he did not want to see projects one through six on the list. Cleric Patterson clarified that the motion is for the table of projects and not for the projects individually to be separated. Therefore, you may not separate the projects to choose one specific project or remove projects with the motion that was originally on the table for discussion. Mayor Haley invited public comments. John Harding, Spokane Valley, Justin Haller, Spokane and Ben Lund, Spokane Valley provided comment. Mr. Hohman provided clarification on the need for a package of projects and noted that that is what SRTC is calling for in the grant request. It was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg and seconded to call for the question. Vote by acclamation on callingfor the question: in favor: Mayor Haley, Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, Councilrnembers Higgins, Wick, Yaeger and Padden. Opposed.- Councilmember Merkel. Motion carried. Mayor Haley then noted that they needed to vote on the motion that was on the table. Vote by acclamation on calling for the question: in favor: Mayor Haley, Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, Councilmenrbers Higgins, Wick, Yaeger and Padden. Opposed: Councilrnenrber° Merkel. Motion carried Council Meeting Minutes: 03-18-2025 Page 2 of 5 Approved by Council: 04-22-2025 4. Motion Consideration: Potential Grant Opportunity — NHS Asset Management - Adam Jackson It was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg and seconded to authorize the City Manager, or designee, to apply for NH5grants for the projects identified in Table 1. Mr. Jackson provided details on the recommended projects and why they are recommended for the funding opportunity. Council discussed restoring road we already have and Mr. Jackson noted that they all have elements of patching. There was also a question on ranking for the projects and Mr. Jackson that ranking was not a requirement of this grant opportunity. Mayor Haley invited public comments: no comments were offered. Vote by acclamation: in favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Motion carried. 5. Motion Consideration: Federal Legislative Agenda Update — Virginia Clough It was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg and seconded to approve the 2025 Federal Legislative Agenda as amended or take other action deemed appropriate. Ms. Clough provided an update on the Federal Legislative Agenda and noted an update on a couple of the projects. Council discussed the removing specific language from the federal agenda as the funding awards would not be part of a couple of the projects listed that had been previously submitted. Mr. Hohman noted that those items will be brought back in the future for further discussion as well. Council spoke about the equity components in the grants that have previously been approved. Mr. Hohman noted that this would be a topic of discussion when they travel to Washington D.C. and speak with the delegates. Mayor Haley invited public comments: no comments were offered. Vote by acclamation: in favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Motion carried. Mayor Haley called for a recess at 7:34pm for 11 minutes and that the meeting would resurrre at 7: 45pm. NON -ACTION ITEMS 6. Admin Report: Short Term Rental Update — Lesli Brassfield Ms. Brassfield opened the discussion with a brief history and noted that we heard from the hoteliers the previous week and now it was time to hear from the Short Term Rental owner/operators. She introduced Johana Tuttle, Alicia and Brian Gardner, and Debi Schwartz, all owner/operators of short term rentals. Each of the short term rental owners spoke about their current situation as short term renters and spoke about what it means to them to be able to do the short term rentals. They also noted that most of the sort term rental owners do it as a side job to earn a little extra income. The presenters all noted that they are not earning much and that additional fees would cause them to look at their model differently due to financial affordability. Councilmember Merkel asked about business licenses and if a permit was required for $100- $200 a year would that be problematic for each of them. Council also questions the locations and if they rented out a portion of a home or the whole home. They spoke about registration and licensing and the ability to locate all the homes listed on short term rental sites. 7. Admin Report: Public Safety Sales Tax Discussion — Erik Lamb, Chelsie Walls Erik Lamb, Deputy City Manager, Chelsie Walls, Finance Director and Deanna Gregory (via Zoom), Outside Bond Counsel Representative provided details on the requirements for the proposed ballot measure for a public safety sales tax of .01 %. Ms. Gregory provided some of the legal requirements per RCW and what it means for the city. She also explained two key documents that need to come from the city, the election ordinance and the explanatory statement. She also spoke about the pro/con committees and noted that there can be up to three people per committee. Council discussed the need to allow the voters to decide if they want to move forward with the next phase of the public safety finding. Councilmember Merkel noted that hebelieves that the city has the money to support our police and does not agree with a public safety sales tax. He feels that we should fully fund the policing efforts and then go to the voters with anything else the city would need funding for. Councilmember Padden noted that she well known for not voting for taxes, however she is in favor of letting people decide. Part of the concern for her was about the indirect costs and there is an audit that will take place to review those indirect costs and it would be good for the largest contract to be audited and find cost deficiencies or turn those funds back to more policing items. Councilmember Yaeger echoed Councilmember Padden's thoughts as well. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg noted that we did not approve over $1 million in spending this evening, simply the submission of the grant applications. He also noted that 64% of our costs go to our police contract and we are one of the fastest growing cities in the state. Council Meeting Minutes: 03-18-2025 Page 3 of 5 Approved by Council: 04-22-2025 Councilmember Wick detailed that public safety is not our only goal and that we have six goals that we need to maintain and while public safety is not the only priority, we are 51 st out of 50 states for officers and that we would need to hire 1100 officers in the state to get to 50th place. He stated that it is time to make hard decisions. Mayor Haley stated that she agreed with almost everyone and we have been lucky and kept things low and taxes low. She would only do this public safety sales tax with a vote of the people and that more officers would reduce crime. She also stated that 48% of the tax would be provided by citizens that live outside the city. Councilmember Merkel noted that we need to fund our needs first. Councilmember Higgins poised a point of order and stated that this has degenerated into a debate. Mayor Haley agreed. Councilmember Merkel appealed the ruling. The appeal died for a lack of a second. Ms. Walls reminded council that REET funds cannot use those for police funding. Mr. Hohman stated that we have been through quite a year and really focusing on squeezing quite a bit out of all the rest of the budget by at least 5% and that the policing was a 2025 budget item, and we discussed phase 2 on March 4th during the Winter workshop and noted the six officers that would be for phase 2. He further stated that we would be looking for revenues to cover phase 2 and the increases in the costs of the officers and trying to look at everything to be as efficiently as possible. There is simply not any big pot of money left, and we would need to cut programs in order to fund phase 2 and those programs are part of the other priorities. Council provided consensus to proceed with the Public Hearing for the proposed public safety sales tax and the advertising of the pro/con committees. INFORMATION ONLY (will not be reported or discussed): 8. Info Only: Wellesley Avenue Preservation Project - Rob Lochmiller 9. Expenditures Related to Councilmember Merkel 10. Hearing Examiner 2024 Annual Report GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY: Mayor Haley stated that the general public comment rules still apply and called for public comments. Mr. Joseph Gohdsee, Spokane Valley; Grant Guinn, Spokane; Derek Bazitois, Spokane, Ashton Guinn, Spokane Valley; Brian Gardner, Spokane Valley all provided comments. It was moved by Councilmember Yaeger and seconded to extend the meeting by 20 minutes. Approved unanimously. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Merkel spoke about the short term rental operators and appreciated the comments from both sides, also talked about WSDOT and that they are removing some of the informational signs on the freeway. He would like to add it to the legislative agenda in the advance agenda. He spoke about the ballot measure and the need for the 30 officers, and we should be funding from our own pockets and not fund the programs so be it and then take it to the vote for those programs. It doesn't make sense to him. Councilmember Higgins noted that in cities such as ours there is an unwritten rule that you are growing, or you are dying and referenced the cuts proposed previously by Councihnember Merkel. Councilmember Merkel poised a point of order and noted decorum and that he needed to be referred to as a councilmember and not mister. Mayor Haley agreed. Councilmember Higgins noted that he stands corrected and continued to provide details on the cuts proposed by Councilmember Merkel and questioned if he would want to live here if all of those cuts were made to his city. Councilmember Padden directed her comments to the information only item provided details on the funds the city has currently spent in regards to Councilmember Merkel. Councilmember Padden continued to provide a brief background on the information on Councilmember Merkel investigations and the cost to the city and that it could have all been avoided and now cost enough to have potentially funded an officer. Councilmember Yaeger noted the informational items related to the costs for investigation into Councilmember Merkel and spoke about other priorities than just public safety and that we need a balanced approach. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS Council Meeting Minutes: 03-18-2025 Page 4 of 5 Approved by Council: 04-22-2025 Mr. Hohman thanked staff and council and the community for coming to the community conversations and that the city will look at doing that again on the 3rd Tuesday of April. Mr. Hohman spoke about a handout from Jake Mason at GSI and that GSI is putting together a North Spokane Corridor Coalition as the state has deferred funding for the project and GSI is trying to put together a coalition for the project and noting that the state has allocated those funds on the other side of the state and we want the funds brought back here. There is a support letter coming and unfortunately there is not another meeting to bring the letter forward. Mr. Hohman asked for consensus to allow the Mayor or Deputy Mayor to sign the support letter when presented and that it will be addressed to the legislature that is focusing attention on the project and to participate on the committee. Council provided consensus to participate on the committee and to sign the support letter when presented. Mr. Hohman closed with reminding everyone that there would be no council meeting the following week as some of the councilmembers and staff would be in Washington D.C. It was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn. The meeting was adjourned at 9:16 p.m. ATTEST: Un� - Marc atterson, City Clerk 90'rv— W PaiW Haley, Mayor Council Meeting Minutes: 03-18-2025 Approved by Council: 04-22-2025 Page 5 of 5 j0001%, IIey- 'Prortamatt"011 Vietnam Veterans' Day 2025 City of Spokane Vaffey, Washington WHEREAS, We join communities throughout Washington State and the nation in observing the anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and honoring those who served our country; and WHEREAS, Our nation's Vietnam War Commemoration gives us the opportunity for all Americans to recognize, honor and thank our Vietnam Veterans and their families for their service and sacrifices during the Vietnam War from November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975; and WHEREAS, March 29 was chosen to be celebrated in perpetuity as March 29, 1973 was the day Military Assistance Command Vietnam was deactivated and combat troops were withdrawn from Vietnam; and WHEREAS, The veterans of the Vietnam War have contributed tremendously to their communities, state and nation in an effort to advance the American ideals and goals for which they fought; and WHEREAS, We embrace our responsibility to continue helping our Vietnam veterans and their families heal from the heavy toll of war; and WHEREAS, The citizens of Spokane Valley must never forget the pain and suffering that lingers today for the men and women who fought with honor and distinction in the name of freedom and democracy for all. NOW, THEREFORE, 1, Pam Haley, Mayor of the City of Spokane Valley, on behalf of the Spokane Valley City Council and the citizens of the City of Spokane Valley, do hereby proclaim March 29, 2025 as Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day and 1 urge citizens to join in our City's effort to recognize and thank those veterans and their families for their service. Dated this 18"' day of March, 2025. Q�� LkA Pam Haley, Mayor PUBLIC COMMENT SIGN -IN SHEET SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, March 18, 2025 6:00 p.m. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPOR'r`L'1NITY #1 Please sign up to speak for up to TB EE minutes and the Mayor will afford the public the opportunity to speak. The public comment opportunity is limited to a maximum of 45 minutes. You may only speak at one of the comment opportunities, not at both public comment opportunities. NAME PLEASE PRINT TOPIC YOU WILL SPEAK ABOUT YOUR CITY OF RESIDENCE t4 #VZ A/, e STP6v, - i ftw � nL C 1� evoct �Y l( LC>GI�J I��PYl�VC�.YIQ. Please note that once information is entered on this fornr, it becomes a public record srrbject to public disclosure. 2025 Spokane Federal 4;0'*UalleY Legislative Agenda Spokane Valley • Expanding economic development efforts with construction of a 46-acre cross ccnintry course and fieldhouse to generate tourism. Dromote iob growth Capital Projects and improve quality of life, - Investing $163 million into the National Highway System to promote USDOT project priorities, support movement of goods and services and access to commerce and employment. '\ :Lt Ave - ���, -i �— Sullivan/Trent N SpokaneP` / Interchange 290 Cross Argonne Bridge Course f ` at I-90 E Montgomery Ave Barker/1-90 EMission Ave Interchange m e EMS000' Pv E Broadway Ave D cc C a m L -o m cc ¢ cc C N N cc 2 2 rn E > o m c o a > Q z N � (n Sprague Ave w. U) Z ad E 4th Ave 27 South Barker 8th Ave Corridor �N Argonne Bridge at 1-90 . Funding Secured $1.5 million Funding Gap $26.5 million Total $28 million FY'26 CDs Request $3 million Sullivan/Trent Interchange ■ Funding Secured $10 million Funding Gap $44 million Total $54 million FY'26 CDs Request $5 million South Barker Corridor ■ Funding Secured $15 million Funding Gap $26 million Total $41 million FY'26 CDs Request $3 million Barker/1-90 Interchange ® Pending State Award $1 million Funding Gap $37 million Total $40 million FY'26 CDs Request $4 million Cross Course with Fieldhouse . Funding Secured $9 million Funding Gap $3.5 million Total $12.5 million FY'26 CDs Request $3.5 million for fieldhouse CDs = Congressionally Directed Spending Revised March 18, 2025 North Spokane Corridor Coalition I. What We're About • Purpose: Bring together people who care about getting the North Spokane Corridor (NSC) done on time and push back against proposed delays. • Goal: Rally businesses, commuters, public entities, and community members to place strategic pressure on key legislators to prioritize on -time completion of the NSC. 11. What We Hope to Accomplish 1. Stop the Delay- Keep the project on track and prevent further postponements. 