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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025, 09-23 Formal A MeetingMINUTES City of Spokane Valley City Council Regular Meeting Formal Format A Tuesday, September 23, 2025 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 Hohman, City Manager Tim Hattenburg, Deputy Mayor Erik Lamb, Deputy City Manager Laura Padden, Councilmember Chelsie Walls, Finance Director Ben Wick, Councilmember Kelly Konkright, City Attorney Rod Higgins, Councilmember Tony Beattie, Sr. Deputy City Attorney Jessica Yaeger, Councilmember Gloria Mantz, City Services Administrator Al Merkel, Councilmember Robert Blegen, Public Works Director John Bottelli, Parks & Rec Director Dave Ellis, Police Chief John Whitehead, Human Resources Director Mike Basinger, Community & Econ. Dev. Director Jonny Solberg, IT Specialist Marci Patterson, City Clerk INVOCATION: Pastor Steve Shoop of Spokane Valley Assembly of God 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. APPROVAL OF AGENDA It was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the agenda. INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS AND PRESENTATIONS n/a PROCLAMATIONS: National Good Neighbor Day Mayor Haley read the proclamation and Margie Manford and congregation from United Methodist Church accepted the proclamation. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY: Prior to the general public comment period, City Manager Hohman and City Attorney Konkright took a few minutes and spoke about what is acceptable for the general public comment period. Mr. Konkright spoke about the first amendment rights when providing comments and Mr. Hohman explained the information listed in the Governance Manual. Both explained how important it is to be respectful, and that citizens are only to be commenting to council. It is not a time for questions, only comments related to city business. After Mayor Haley explained the process, she invited comments from the public. Susan Shrayack, Spokane Valley; Ashley Blake (via Zoom), Spokane; Mike Dolan, Spokane Valley; Al Shrock, Spokane Valley; Ben Lund, Spokane Valley provided general comments. CONSENT AGENDA: 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 Amen Council Meeting Minutes, Formal: 09-23-2025 Page 1 of 4 Approved by Council: 10-28-2025 a. Approval of Claim Vouchers, September 23, 2025, Request for Council Action Form: $3,366,065.15. b. Approval of Payroll for Pay Period ending September 15, 2025: $686,385.23. c. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of August 19, 2025 d. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of August 19, 2025 e. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of August 26, 2025 f. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of September 2, 2025 g. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of September 9, 2025 It was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the Consent Agenda. ACTION ITEMS: 2. PUBLIC HEARING # 1: 2026 Revenues/Budget — Chelsie Walls Mayor Haley opened the public hearing at 6:37pm. Ms. Walls opened the discussion with a PowerPoint presentation that included a 2026 budget summary of all funds with total appropriations of $134 million, the full time equivalent employees, the general fund revenues, the revenue change assumptions, the general fund revenues that include the property tax of $14.3 million, the general sales tax of $33.5 million, the general fund expenditures that include recurring of $68.5 million, the general fund nonrecurring activity of $1.8 million, the general fund ending fund balance of $42.6 million and 62.27% of that being general fund expenditures, the other fund major revenues, the 2026 budget challenges that include the street fund deficit estimated at $500K, the general fund deficit causes that include rising costs in public safety and flattening revenue growth, the additional 2026 budget challenges that include transportation funding, law enforcement positions, revenue growth not keeping pace and the homeless & housing program. She also provided the budget timeline for the remainder of the year. Council discussed sales tax funding, operating plans for The Course, and the potential funding for projects and public safety. Mayor Haley called for public comments. Mike Dolan, Spokane Valley; Ben Lund, Spokane Valley provided comments. Mayor Haley closed the public hearing at 7:00 p.m. 3. Ordinance 25-014: Second Read Business License Threshold - Mike Basinger After City Clerk Patterson read the Ordinance title, it was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, seconded to to approve Ordinance No. 25-014 related to business license threshold. Mr. Basinger briefly provided a background on the need for the updated information for the business license threshold and noted it is a state requirement. Mayor Haley invited public comments; no comments were offered. Vote by acclamation: in favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Motion carried. 