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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025, 07-08 Formal A MeetingMINUTES City of Spokane Valley City Council Regular Meeting Formal Format A Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Deputy Mayor Hattenburg 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 Tim Hattenburg, Deputy Mayor John Hohman, City Manager Rod Higgins, Councilmember Kelly Konkright, City Attorney Laura Padden, Councilmember Gloria Mantz, City Services Administrator Ben Wick, Councilmember Chelsie Walls, Finance Director Jessica Yaeger, Councilmember Dave Ellis, Police Chief Al Merkel, Councilmember Robert Blegen, Public Works Director Tony Beattie, Senior Deputy City Attorney John Bottelli, Parks & Rec Director Absent: John Whitehead, HR Director Pam Haley, Mayor Virginia Clough, Legislative Policy Coordinator Jenny Nickerson, Building Official Sarah Farr, Accting & Finance Program Manager Justan Kinsel, IT Specialist Patricia Rhoades, Deputy City Clerk INVOCATION: Ms. Glendie Loranger with Life Services of Spokane gave the invocation. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Council, staff and the audience stood for the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL Deputy City Cleric Rhoades 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 Councibnember Higgins, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the agenda. INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS AND PRESENTATIONS PROCLAMATIONS: GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY: After Deputy Mayor Hattenburg explained the process, he invited comments from the public. Wanda Smith, Spokane Valley; Daryl Williams, Spokane Valley; John Harding, 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 Agenda. a. Approval of Claim Vouchers, July 8, 2025, Request for Council Action Form: $2,537,647.92. b. Approval of Payroll for Pay Period ending June 30, 2025: $783,891.11. c. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of November 26, 2024 d. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of December 10, 2024 e. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of December 17, 2024 Council Meeting Minutes: 07-08-2025 Page 1 of 5 Approved by Council: 01-13-2026 f. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of March 11, 2025 g. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of April 22, 2025 h. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of April 29, 2025 i. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of May 13, 2025 j. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes of June 24, 2025 It was moved by Councilmember Higgins, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the Consent Agenda. ACTION ITEMS: 2.Ordinance 25-011: Second Read — Reckless Endangerment with a Controlled Substance' Kelly Konkright The motion brought before council was previously tabled, it was moved by Councihnember Higgins, seconded and unanimously agreed to move or take from the table Ordinance 25-011, related to Endangerment with a Controlled Substance. Mr. Beattie provided a brief background on the Ordinance and the changes that were made to the ordinance from the previous reading. It was moved by Councilmember Higgins, seconded to amended the motion to include the incorporated changes. Council discussed various points on the changes that were brought forward. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg invited public comments. Mike Dolan, Spokane Valley provided comments. Vote by acclamation: in favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Motion carried Followed with a vote on the motion as amended. Vote by acclamation: in favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Motion carried. 3. Motion Consideration: Ecology Solid Waste (LSWFA) Grant Discussion — Robert Blegen Sarah Farr It was moved by Councihnember° Higgins, seconded to authorize the City Manager to submit all necessary and/or related documents for the 2025-2027 Biennium Local Solid Waste Financial Assistance Grant and carry out the programs identified and discussed above, including a Homeless Encampment Response program and Lithium -Ion Battery Storage project; or take other action deemed appropriate. Mr. Blegen and Ms. Farr provided details on the LSWFA grant that included information on what the grant funds would be used for if awarded. Currently, the finding would include a Homeless Encampment Cleanup and a Lithium Battery Fire Safety Storage Cabinet. They noted that they would report back on the grant in the Spring of 2026 if awarded. Council discussed the shipping of the lithium batteries and how long the batteries are stored at the location of the storage cabinet. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg invited public comments. Mike Dolan, Spokane Valley; Al Shrock, Spokane Valley; Mike Kelly, Spokane Valley; Adam Smith, Spokane Valley provided comments. Councilmember Merkel continued to speak about the importance of the getting more details on each of the items that the funds would be spent on and making sure there is a policy on the lithium batteries and the storage and what is being done with the batteries and not thinking about this as comprehensively as we can. Councilmember Higgins poised a point of order stating we are getting quite far out on issues that could not have possibly come up back then as they did not come up then as we are addressing them now. Let's move on. Councilmember Higgins then immediately made a call for the question. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg stated that there was a call for the question and called for a vote. Vote by acclamation to call for the question: in favor Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, Councibnembers Wick, Padden, Higgins and Yaeger. Opposed: Councihnember Merkel. Motion carried. Vote by acclamation for the original motion: in favor: Deputy Mayor Hattenburg, Councihnembers Wick, Padden, Higgins and Yaeger. Opposed: Councihnember Merkel. Motion carried 4. Motion Consideration: STA Board Alternate Appointment — Deputy Mayor Hattenburg It was moved by Councilmember Yaeger, seconded to confirm the Mayoral appointment of Councilmembers Higgins and Padden to the STA Board to serve as alternates. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg stated he approved the requested appointments. Deputy Mayor Hattenburg invited public comments. No comments were provided. Vote by acclamation for the original motion: in favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Motion carried NON ACTION ITEMS: 5. Admin Report: Wildfire Preparedness — Jenny Nickerson, Ken Johnson, Marty Long Council Meeting Minutes: 07-08-2025 Page 2 of 5 Approved by Council: 0 1- 13-2026 Ms. Nickerson introduced Mark Conrad, Ken Johnson, and Marty Long and presented a PowerPoint that included information on wildfire preparedness plans, evacuation levels and what they mean, red flag warnings for our region, state mobilization, options for citizens in the area to stay informed during an emergency situation, agency coordination, incident response, and recommended preparation actions. Council discussed various topics during the presentation and thanked all the representatives for the presentation. 6. Admin Report: Spokane Sports Cross Course Event Agreement — John Bottelli Mr. Bottelli spoke about a NCAA Venue Lease Agreement and Agreement with Spokane Sports for the 2027 Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country West Regional Championships. He detailed the need for the agreement and outlined that the agreement would provide all necessary equipment and services required by the NCAA in lieu of the City for the NCAA West Regionals. Council discussed the facilities use agreement and that there was a need for a more complex agreement for the NCAA and when the event would be taking place. Council provided consensus to return at a future meeting with a motion to execute the NCAA Venue Lease Agreement and corresponding Agreement with Spokane Sports to host the 2027 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's West Region Championships event at The Course Spokane Valley. 7. Admin Report: Council Goals & Priorities for Lodging Tax Funds — Sarah Farr Ms. Farr and Ms. Walls provided details on the background of the LTAC funding, the state rules the govern the use of the funds, the reporting and allocation of the lodging tax. Ms. Farr also detailed the Tourism Strategic Plan that is in place from 2023 and noted that the plan identified and prioritized six product opportunities in which to invest and develop new tourism assets. These included a Cross Country & Cyclocross facility, Ice Sheets (skating) facility, Whitewater Park, and/or renovations to enhance Plante's Ferry Sports Complex, CenterPlace Regional Event Center or the Interstate Fair & Expo/Avista Stadium complex. The Cross Course facility ranked highest for development based on financial investment, probable economic benefit, and in recognition of the region's growing sports -centric focus. The City is completing construction of "The Course", a Cross Country and Cyclocross facility along the Spokane River at Flora Road. This premier sports complex will position the City to host national and regional collegiate, post - collegiate and high school competitions. Ms. Farr noted the application award process that included updated changed for the allocation process with a ranking system and noted that the 2026 application and award process will begin in later summer and will be open to for -profit and non-profit organizations as it was last year. Ms. Farr closed with a review of the council goals and priorities for the use of lodging tax and explained where funding would be available. Council discussed a variety of options for LTAC and ultimately noted that LTAC does a fine job with the allocations and options for LTAC should not be limited. Council provided consensus to return with a motion at a later meeting. 8. Admin Report: Resolution 25-014 Surplus Real Proper — Tony Beattie Mr. Beattie and Ms. Walls provided details on the proposed Resolution 25-014 Declaring Property Surplus. Mr. Beattie noted that there are a couple parcels that are included in this surplus and this is the technical piece that needs to happen in order to transfer the properties to Habitat for Humanity. Council provided consensus to return with the Resolution at a future meeting. 