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2011, 02-08 Retreat Minutes MINUTES SPECIAL RETREAT MEETING SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL CenterPlace Regional Event Center 2426 N Discovery Place, Room 213 Spokane Valley, Washington February 8, 2011 8:30 a.m. Attendance: Councilmembers Staff Tom Towey, Mayor Mike Jackson, City Manager Gary Schimmels, Deputy Mayor Ken Thompson, Finance Director Bill Gothmann, Councilmember Cary Driskell, Acting City Attorney Brenda Grassel, Councilmember Mike Stone, Parks and Recreation Director Dean Grafos, Councilmember Neil Kersten, Public Works Director Kathy McClung, Community Development Dir. Absent: Bob McCaslin, Councilmember Rick VanLeuven, Police Chief John Hohman, Senior Engineer Morgan Koudelka, Sr. Administrative Analyst Others Present: Michelle Rasmussen, Administrative Assistant Nina Culver, Spokesman Review Carolbelle Branch, Public Information Officer Mike Huffman, Valley News Herald Chris Bainbridge, City Clerk Daniel Walters, The Pacific Northwest Inlander Citizens: John Carroll, Joe McGrath, Marc Peters, Diana Wilhite, and Arnie Woodward Mayor Towey opened the meeting at approximately 8:30 a.m., thanked everyone for attending, and reminded everyone that today's meeting is for the purpose of discussion and not debate. City Manager Jackson also welcomed everyone and said today's agenda is ambitious, but the purpose is to have an overview of the items, and if necessary, any of these items can be placed on a future council meeting agenda; and stated that today's topics are based on what we heard from the Finance Committee and/or Council as a whole, as desired agenda topics. 1. Contractin iddin -Cary Driskell/Neil Kersten Acting City Attorney Driskell explained that this topic is in response to Council's questions about encouraging us to buy local and/or adopting a local bid preference. He explained that this topic comes up periodically and said he put together a short summary and legal analysis concerning how the courts view this, as well as some policy reasons why it is highly recommended that local jurisdictions not engage in local bid preference, and that some of the reasons include: it becomes a barrier to interstate commerce and when tested, held to be unconstitutional; it encourages inflated prices which are borne by the taxpayers; makes some entities ineligible to receive federal funds such as from the F.A.A.; discourages local economic development which could result in bid protest lawsuits; and are contrary to free and open competition to minimize costs. Mr. Driskell also explained that it would be more harmful to businesses in the region, would be difficult to administer (what is a local bidder: lives within the city, landowner, or other criteria?), and said that the state statutes as well as city code require that public works contracts be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, and said we have a responsibility to all taxpayers, and by awarding a local bidder preference we would be saying we'd be willing to pay a higher amount far local bids. Mayor Towey asked about the Tacoma H[TB model and Mr. Driskell explained that it was challenged in 1983 and upheld but that was prior to the enactment of Initiative 200, which prohibits discrimination Retreat minutes: February 8, 2011 Page 1 of 14 Approved by Council: February 22, 2011 against or preferential treatment of women and minorities; and said having that as criteria would be problematic; he said staff could conduct further research but the Tacoma HUB model is the only model staff could find, and said such program requires a fair amount of staff to administer. Councilmember Gothmann said we should not give special treatment but as a matter of ethnical consistency, should treat everyone equally. Mr. Driskell added that the cost of projects increase in areas where this is permitted, and the quality suffers as it limits the availability of certain contractors who won't bid if they feel they won't have a fair opportunity. City Manager Jackson said that perhaps this is not the total picture of what we can do to encourage local businesses and shop locally; he said staff will look at economic development for ways to encourage people to shop locally without being contrary to law; he said a bid must be responsive and if the bidder meets all the criteria, we must look at low bid. Discussion ensued regarding the bid process and Councilmember Grassel asked about past experience if a lowest bidder then submits numerous change orders, and whether that is a consideration for future bids. Mr. Jackson stated that it is hard to eliminate a bid unless there are grounds to actually cancel the contract or consider the bid nonresponsive; that staff works to build the best bid document possible and said if we felt a change order was invalid, if would be challenged at the time, which he said often results in some type of settlement or compromise; and Finance Director Thompson added that by taking a bid other than the lowest responsive bidder, we are almost inviting a lawsuit. Public Works Director Kersten said for public works projects, the contractor must include a perfortnance bond which guarantees their performance, and unless a project is not completed or the contractor is in default