4. Resolution 25-016: Flag olicy - Kelly Konkri hg t, Tony Beattie It was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, seconded to adopt Resolution 25-016 related to Establishing the City's Flag Policy. Mr. Beattie and Mr. Konkright provided a brief update on the policy and noted any changes made from the previous presentation. Councilmember Padden made one small suggestion to remove a comma, and Mr. Beattie noted that it was indeed a scribe error and would remove the comma where noted. Mayor Haley invited public comments; no comments were offered. Vote by acclamation: in favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Motion carried. 5. Motion Consideration: Set 2026 Budget Hearing for October 21 — Chelsie Walls It was moved by Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, seconded to set the 2026 Budget hearing date for October 21, 2025. Ms. Walls provided details on the public hearing and 2026 budget schedule. Councilmember Merkel noted that at the next budget opportunity he planned to submit various edits and then began to provide details on those edits. Councilmember Wick poised a point of order and noted that at this time we are just setting the dates. Mayor Haley agreed with the point and invited public comments. No comments were offered. NON ACTION ITEMS: 6. Admin Report: Innovia Foundation Ice Facility Proposal — John Hohman Mr. Hohman opened the discussion by introducing Ms. Shelly O'Quinn, Innovia CEO and Mr. Kevin Schafer Garco Construction Business Development Director. Ms. O'Quinn provided a presentation that included Council Meeting Minutes, Formal: 09-23-2025 Page 2 of 4 Approved by Council: 10-28-2025 details on the ice sheets and associated facilities at the Sullivan Property. Mr. Schafer provided details on the proposal that included information on the size of the ice rinks, the building overall, the elevated mezzanine, the use of the overall land to potentially include a food and beverage location and a hotel, the two ice sheet facility, the conceptual building space, a rendering of what the building would look like and noted that it would be a quality build for an affordable price. Ms. O'Quinn spoke to the vision of the building and the economic value to the community, incredible opportunity and added benefits for all in our region. She also spoke about a potential city ground lease for 99 years for the 11 acre parcel with an added option for the city to purchase the facility at some point in time. Council discussed the potential ownership of the building, the overall size of the rink, the process moving forward if council provided consensus, the overall seating capacity at about 1200 for the facility, how exciting this would be for our community and how gracious the donor is to want to do something like this in our area. Ms. O'Quinn noted that there was a lot of thought that had gone into the overall process of this facility and that it has been thought of as a generational opportunity. Council provided consensus to ask Innovia for a proposal on the potential project, discuss the land lease options and set a date for public comment on the topic. Mayor Haley calledfor a recess at 7: 32prn for 5 minutes and that the meeting would resume at 7:37pm. INFORMATION ONLY (will not be reported or discussed) 7. Department Monthly Reports 8. Fire Dept Monthly Report GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY: After Mayor Haley explained the process, she invited comments from the public. Deb Shrock, Spokane Valley provided comments. ADVANCE AGENDA Councilmember Merkel spoke about the budget process and wanted to amend the budget calendar to include a session to talk to each other about the items in the budget and that he is looking for something more informal. Finance Director Walls noted that she could speak to that request and noted that during the multiple Public Hearings it could be discussed and at the budget workshop. She did noted that she would want feedback sooner than later so potential changes could be made moving forward if approved. City Manger Hohman also noted that the budget workshop allowed for plenty of time to speak to changes in the budget and that the next time is in a few weeks for the next budget presentation. There was no consensus to move that request forward. Councilmember Merkel spoke about the Mirabeau Meadows Pond and adding the aeration equipment into the pond to keep the fish alive. There was no consensus to move that request forward. COUNCILMEMBER REPORTS Councilmember Merkel attended Valleyfest. Councilmember Wick: attended Valleyfest, an AWC Board meeting retreat for three days and that they adopted their legislative agenda and he reviewed items included in their agenda and noted the AWC regional meeting in October. Councilmember Higgins: stated he attend an SRTC meeting and that on Oct 7th at CenterPlace, SRTC will be hosting their annual Summit. He also attended the Steering Committee of Elected Officials and gave an update on the movement in state legislature to do away with min lot sizes. Councilmember Padden: stated that she attended the Conservation District Scale House Veteran's event, the Valleyfest event, and the State of the County event. Councilmember Yaeger attended the Valleyfest parade, and all day summit for "No Wrong Door", had various meetings with people around the county, and took her family to the fair on the last weekend. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg attended the State of the County event, the Valleyfest parade, and the American Transportation Conference representing STA and provided details on the conference events. MAYOR'S REPORT Council Meeting Minutes, Formal: 09-23-2025 Page 3 of 4 Approved by Council: 10-28-2025 Mayor Haley noted that she attended many of the same events as the rest of the councilmembers. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS City Manager Hohman asked Ms. Mantz to come up and speak to the support letters that were presented tonight. Ms. Mantz spoke about the support letters for Housing Authority for childcare center development and the two other letters for Habitat for Humanity for a grant program for the 3rd and Carnahan project. Councilmember Yaeger noted that she toured the Habitat location, and the home is beautiful and excited to see new families in the homes. Councilmember Merkel asked if there was a total for the childcare center grant and Ms. Mantz noted that we do not as it is only a support letter and there is no funding request from the city. Most of council noted that they were supportive of the letters and provided consensus for the mayor to sign the letters on behalf of the council. Mr. Hohman updated the public on the Pines/BNSF Project and stated that the road will be closed for a bit to work on the project over the weekend. EXECUTIVE SESSION It was moved by Deputy Mayor Rattenburg, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn at 8: 06p.m. ATTEST: kA OA A Marci tterson, City Clerk Q'Q� Pam Haley, May Council Meeting Minutes, Formal: 09-23-2025 Approved by Council: 10-28-2025 Page 4 of 4 000* Spokane y Valle ® �o rtamat ton f City of Spokane Va& y, Washington Xationa[Good91/*Oor Day WHEREAS, Mister Rogers once said, "Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person. and WHEREAS, the city of Spokane Valley envisions being a community of opportunities whose people thrive, and businesses prosper; and WHEREAS, the city ofSpokane Valley identifies as a community thatpromotes an environment that supports the home and family, and job and education opportunities; and WHEREAS, research demonstrates that positive neighbor relationships lead to a safer, more vibrant community with reduced crime, increased well-being, and a stronger sense of belonging; and WHEREAS, National Good Neighbor Day was established by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. It's celebrated annually on September 28th to promote neighborliness and build stronger communities; and WHEREAS, residents and businesses are encouraged to embrace the spirit of Good Neighbor Day and perform acts of kindness for their neighbors, big or small. These acts could include offering a helping hand or checking in on someone who lives alone. NOW, THEREFORE, I, 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 September 28, 2025, as National Good Neighbor Day and I urge all City of Spokane Valley citizens to shine a light on good neighborly practices and celebrate our truly exceptional community. Dated this 23"d day of September 2025. t?IfQ�' Pam Haley, Mayor CITY COUNCIL 10210 E Sprague Ave I Spokane Valley, WA 99206 Phone (509) 720-5000 1 Fax (509) 720-5075 www.spol(anevatteywa.gov September 23, 2025 Washington State Department of Commerce Early Learning Facilities (ELF) Program PO Box 42525 Olympia WA 98504-2525 RE: Support for Orchard Vista ECEAP Childcare Center application for the Department of Commerce Early Learning Facilities Program To whom it may concern: The City of Spokane Valley is pleased to express our support for the Orchard Vista ECEAP Childcare Center's grant application for the Department of Commerce Early Learning Facilities Program. The Orchard Vista ECEAP Childcare Center location is in the heart of Spokane Valley at 10003 E 4t" Ave. Quality and affordable early childhood education, and care play a vital role in supporting families, a thriving workforce and economic growth in our city. Orchard Vista ensures that working parents can remain engaged in their careers, confident that their children are in a safe, nurturing space. This childcare center will be co -located with the Spokane Housing Authority's new 240-unit Orchard Vista affordable rental housing project which will serve families below 60% AMI. This project is a welcome expansion of services and will provide an ongoing benefit for families in Spokane Valley. Thank you for your consideration of their grant application. Sincerely, qlq�- N&-� Pam Haley, Mayor On Behalf of the City of Spokane Valley Council SC►TY OF pokane 10210 E Sprague Ave ♦ Spokane Valley, WA 99206 � Valley® Phone (509) 720-5000 Fax (5val e720-5075 ywa.gov www.spokanevalleywa.gov September 23, 2025 RE: Support for critical investment in affordable homeownership in Spokane Valley To whom it may concern: I am writing in strong support of Habitat for Humanity -Spokane's request to the Washington State Housing Trust Fund for the development of new affordable homes at Carnahan and First in Spokane Valley's Edgecliff neighborhood. This first phase will create 12 homes for working families, with future phases bringing the total to 22 25 homes across Spokane County. By leveraging Housing Trust Fund dollars, Habitat for Humanity -Spokane can speed up construction of these homes in Spokane Valley and accelerate the pace of building additional homes throughout Spokane County. This means that your investment will reach far beyond a single site — it will multiply, helping