9. Admin Report: Spokane Regional Health District Agreement — Gloria Mantz, Tony Beattie Ms. Mantz and Mr. Beattie provide details on the Spokane Regional Health District Agreement with SRHD for Opioid Remediation. Ms. Mantz gave a detailed background on the settlement funding and noted that to date the city has received about $105,000.00 from the settlements and that five percent must be retained annually by the City in order to pay administrative costs for Spokane County operating the Opioid Abatement Council. Ms. Mantz explained what some of the funding would be allocated for which included: 1. Enhancement of the SRHD Opioid Dashboard ($17,000, one time cost) and 2. SRHD Needs Assessment for Spokane Valley ($40,300). Council discussed the need for the dashboard and the needs assessment and if there would be a benefit to doing both at the same time. Council provided consensus to return at a future meeting with a motion consideration to approve the draft agreement with SRHD. Council Meeting Minutes: 07-08-2025 Page 3 of 5 Approved by Council: 0 1- 13-2026 10. Admin Report: Solid Waste Collection Update —Robert Blegen Ms. Blegen gave an overview of the background, contract history, curbside collection, and drop -box collection. He also spoke about what the next steps would be. He further noted that WM and Sunshine will be at the next meeting on July 15, 2025; they will bring surveys, and a box for lithium batteries, as well as be available to answer questions during council conversations. Council discussed the next steps and stated that they were looking forward to having WM and Sunshine at the meeting to review any questions. INFORMATION ONLY (will not be reported or discussed) GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY: After Deputy Mayor Hattenburg explained the process, he invited comments from the public. Mike Dolan, Spokane Valley provided comments. COUNCILMEMBER REPORTS Councilmember Yaeger: attended the State of Housing Summit put on by GSI and gave details on the event, attended a couple Chamber networking events. Councilmember Padden: attended Valley Chamber board meeting and noted the Chamber has scholarship funds available and they are looking for applicants. She also explained Liberty Lake reported a lot of business activity. Mary Kuney gave a report on the SREC agreement; they tried mediation and that did not work. She closed with noting the Spokane is holding strong on the utility tax. Councilmember Higgins: attended the STA meeting and noted that it was quite spirited. Councilmember Merkel thanked First Responders and visited with the Latinos in Spokane and noted that they have a lot of good activities. Councilmember Wick: attended a Human Rights Spokane board meeting and noted they are looking for people to advocate for human rights, wanted to get nominees soon. He also attended the Association of Washington Cities meeting detailing the AWC positions and that the conference will be in Spokane next year on June 23-26, 2026. MAYOR'S REPORT Deputy Mayor Hattenburg provided an update on STA and the process for choosing the new CEO. ADVANCE AGENDA Councilmember Merkel requested the Latinos in Spokane be invited to give a presentation to council. There was consensus to add that to the advance agenda. Councilmember Yaeger requested staff look into the issues with Granicus and provide an update and let council know if Zoom would be a better option. Council provided consensus to add that to the advance agenda. Councilmember Merkel requested a letter be sent to the first responders for all the work they did. Council provided consensus for that request. Councilmember Merkel requested to go through the SCRAPS contract. Mr. Hohman noted that it is already on the advance agenda and will come forward later. Councilmember Yaeger requested information on who was assigned to each item on the advance agenda. City Manager Hohman noted that often times there are multiple staff working on some of the items and that he does not have the ability to note who is assigned at that time to the item. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS City Manager Hohman provided an update on the Pines/BNSF Grade Separation Project and notified council of the ribbon cutting for Greenacres Park on July 251" from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EXECUTIVE SESSION It was moved by Councilmember Higgins, seconded and unanitnously agreed to adjourn at 8:52p.in. Council Meeting Minutes: 07-08-2025 Page 4 of 5 Approved by Council: 01-13-2026 A ST: Ui Pam Haley, Mayor Marci katterson, City Clerk Council Meeting Minutes: 07-08-2025 Page 5 of 5 Approved by Council: 01-13-2026 PUBLIC COMMENT SIGN -IN SHEET SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, July 8, 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 PLEASE PRINT TOPIC YOU WILL SPEAK ABOUT YOUR CITY OF RESIDENCE ,Mkctj 1 b-y"E' 1"�c ilv j ✓ �V Please Grote that once information is entered on this form, it becomes a public record subject to public disclosure. -NLj11111Ud11L VVIIUldfiu rive rUL(2f]Lldl UULIUUIC '00 Hawaii • Above normal significant wildland Fire potential indicates a greater than usual likelihood that significant wildland fires will occur.Significant wildland finis should be expected at typical times and Intervals during normal significant wildland fire potential conditions. m n m CD a co ".0 C lD 0 X n' 0 6 National Interagency Hre Center Boise, Idaho Issued July 1, 2025 Next issuance August 1, 2025 0 rt a m n r- L rto N O N flj U-1 m Vl IM M