and can't get bonding, it would be difficult to exclude them from the bid; he said making an error on a bid is a different issue, but the performance bond guarantees they can do the job, and a default could result in the bond being called. Mr. Kersten said that he has heard concerns about Poe Asphalt being an Idaho company, but said they are actually a Washington contractor with corporate offices in Clarkston, Washington, that about fifiy of their employees are from Washington and all the hiring is done from a union here in Spokane; adding if we tried to narrow down contractors to Spokane Valley there would not be many as about two-thirds of our bids come from outside the city. Councilmember Grafos asked how many bids were received for the Poe Contract, and Mr. Kersten said only two bids were received: one from Poe and the other from Rock Products, which was a little higher. Mr. Kersten said we use both companies but we must choose the contract based on the numbers and Poe was lower; adding that we actually had not worked very much with Poe before that contract so staff didn't know either contractor well as Spokane County had previously handled the maintenance; and said not many contractors are geared to do service contracts, but as time goes on companies are finding out what it's like to work with us and we're getting a little mare responses, and Councilmember Grafos added that as the city gains more experience and fine tunes the contract, perhaps more companies will be less reluctant to come forward and we may get more bids. Mr. Kersten also mentioned that asphalt companies are very bid-oriented, and there are not too many interested in this type of work. Parks and Recreation Director Stone added that even after five years, there were only three bids for park maintenance and said the challenge is that the service contract is a new area and when companies realize the requirements involve "24/7 availability" many are not prepared to take on that responsibility; that Senske was an unknown and we had to take some risks as their provided service could include mowing six times a month or four, or cleaning up graffiti once a month or once a week; but that it has worked out well and has opened doors for Senske to repeat their process in other municipalities; and said he feels the service contract is becoming more prevalent and that Spokane Valley has become a leader in that type of contract. Deputy Mayor Schimmels said the only exception would be WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation), as they have pre-qualified contractors only and if one is not pre-qualified, they won't even get a set of plans; and he asked if we have a mandatory pre-bid conference wherein if a contractor didn't attend, they would not be allowed to bid. Mr. Driskell said staff has examined that question, and if the bid is responsive, they can't be excluded by not attending a pre-bid conference. Mr. Stone added that Parks and Recreation has pre-bids but does not state they are mandatory, and said if a bidder doesn't attend, staff still goes through the process with them if they are the awarded bidder. Retreat minutes: February 8, 2011 Page 2 of 14 Approved by Council: February 22, 2011 2. Economic Development - Mike Jackson Kathy McClung Ken Thompson Crty Manager Jackson said this topic has been discussed at finance committee meetings, and they had a meeting where examples were shown of what other cities had done; said that he hopes sales tax is at it appears to be, which is flat and no longer declining; that we realize we have vacant businesses and a desire has been expressed by the finance committee to look at developing an economic development plan, and as such, this is the first discussion with the full council; or if council prefers, we can take another direction; and he brought Council's attention to the materials in the packet, including the list of financial incentives available to cities; he said we need to decide what we want to accomplish then take a better look at the tools available; and said there is a wealth of information available on economic development, and included in our packet is the Woodinville's Plan; he said he met with Robin Toth from GSI (Greater Spokane, Inc.) and discussed the topic with the Valley Chamber, Spokane Business Association, and other agencies in the area which support economic development, and said he wanted Ms. Toth and others to know that as we start to talk about a plan, we don't want to duplicate anything but rather to fill any gaps and make sure we know we're doing all we can to promote economic development. One aspect to consider, he said, is how far do we take economic development; some communities allocate resources, do we do likewise or re-allocate the way we use current resources; and added that this does not necessarily mean additional staf£ Mr. Jackson said the ultimate objective is that next year in the comprehensive plan, council could consider establishing some permanent goals for economic development, that there are a number of economic development goals included in the plan, so we need to identify and review the tools we already have and the goals already set. Community Development Director McClung said she has never worked directly as an economic development coardinator, but