2. Get People Talking- Spread the word on why the NSC matters. 3. Push Lawmakers to Act - Make sure decision -makers know that unnecessary delays are unacceptable to the Spokane region. 4. Keep the Public Updated -Share news, updates, and (if necessary) ways to take action. III. Who is Being Asked Join? • Business Owners: Anyone who depends on good roads for customers, deliveries and workforce. • Regional Groups: Neighborhood associations, trade groups, and advocacy organizations. • Elected Officials & Regional Governments: Cities, counties, and leaders from across the region. • Everyday Commuters: Anyone who drives Spokane's roads and is tired of congestion can be engaged in the future. IV. How We'll Take Action 1. Author a Joint Letter o Requesting the prioritization of the established NSC timeline and outlining arguments for distinguishing it from similar megaprojects 2. Talk to Leaders o Meet with lawmakers and department officials in a strategic and coordinated fashion 3. Engage the Community o Author a joint press release when transportation budget proposals are released. o Gather personal stories from people affected by the delay. o If necessary and with approval from coalition members, organize grass roots contact efforts and campaigns V. Final Thoughts and Strategies • It is essential that the Spokane region take a coordinated approach to responding to delays as other communities with similar projects will • Some delays may be inevitable, we'll speak with experts to help determine which delays are unavoidable and shape policy recommendations to meet the proposed timeline • We will act as a coalition and include only members logos and names after approval is given on each piece of the strategy Spokane *601 RDINAL Valleyf INFRASTRUCTURE � Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20004 202-434-8266 cardinalinfrastructure.com 2025 City of Spokane Valley Delegation to WA DC - ITINERARY MONDAY, MARCH 24 5:30am Depart Spol<ane Intl. Airport: Delta Flight #1440 to Salt Lake City 9:59 am Depart Salt Lake City: Delta Flight #820 to Washington DC z 4:00pm Arrive at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) Taxi/Uber to hotel: Residence Inn Washington Capitol Hill Navy Yard 1233 First St SE TBD Dinner TUESDAY, MARCH 25 8:00-9:30am Breal<fast and review materials Cardinal Infrastructure Office 600 Massachusetts Ave Ste 250 10:00am Meeting with White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW 12:00-12:30pm Meeting with Rep. Mike Baumgartner 124 Cannon House Office Building 12:45-1:30pm Lunch at Capitol Hill Club 300First StSE 2:00-2:30pm Speakers' Balcony Tour us Capitol Building 3:00-3:30pm Meeting with Senator Maria Cantwell 511 Hart senate Office Building 6:00pm Dinner at Osteria Morini 301 Water St SE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26 9:30-10:30am Meeting with USDOT 1200 NewlerseyAve SE 3:00-3:30pm Meeting with Senator Patty Murray 154 Russell senate Office Building TBD Dinner THURSDAY, MARCH 27 [insert time] Taxi/Uber to Airport 7:45am Depart DCA: Delta Flight #1493 to Minneapolis 11:48 am Depart Minneapolis: Delta Flight #2770 to Spokane 12:58 pm Arrive in Spol<ane Mard Patterson From: Erin Carver <ecarverr@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2025 12:00 PM To: Council Meeting Public Comment Cc: slcarver1972@gmail.com Subject: STR (short term rentals) [EXTERNAL] This email originated outside the City of Spokane Valley. Always use caution when opening attachments or clicking links. Hello. I just came to understand that the subject of STRs is being discussed at the Spokane Valley City Council. My husband and I own a home and rent it on Airbnb. We did this to diversify for retirement. We have lived in the Spokane Valley for over 20 years. Our 4 children have attended CV schools. We attend church and community events here. We are not an outside entity intruding into our community. We get the opportunity to suggest fun things to do while people are here and tell them where to get the best coffee (Wakeup call). We are not independently wealthy. My husband and I both workfulltime. But making this more difficult for people like us, is just giving more money to large companies, like hotel chains. There are not really that many STRs here in the valley. I could understand requiring a business license to track us, but adding taxes or fees or other restrictions seems entirely unnecessary. Thank you for considering that this is just a realistic