Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025, 07-29 Formal B MeetingMINUTES City of Spokane Valley City Council Meeting Formal B Format Tuesday, July 29, 2025 Deputy Mayor Hattenburg 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: Councilrnembers Staff Tim Hattenburg, Deputy Mayor John Hohman, City Manager Rod Higgins, Councilmember Erik Lamb, Deputy City Attorney Laura Padden, Councilmember Kelly Konkright, City Attorney Jessica Yaeger, Councilmember Gloria Mantz, City Services Administrator Ben Wick, Councilmember Chelsie Walls, Finance Director Al Merkel, Councilmember John Bottelli, Parks & Rec Director Virgina Clough, Legislative Policy Coordinator Absent: Dave Ellis, Police Chief Pam Haley, Mayor John Whitehead, HR Director Steve Roberge, Planning Manager Jill Smith, Communications Manager Chad Knodel, IT Manager Jonny Solberg, IT Specialist Marci Patterson, City Clerk INVOCATION: Kevin Carlson, Valley Real Life gave the 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 except Mayor Haley. It was moved by Councilmember Yaeger, seconded and unanimously agreed to excuse Mayor Haley. APPROVAL OF AGENDA It was moved by Councilmember Higgins, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the agenda. SPECIAL GUESTS/PRESENTATIONS: PROCLAMATIONS: National Health Center Week Deputy Mayor Hattenburg read the proclamation and Ms. Tamitha Shockley French, VP of Communications and Public Policy of CHAS Health accepted the proclamation and spoke about CHAS Health and the importance of the health centers. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY: After Deputy Mayor Hattenburg explained the process, he invited public comment. Ben Lund, Spokane Valley; provided comments. ACTION ITEMS: 1. Ordinance 25-012: First Read Fatbeam Franchise — Tony Beattie After City Cleric Patterson read the Ordinance title, it was moved by Councilmember Higgins and seconded to advance Ordinance 25-012 to a second ordinance reading. Mr. Konkright explained the ordinance and noted that it was necessary as the current franchise agreement was set to expire later this year. Mr. Konkright also stated that the only changes were to the fees and that it was to bring them current with other related fees. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg invited public comments. No public comments were offered. Vote by acclamation on the motion: in favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Motion carried Council Meeting Minutes, Study Session: 07-29-2025 Page I of 4 Approved by Council: 08-26-2025 2.Ordinance 25-013: First Read Emergency Interim Ord. for Communications Tower Restrictions — Kelly Konkright, Steve Roberge, Lori Markham After City Clerk Patterson read the Ordinance title, it was moved by Councilmember Higgins and seconded to move to waive the rules and adopt Interim Ordinance 25-013. Mr. Lamb introduced Lori Markham, Executive Director of SREC and Dusty Patrick, SREC Technical Services Director. Mr. Lamb provided background information regarding the need for the emergency ordinance. Mr. Lamb noted the lease agreement that will be coming to an end in December at the current location of SREC so they will need to get into their new location as soon as possible. The ordinance will allow them to move forward with the permitting process and getting the details, application and work plan finalized. Mr. Konkright noted that the ordinance sets the public hearing for the 60 day time frame and the current term of the ordinance is for 6 months and can be extended if necessary, upon approval. The exemption would provide tower height for emergency responder purposes and would not be applicable to other cell providers. Council discussed the need for the emergency, where the 60 ft height rule came from, and at what point staff and SREC realized that the taller tower would be needed. Councilmember Padden asked if SREC had spoken with the surrounding businesses to make sure there were not any concerns or other risks for the taller tower. Ms. Markham noted that they made sure that the taller tower would not be a barrier for the surrounding area. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg invited public comments. John Harding, Spokane Valley; Ben Lund, Spokane Valley provided comments. Councilmember Merkel stated that it is important to look into the dual generation and look at propane and it is obviously an emergency but left puzzled by how it arrived. Councilmember Higgins made a motion to call for the question and there was a second for the motion. At the same time Councilmember Merkel called a point of order multiple times and stated it was not a privileged motion, and he could not be interrupted. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg stated that it was and that was how he was ruling and moved forward with the motion to call for the question. Vote by acclamation on the motion: in favor: Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, Councihnembers Padden, Higgins and Yaeger. Opposed: Councihnembers Merkel and Wick. Motion carried Councilmember Merkel continued with his point of order request and demanded to ask the parliamentarian. City Clerk Patterson stated that requests for a ruling from the parliamentarian are to come from the Mayor. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg then requested a ruling and Clerk Patterson stated yes, it was a privileged motion and could allow for the call. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg continued with the original motion on the floor and called for the vote. Vote by acclamation on the motion: in favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Motion carried 3. Motion Consideration: Steering Committee of Elected Officials ILA - Steve Roberge It was moved by Councibnember Higgins, seconded to approve the amendment to the GAM Joint Planning Interlocal Agreement and authorize the city to execute the same. Mr. Roberge explained that the amendment was to allow for a state change and would include the Spokane and Kalispel Tribes, each with one elected representative to the SCEO board. The council discussed when the new members would potentially be corning aboard and noted information regarding the GMA and what SCEO's role is. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg invited public comments. Kim, Spokane Valley; John Harding provided comments. Vote by acclamation on the motion: in favor: Unanimous. Opposed.- None. Motion carried 4. Motion Consideration: Potential Grant Opp: Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) — Adam Jackson It was moved by Councilmember Higgins, seconded to authorize the City Manager or designee to apply for TIB Grants for the projects identified in Table 1. Ms. Mantz provided a brief background on the projects and noted that nothing changed from the previous presentation and asked for any questions. The council discussed the budget and financial impacts to the REET funds. Ms. Walls noted that the finance staff watches the REST funds very closely and is not anticipating any dips in revenues at this time and will continue to constantly evaluate. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg invited public comments. Kathy, Spokane Valley provided comment. Vote by acclamation: in favor: Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, Councihnembers Padden, Wick, Higgins and Yaeger. Opposed • Councilmember Merkel. Motion carried NON -ACTION ITEMS 5. Admin Report: Point in Time Count — Eric Robison, Arielle Anderson, Amanda Martinez Mr. Robison introduced Ms. Amanda Martinez, Lead Information Systems Analyst and Ms. Arielle Anderson, Director for Community Housing and Human Services Department with the City of Spokane. Ms. Council Meeting Minutes, Study Session: 07-29-2025 Page 2 of 4 Approved by Council: 08-26-2025 Martinez and Ms. Anderson provided a PowerPoint presentation that included details on the point in time count (PIT) that captures the number of individuals that are experiencing homelessness. The presentation included an introduction, the PIT date of January 22, 2025, the unsheltered survey locations, the sheltered survey locations, the PIT Count overview, a graph of all populations of persons counted, a graph of youth populations of persons counted, a graph of veteran populations of person counted, a graph of the demographic totals, a PIT count trend, a PIT count trend of prior residence, a graph of the 2025 housing inventory count, a housing inventory count emergency shelter graph, a count of total beds by population type, the trends by project types, and providing additional context to the numbers that were captured in the count. They also reviewed areas to further evaluate, strategic investments underway, and provided website links to the reports that were reviewed. Mr. Robison provided details on the count and noted that it takes place over a five-day timeline and provided details on the data point information and the low count from 2024 from Spokane Valley. Council discussed the number of beds used at the emergency shelters, the categories used for questions during the PIT count, and the service providers at the shelter locations. 6. Admin Report: EWU Economic Trends Report — Teri Stripes, Dr. Cullen Ms. Stripes introduced Dr. Cullen and Dr. Jones with Eastern Washington University (EWU) Public Policy & Economic Analysis Department and provided details on what the presentation would be covering. Dr. Cullen and Dr. Jones provided details with a PowerPoint presentation that included an overview on the insights about important city trends. The presentation reviewed estimates on the population growth, the share of the county population, a slight tapering of the civilian labor force in the past year, civilian labor trends, a summary of aggregate employment measures, quarterly employment in county healthcare and social assistance, government in the county, county retailing continues to decline, employment in hospitality continues to decline, employment in manufacturing stagnant, and construction growth continues to decline. They also spoke about housing and gave details on single family residence units holding steady at the moment, large surge in apartments, average valuation of a permitted multi family unit is falling, home buying is becoming more affordable, first time homebuyers are seeing an increase in affordability, renting continues to become more affordable, low income renters see an increase in housing affordability, and provided a summary of the housing construction and affordability. Dr. Jones reviewed the quarterly taxable retail sales and a more up to date graph on retail sales, and a look ahead at the WA economy. INFORMATION ONLY: GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY: Deputy Mayor Hattenburg stated that the general public comment rules still apply and called for public comments. Joseph Ghodsee, Spokane Valley; John Harding, Spokane Valley provided comments. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Merkel spoke about accountability and that he had been interrupted multiple times throughout meetings and also noted that he appreciated the function of SREC, but this was a totally predictable issue and wasn't an issue and was a failure on the part of the city. Councilmember Wick congratulated the community on the Greenacres Park ribbon cutting, also spoke about the movies in the park and that he enjoyed them. He noted that he was at a meeting and spoke with fire dist. 9 and they lost a firefighter that fell off a bridge and that they are looking to rename the bridge in his honor. He closed with an MRSC update on funding for the rosters. Councilmember Higgins stated he had nothing to report. Councilmember Padden spoke about credibility and gave details on councilmember Merkel and his lack of credibility with the information that he provides. Councilmember Yaeger stated that she was borne sick and unable to attend a previous meeting and that she watched the video. She spoke about comments during the meeting she missed. She also spoke about collaboration in the community and noted that most of the council shows up to serve and help guide the community. She noted that one councilmember chooses to continue breaking the oath of office, chooses hostility and defiance and that his actions are disruptive. MAYOR'S COMMENTS Council Meeting Minutes, Study Session: 07-29-2025 Page 3 of 4 Approved by Council: 08-26-2025 Deputy Mayor Hattenburg spoke about the non -profits that are working with the schools regarding homeless situations and continue to help find assistance for those students. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg also spoke about the SREC presentation and provided a cross -course update with factual information and noted that he wanted to clear up some of the false information that had come out about the cross course and potential events. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS City Manager Hohman spoke about the comments on accountability and providing accurate information and noted how troubling wrong information can be in the community. Mr. Hohman provided details about a support letter for MultiCare Health Systems for a certificate of need application as they are looking to establish a freestanding MEC Ambulatory surgery center in Spokane Valley. The council reviewed the letter and provided consensus to allow Deputy Mayor Hattenburg to sign the support letter. Mr. Hohman closed with a reminder that there is not a council meeting next week as it is National Night Out and election day. EXECUTIVE SESSION It was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn at 8: 27p. m. ATTEST: Marci atterson, City Clerk 00�' ohi Pam Haley, M or Council Meeting Minutes, Study Session: 07-29-2025 Approved by Council: 08-26-2025 Page 4 of 4 A Cross Country Runner's Story Ben Lund — Spokane Valley Resident Spokane Valley City Council Meeting — July 29, 2025 Good evening, . Good evening to the Council, City leadership, and fellow residents. Tonight, I'd like to tell you a story. Not about someone else —but about me. I grew up running cross country, starting around age 10. By the time I was a freshman at Flathead High School, I was on the Varsity distance team. Back then, sports were different. Every kid had a chance to play. We had Varsity, JV, and even C Squad. Some athletes started on C Squad but grew into Varsity roles as they matured. It was a system built around opportunity. But today, things have changed. To even make a high school team, many kids now have to attend expensive summer camps or train year-round through organizations like NBC Camps. Equipment costs are high. There's constant travel, private coaching —it adds up fast. And because of that, many families are priced out before their kids even get a chance. That's why cross country still matters. It's one of the few sports that remains affordable. All you need is a good pair of shoes, a trail to run on, and a coach willing to guide you in the off-season. Sure, there were bleacher workouts I'd rather forget —"run until you puke, get water, and do it again" —but it built toughness. It built character. And it didn't break the bank. That's why I believe in the vision —set forth by past Councils and continued by this one —to invest in a regional cross country course. This isn't just about sports. It's about economic development and access. At a time when we've all endured the highest inflation rates of our lives, this is a smart, scalable investment. It doesn't require massive infrastructure. And with the right support, Spokane Valley can become known just as Spokane is for basketball —as a top destination for cross country competition. Give this vision five years. Watch the tournaments come in. Watch the revenue flow to our local hotels, restaurants, and small businesses. This is not a vanity project. This is about creating something lasting — something that gives kids a chance and boosts our city's economy in the process. Thank you A CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER'S STORY SCITY OP City Council pokane 10210 E Sprague Ave ♦ Spokane Valley, WA 99206 ,,;oO ValleyPhone (509) 720-5000 ♦Fax (509) 720-5075 www.spokanevalleywa.gov July 29, 2025 Jules Kolln, Analyst Certificate of Need Program Washington State Department of Health Mail Stop 47852 Olympia, WA 98504-7852 Subject: MultiCare Health System Spokane Valley MEC ASC Certificate of Need Application #25-23 Dear Ms. Kolln, The City of Spokane Valley is pleased to express strong support for the Certificate of Need application submitted by MultiCare Health System for the establishment of the freestanding Spokane Valley MEC Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC). The opportunity to expand healthcare services within our community is both timely and vital. MultiCare has long served as a cornerstone of health care in Spokane Valley, and the addition of endoscopy services through a dedicated ASC will further strengthen that role. As our population continues to grow, ensuring access to cost-effective, high -quality care is more important than ever. We understand that MultiCare's vision is to become the Pacific Northwest's highest -value health system. Achieving this vision requires the delivery of services in the most appropriate and cost- efficient settings. Transitioning appropriate endoscopy procedures from the hospital to an ASC setting not only reduces costs for patients but also helps free up critical capacity in hospitals for more complex inpatient cases. Currently, MultiCare performs over 6,000 of these procedures annually at MultiCare Valley Hospital in Spokane Valley —a number that clearly demonstrates the demand and the need for expanded outpatient capabilities. This proposed ASC represents a meaningful collaboration between the healthcare provider and the community, and it stands as a model of strategic, value -based care expansion. The City of Spokane Valley is committed to supporting initiatives that promote community well-being, and we believe this project will do exactly that. We respectfully urge the Department of Health to approve MultiCare's application. This project will enhance healthcare access, improve patient outcomes, and support the long-term health infrastructure of our community. Sincerely, q 'Vill Tim Hatten urg, Deputy Mayor On behalf of the Spokane Valfey City Council