has worked in a few cities where they had economic development programs, such as Federal Way, which began with a staff position partially funded through their Chamber of Commerce; she said that "never really took offl' so they hired a city employee to do economic development, which person worked for her and after a while was transferred to the City Manager; she said while the staff was under her direction, they wrote an Economic Development Chapter. Ms. McClung said they also had a council sub-committee which had a work program and met twice a month, which sub- committee was very popular with the community and which meetings were attended by citizens who came to listen; that they worked on tourism and tried to attract new businesses, but the major focus was to try to get their city center going. Ms. McClung said she would like to discuss a conceptual plan and have Council brainstorm some goals to determine the preferred direction; she said we have a comprehensive plan chapter that discusses economic development and that chapter can be modified; that we actively work with some agencies who do parts of what we'd like such a program to do, like incubator businesses, and said she would like to delve more into what they are doing and what we could work on, with the goal of identifying the gaps of what the city can help with. She mentioned components of a plan could include good information about the community such as demogaphics, and said we would need data on our community in order to identify the gaps and therefore establish future goals and policies, and to be able to prioritize the program; and she mentioned the concept of a plan should be discussed further at future council meetings. Ms. McClung asked if a committee should be formed and if so, roles need to be identified and tasks formulated; she said the committee would need defined tasks approved by full council, and said staff is also available to help craft, review and work toward a plan, adding that we might consider including a public forum in order to educate the public on the concept. Ms. McClung said examples of issues to address in a work program might include fast tracking of permits for certain types of businesses we are trying to attract, modify zoning to enhance certain areas, work with commercial brokers to facilitate new tenants, and review tax incentives, for example, what can we do to promote businesses to locate along Trent. Retreat minutes: February 8, 2011 Page 3 of 14 Approved by Council: February 22, 2011 Finance Director Thompson went over his outline on the white board, similar to the material in the packet, and said he feels there is benefit from talking to other community organizations that touch on this area, such as Greater Spokane, Inc., International Trade Alliance, Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, Global Trade Services, and perhaps others; that they are doing things which would complement and not duplicate what we would be doing. Mr. Thompson said that council would also need to determine what they mean by, and what they want from, Economic Development, such as more living wage jobs, increase in sales tax, growth in assessed values to generate more revenues, job retention, tourism, and business retention, and stressed the need not to forget those businesses already here. He said perhaps we would need to run a sewer line or widen a street and may need to find out costs for that, or perhaps even hire a consulting engineer to find out those things. Mr. Thompson said whatever program is chosen, it must be a public improvement; and said for example, on a specific project, we could agree to reimburse the property owner over a number of years and use that money we receive over a period of years to pay off the debt that we use to build the street or for what they incur to build those same things; he mentioned local improvement districts (LID) where we would make the improvements then assess all those property owners, adding that there are numerous steps to take in forming an LID but it is possible; or another example would be for undeveloped property with no sewer, the city would build the sewer line and get repaid via late comer's agreement; and he added that most jobs are created with small businesses expanding. Mr. Jackson mentioned the packet material "Greater Spokane Incorporated November 18, 2010 `Boost Your EQ"' and went over the list of top attractions to a business moving to Spokane Valley; and he added that he read a National League of Cities article which discussed the role of elected officials in economic development and said the one outstanding thought is that we need an economic development plan that is true to our community and one which recognizes community values, or it (the plan) won't be successful; he said such planning cannot be done in a vacuum and requires community involvement; that it should result in a concise workplan, and won't be accomplished all at once, but rather would be will done over time, that the plan needs to keep its momentum and be manageable with measurable results. Mr. Jackson added it is critical that we work with existing businesses and a cost benefit analysis needs to be performed so we will know what the return will be on the investment; and he asked council if they