more families achieve stability and strengthening more neighborhoods across our region. The need is urgent. The average home in Spokane County now costs over $435,000, a price that most working households cannot afford. Habitat's model — powered by community partnerships, volunteers, and donated land from the City of Spokane Valley — allows these homes to be built at cost for about $345,000 each. That $90,000 difference is the bridge that makes homeownership possible for families who would otherwise be priced out. These homes will be sold to families earning below 80% of the area median income — people who teach in our schools, care for our loved ones, and serve in our local businesses. They are ready for the responsibility of ownership, and they deserve the chance to put down roots in the community they already serve. Just as important, this project ensures lasting affordability. Through Habitat's land trust model, these homes will remain affordable for generations to come. The first 12 families will benefit immediately, but the impact of your investment will continue as each home is passed on to another income -qualified buyer in the future. Edgecliff is a neighborhood that has long needed reinvestment, and Habitat is ready to deliver. With land already secured, strong community partnerships in place, and families prepared to buy, this project is shovel -ready. Housing Trust Fund support will make sure it happens now — and that dozens more families across Spokane County can follow. I urge your support for Habitat for Humanity -Spokane's request. These 12 homes will change lives today and, with your partnership, open the door for many more tomorrow. Sincerely, Pam Haley, Mayor On behalf of the Spokane Valley City Council p61410�CITY OF ne 10210 E Sprague Ave ♦ Spokane Valley, WA 99206 ..;ooO ValleyPhone (509) 720-5000 + Fax (509) 720-5075 www.spokanevalleywa.gov September 23, 2025 RE: Support for critical investment in affordable homeownership through Down Payment Assistance in Spokane County To whom it may concern: I am writing in strong support of Habitat for Humanity -Spokane's request to the Washington State Housing Trust Fund for Down Payment Assistance (DPA) funding to expand affordable homeownership opportunities across Spokane County. This investment will directly support at least 35 hardworking families who earn below 80% of the area median income, bridging the gap between what they can afford and what it takes to purchase a home in today's market. By leveraging Housing Trust Fund dollars, Habitat for Humanity -Spokane can expand its DPA program to make more homes affordable for more families throughout Spokane County. Each dollar of assistance stretches further, recycling as loans are repaid and allowing public fiends to serve multiple generations of buyers. This multiplying effect means your investment creates lasting impact far beyond the initial households served. The need could not be clearer. The average home price in Spokane County now exceeds $435,000, far out of reach for most working households. Even with a first mortgage, families often face a $60,000 to $80,000 gap that puts ownership out of reach. Habitat's DPA program closes that gap, giving families who work in our schools, health care, and local businesses the chance to own a safe, decent home and build equity for the future. This program is also about permanence. Habitat -Spokane pairs DPA with its land trust model, ensuring that homes remain affordable for generations. As families move on, homes are resold to other income - qualified buyers, keeping affordability locked in and safeguarding public investment for the long term. Habitat for Humanity -Spokane has a proven track record, with more than 430 homes built in our community and dozens more in the pipeline. With Housing Trust Fund support for Down Payment Assistance, they can accelerate their pace of production, expand access for working families across the county, and strengthen neighborhoods that have been left behind by rising costs. I urge your support for Habitat for Humanity -Spokane's request. This investment will not only help 35 families achieve homeownership today, but through the revolving DPA model and permanent affordability, it will continue to help families for generations to come. Sincerely, Pam Haley, Mayor On behalf of the Spokane Valley City Council PUBLIC COMMENT SIGN -IN SHEET SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, September 23, 2025 6:00 p.m. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY #1 Please sign up to speak for up to THREE 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 TOPIC YOU WILL SPEAK PLEASE PRINT ABOUT YOUR CITY OF RESIDENCE Please note that once information is entered on this form, it becomes a public record subject to public disclosure. PUBLIC COMMENT SIGN -IN SHEET SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, September 23, 2025 6:00 p.m. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY #2 Please sign up to speak for up to THREE 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 TOPIC YOU WILL SPEAK PLEASE PRINT ABOUT YOUR CITY OF RESIDENCE Please note that once information is entered on this form, it becomes a public record subject to public disclosure. 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