opportunity for ordinary people like us to better ourselves and save for retirement. Erin and Scott Carver Short-term rental facts • Nationwide on average STR hosts make $14,000 a year after taxes and fees. Rentals in tourist destinations, on waterfronts, with views, with pools and spas command a higher price. • Not all STRs are listed full-time. • To earn six figures a host would have to rent multiple properties, full-time. • In Washington state, STR hosts pay lodging taxes. • Other costs associated with hosting an STR include: ➢ Maintenance costs ➢ Utilities ➢ Housekeeping services $20-30 hr. The cleaning is more labor intensive than a simple hotel room as most units have kitchens and multiple bedrooms and bathrooms. ➢ Self-employment tax 15-20% ➢ Host website fees of up to 16% ➢ Transaction fees up to 3% The following statistics about Airbnb rentals in Spokane Valley can be found on airbtics.com Atypical short-term rental listing in Spokane Valley is booked for 241 nights a year, with a median occupancy rate of 66% and an average daily rate of $119. In 2023, a typical host income (annual revenue) was $28,029. As of 16th November, 2024, there are 136 active Airbnb listings. • In Spokane Valley, the median revenue before taxes and fees is $27,500 • The average nightly rate is $116 a night • The number of listings on Airbnb for Spokane Valley over the last 12 months is 136. Al Shrock, Spokane Valley resident March 18, 2025 I would like to speak on the origination to the meaning of the expression "separation of church and state" which is originally found in a letter from Thomas Jefferson written to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. The Association's concern was that their state constitution lacked specific protection of religious freedom. Jefferson responded by reforming the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the 1s` Amendment of the United States Constitution. It states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibit the free exercise thereof." Hence the building of a wall separating between church (religion) and state (government). This metaphor was not intended to say that religion should not influence opinion on government issues. Indeed, our opinions, decisions or choices are based on our personal core values. Values shaped by one of two powers. The Power that governs love, or the one that governs hatred. This separation was used to affirm an individual's free religious practice and not to interfere with the same. It also prevents a state from establishing a Government religion. Thank you for your time. 3.18.2025 Council Members, City Staff, and Fellow Citizens, My name is Ben Lund. Tonight, I want to address a growing concern that affects every taxpayer in Spokane Valley the financial consequences of City Councilman Al Merkel's actions. The latest number is staggering: $290,000 of taxpayer money has now been spent due to Mr. Merkel's continued disregard for the law and governance standards. And this number keeps growing, month after month. And this isn't just about cost —the evidence against Mr. Merkel is overwhelming. The Hearing Examiner has twice ruled that he violated the Public Records Act and the Governance Manual. Over 60 public records requests have been filed but not fulfilled, leaving the City in a huge liability state. If these requests remain unanswered, the financial impact could become even worse. At Mr. Merkel's appeals hearing alone, there were over 1,000 pages of evidence presented. How much more do we have since then? Another 1,000 pages? Every major news outlet covering this story has published negative articles about Mr. Merkel's behavior. This is not a political attack —this is documented fact. The City has already taken action by suing Mr. Merkel. That means he now has to pay for his own lawyer. But that does not stop the financial bleeding for the rest of us. The costs to taxpayers will only grow as this legal battle drags on, and with the outstanding public records requests, the City is facing even more potential financial and legal risk. But beyond the financial damage and overwhelming evidence of misconduct, let's not forget the most fundamental issue —Mr. Merkel has violated his oath of office. He swore to uphold the Constitution and act in the best interest of Spokane Valley, yet his actions have done the opposite. Instead of serving the public, he has burdened taxpayers with nearly $300,000 in damages and put the City at risk of further legal consequences. A public servant who, refuses to follow the law cannot be trusted to govern. At what point is enough, enough? How much more taxpayer money will be lost before Mr. Merkel does the right thing? Mr. Merkel, the lawsuit ensures that you are being held accountable. But Spokane Valley should not have to keep paying the price for your decisions. The responsible, honorable, and necessary choice is for you to resign. This would be in the best interest of Spokane Valley citizens, yourself, and even the entire county. The longer you remain in office, the more financial and legal damage is done —not just to the City, but to your own reputation. For the sake of the people you were elected to serve, it is time to step aside. Thank you.