wanted to try to work through some ideas and goals now or consider this for future meetings. Ms. McClung asked if there is an aspect that Council agrees they can move forward with, or would Council like to discuss specific goals to include as part of the comp plan, or whether Council would like to consider forming a sub- committee. Discussion ensued with Mayor Towey voicing an opinion that the first step is to form a plan based on a specific model that Council wants, to take this one step at a time, to have our model enhance whatever else is done by groups such as GSI, that we should connect with experts, and that our model should be for the benefit of Spokane Valley. Comments included the idea using parts of the Woodinville plan, getting help from entities such as Global Economic Development, the Sports Commission, and the Convention and Visitor's Bureau (CVB); and to market our plan regionally. Councilmember Grassel mentioned the completion of the Spokane River Water Trail and she distributed copies of a January 31, 2011 letter from the CVB concerning that idea. Mr. Jackson suggested we look at what we are currently providing, that there have been changes to the zoning code to widen opportunities for business owners, we have park developments, excellent infrastructure, a low tax base with no impact fees, and our area is a good economical place in which to do business, and said we should celebrate our successes like streamlining our permit process. Councilmember Grafos said he agrees with Mr. Jackson and if Council determines to form a committee to develop a plan, it must be feasible, affordable, make sense, and we should prioritize the different areas and use existing resources to help the citizens. Deputy Mayor Schimmels said he favors such committee and mentioned it would be practical for forming such things as a medical center, and mentioned a lot of vacant property exists in the area of Pines to Evergeen, and Mission to Sinto; and Ms. McClung agreed that would be a good project, to identify a medical district and stress the cross- Retreat minutes: February 8, 2011 Page 4 of 14 Approved by Council: February 22, 2011 benefits that doctors could use for advertising, and perhaps even include identifying banners on street lights. Deputy Mayor Schimmels also suggested looking at the Trent Avenue area to see what could be done to mend that and keep businesses. Ms. McClung said that they have examined some of those properties, and they are historically used for what they are being used for now, and they don't match the zoning so that is a problem. Deputy Mayor Schimmels mentioned the Sprague area Pines to Havana and Havana to Fancher which has been uplifted in the last few years so that it looks a little better, but added there is a lot of car traffic, and he asked about sewer in that area. Public Warks Director Kersten said that the county has the sewer program and the program ends next year; that they are building out all the areas they intend to sewer, but the area between the River and Trent is not sewered, making it difficult for businesses to locate there. Additional discussion followed concerning sewering areas, late comer's agreements, and mention that that is the type of area upon which to focus: to look at options to help provide sewer and encourage development in that area. A list of items for a committee to consider included determining who should participate on the committee, what are we already doing, what do other groups and agencies do for economic development; form a plan that is feasible, do-able, affordable, is an immediate help to citizens, includes Spokane Valley values, and to prioritize the items to consider; for the shoreline to keep a plan flexible to take advantage of the River, and to include stakeholders such as hoteUmotel association, CVB, and Sports Commission to name a few; and to define the difference between the community and business. Mayar Towey called for a break at 10:05 a.m. and the meeting reconvened at 10:20 a.m. 3. Council Governance Manual - Mike Jackson City Manager Jackson explained that Mayor Towey had suggested the Governance Committee work through the Governance Manual and then during various study session meetings, have the whole council go through the manual a section at a time thereby giving everyone an opportunity to discuss the manual and any desired changes, and stated that City Clerk Bainbridge has also gone through the manual and has some suggested changes. Ms. Bainbridge said that she has a suggested "red-line" version of the manual far council's review, which includes such things as adding a section on Executive Sessions, quick parliamentary procedure, the "agenda committee, " to clarify some of the text, and to consider omitting some of the charts and exhibits. Councilmember Gothmann added that the overarching goal or purpose of the manual is to allow government to proceed in an orderly fashion and to obey the laws as well as the intent of the laws, and said it is also convenient to have it all in one place. Mr. Jackson mentioned the manual from Bainbridge Island, which Ms. Bainbridge said is a near duplicate of ours, and mentioned that Councilmembers can get a copy of that manual from Ms. Bainbridge. Mayor Towey said he feels it would be beneficial to spend time during the next six months, to go through the sections one at a time, and there was no objection from other councilmembers. 4. City Hall Options - Neal Kersten Mr. Jackson said council goal 46 is to "explore a range of options for a city hall" and that so far, while some options have been considered, council hasn't explored a range of options; that in discussions at the Finance Committee on the $450,000 annual cost to lease the current space at city hall, Mr. Kersten has examined the Mirabeau Point Complex in terms of feasibility of a city hall and whether it could fit on the landscape, or to consider renovating another area building, and that the ultimate decision will be Council's. Mr. Kersten then gave a brief history of costs and past research concerning a city hall program; he explained that in 2008 we had a city hall study done which concluded we would need a building of approximately 43,000 square feet of office space for an estimated straight construction cost of $14 million; and that contingencies such as furniture and fixtures would amount to about $1 million, and Washington tax would include about another $5 million for a total price of $19 million. Mr. Kersten said the current space which does not include any of the common shared space such as stairs, restrooms, is about 28,000 square feet, that usually another six to seven thousand square feet would be needed far the Retreat minutes: February 8, 2011 Page 5 of 14 Approved by Council: February 22, 2011 mechanics of the building, air circulation, etc., so if we were to just replace what he have now, we would need about 35 or 36,000 square feet. Mr. Thompson added that the current rent goes up about 3% each March, and if we converted the current rent to debt retirement, it would retire about $7 million, leaving about a ten to twelve million dollar shortfall in terms of how to pay for construction, plus maintenance and utility costs. Mr. Kersten then led the group across the hall so everyone could see the area if we were to consider a city hall on the premises currently housing CenterPlace; and Mr. Kersten said it appears feasible to build a building of that size on the property, but it would encroach on the falls area; and Mr. Stone added that wedding parties currently use the outside patio quite often so a city hall building that close would have an effect on events at CenterPlace. Mr. Kersten also mentioned the area where the City's property line ceases, and said that the area up beyond the trees is also privately owned. Mr. Kersten said any comparisons would be on a case-by-case basis; that we could save a lot of money if we bought or renovated, but there are not many options out there and it is tough to build new in the current economy, compared with renting. Mr. Jackson mentioned that the current city hall was for sale a few years ago, but the negotiations "didn't pencil out." Mayor Towey said he knows park space in Spokane Valley is very limited, that we have less park space per capita than most cities our size. Councilmember Gothmann added that studies have shown we have much more commercial space then we can support and less park space; and said it would seem we should build on a commercial zone as that would be a wiser use of land; he said we need to develop some scientific facts, and that would be a core question to ask citizens, or to ask a series of questions via a survey, or focus groups, or informational ballot as we don't know what citizens want. Mr. Thompson said the current least expires 2013, but that is probably negotiable, and that the current building, if it were for sale, would include all the wing buildings except for Daybreak and Tire Rama, which Mr. Kersten said was part of the problem as it didn't fit our needs. Mr. Driskell said if council is interested in this site here at CenterPlace, we would need a more detailed analysis, as well as a public process; and said the whole point is subject to a MasterPlan far all 236 acres; that this building is one of five subarea complexes which was contemplated within the community complex far this part to have a building for civic and senior activities; and said it is not clear a second city or civic facility was contemplated, and said arguably placing a city hall on that site could get into some of the environmental concerns, and that he would need to research this through the Mirabeau Point Association which enforces the CC&Rs (covenants, conditions and restrictions). Mayor Towey agreed we would need mare information on citizen input on this issue, including whether we keep paying rent, or relocate, and if so, where we would relocate. Mr. Jackson agreed that focus groups are an excellent mechanism for engaging citizen dialogue; and that sometimes it is difficult to make conclusions from a survey, although having at least 400 responses does give the survey results confidence. Mr. Jackson said staff can put together a plan, along with options, for council's review and council can determine whether they would like to do something like a survey this year or sometime in the future; and he said this group will talk later today about long range goals and perhaps could package some economic development questions together with city hall issues in order to gain the full breadth of the issue; and said that a city hall is more than just a building to house employees. Councilmember Gothmann said he feels one could parlay a city hall into some type of economic development, and Mr. Jackson said in some ways it makes it more accessible to try to conduct a survey to encompass as much as possible. Councilmember Grassel said regarding the process of forming a committee, a task for that committee to discuss could be they would need the facts befare putting forth the issue to citizens, and said options and cost breakdowns should be included as part of the entire economic plan. Councilmember Gothmann said he would be happy to develop a model using present value as the cost would not be the same now as it would be ten years from now, or an internal rate of return model; that if the cost of a building today was $14 million, that would be worth much less several years from now, and suggested using a present value model. Councilmember Grafos said if we conduct a survey, it should be specific about the project costs; and if citizens want a city hall, are they willing to pay for it, how to pay for it, and its location. Mr. Jackson said Retreat minutes: February 8, 2011 Page 6 of 14 Approved by Council: February 22, 2011 if we included this topic in a survey concerning economic development, that it would be natural to separate out the city hall issue and identify that scope; adding that the largest part of the cost of the survey is its distribution; and after all discussion, it appeared council would like to move forward with a survey. 5. Setting Law Enforcement Goals - Mike Jackson Rick VanLeuven City Manager Jackson explained that the first element to discuss is the reduction in shared resources that is being proposed or implemented by the Sheriff's office, including the reduction in forces being made by the Sheriff and how that impacts us and how we are planning to implement performance measures to measure past performance with shared resources, as well as measure that in this and subsequent years; he said at some point there may be a need to make additional cuts in category 2, or to reinstate some of those positions; he said last year council approved a new contract, but now it has become necessary to examine these issues due to the reductions in force; and said it will be difficult to achieve as we know the County has different circumstances, adding that the goals would also be subject to change. The second element, Mr. Jackson explained, is the law enforcement goals, and said it would be good to have council input in those goals, and said staff, in particular Administrative Analyst Koudelka, has been trying to implement the process and come up with a good set of goals, which of course could be refined over time. Chief VanLeuven went over the 2010 and 2011 sheets and current changes and discussed how those positions are allocated, including what each division's duties include. Chief VanLeuven said that some of the positions were grant-funded in 2011 which were not funded in 2010, which saved at least one position; he said with the reductions made, there could be more, and stressed that the impact is at the line level of enforcement. He said this is the first year having a cost allocation plan and they are doing their best to make sure all positions are filled in order to operate at Spokane Valley's desired service level. Concerning the ability to measure the impact of this 6.5 reduction in staff, Mr. Jackson said we have that ability currently and said he is confident Chief VanLeuven can sustain the level of service through the changes, but said if there are additional reductions next year, at some point it will be difficult not to impact the service and we will need and want the ability to measure that; he said the reduction will result in a cost savings of about $300,000 achieved throughout the year, but there could be other costs that change so it is difficult to call it a savings, but certainly it is a reduction in costs. Mr. Jackson said according to the contract, we and the Sheriff's Office must mutually agree on changes, and said he hopes to contain this in each budget year and next year determine the budget of the sheriffls office before we finalize our own budget; and that the main point is with the 6.5 reduction in category 2, we feel we can provide the same level of service as done in the past; and that when a position is funded through grants or other mechanisms, that is not necessarily a permanent funding source; it could change and such change could create a dramatic cost difference if a grant terminates. Councilmember Gothmann suggested the idea of identifying positions that are funded through grants and then discuss the two types of goals; i.e. internal goals like operational goals, and other goals relative to the community; and Mr. Jackson said he would like to get Council's input in writing for proposed law enforcement goals, and he asked if council has law enforcement goals in mind to discuss now or would prefer to come back another time to hold that discussion. Councilmember Gothmann said he was impressed with how Shoreline did their goals, and that he would prefer coming back later for this discussion and other councilmembers did not object to that idea. Mr. Jackson said we can also examine Shoreline's goals. There was further discussion concerning our own police monthly report and the statistical information contained therein. Chief VanLeuven then gave the highlights of the 2011 proposed goals. Senior Administrative Analyst Koudelka spoke concerning the goals in general and the performance measures; he said that the officer's worksheet was part of the exhibits attached to the contract adopted by council that begin in 2010; and that the purpose of the exhibit was to provide a way to control costs and address levels of service and know how many commissioned officers we are responsible for; that staff would like to work through a year of this contract and see how things are working; that the task is difficult as we seek to identify what people we are responsible for and receiving services from, then split that out Retreat minutes: February 8, 2011 Page 7 of 14 Approved by Council: February 22, 2011 according to the revenue stream that's paying for the position; next time, he explained, he would like to develop a more useful tool for the city manager and council to be able to quickly see what officers are serving Spokane Valley and what changes, if any, are made; and said having a list of staff of Spokane Valley Police Department and what they are and what they do will be helpful in understanding the big picture of what's being provided to citizens; and he said that his assistant Mr. Pietro has created a monitoring and reporting form where we get quarterly statistics from the County showing the majority of costs based upon usage for city, determined by workload numbers, and by plugging in those details, we hope to project costs for the year and into the future, so we can be prepared for cost fluctuations and thereby make adjustments when and if necessary; he said this is still missing the service level assessment and we need a way for all these service components to measure the performance we are receiving as well as the service level; and to have quarterly reporting on that so we don't have to wait two years far a survey to see how we're doing, which, he said would help in making budget decisions and to establish a correlation between cost and level of service. Mr. Koudelka said that we have limited resources to work with, that incorporating the cost component into the level of service and the community expectations is huge, and that they can best allocate those resources when we understand how resources correlate to the service centers we are funding; he said to compare the cost to service, we look at goals and efficiencies to identify and measure that along the way, which, he said is something we are doing within each department; but we don't have the luxury to add programs or fund new positions and as many others, we have to make do with less. Mr. Koudelka said response time is an important factor to measure; how are we staffing according to peak times and how many officers are responding to a particular call and how to prioritize those calls; and said that the Chief does a great job with that as he has the data available, we just need to make sure we understand how that's used so that the Chief can continue to meet the law enforcement needs of the community and council while staff works to control costs while paying attention to those needs; which he said boils down to working together to understand each other's roll and achieve the common goals with the resources available. Chief VanLeuven confirmed that his officers prioritize every call they respond to, and have policies and procedures on how to respond to any call type. City Manager Jackson said it is a complex procedure to take all these measurements into consideration and mentioned the importance of ineasuring everything because of the impact on us when the Sheriff's Office makes changes; and said we will continue to work on performance indicators and measurements; and again mentioned the need to gain council's opinions on goals; that this could be a study session item and/ar we could invite the public for additional input. Councilmember Gothmann suggested staff develop a set of public and internal goals and bring that back for council review; and Councilmember Grassel mentioned the need to get the message out to more of the public, and suggested perhaps having quarterly community meetings. The SCOPE quarterly newsletter and Police Department's monthly reports were mentioned and Chief VanLeuven said he could include in his monthly report, a list of public functions he attends as a means to further inform citizens. The idea of community meetings was further discussed, including having a meeting in various sections of the city, and sending citizens mail to keep them informed of ineetings and of issues; and Councilmember Grassel mentioned the possibility of having an ombudsman as a means for citizens to address their frustrations. City Manager Jackson said staff will work to have a draft set of goals for council to review by the end of the first quarter. At 12:05 p.m. the group stopped for lunch; and the meeting reconvened at approximately 12:37 p.m. 6. Financial Matters - Ken Thompson Mike Jackson City Manager Jackson said that one of the City's financial objectives through 2014 included maintaining a minimum general fund ending balance of 15% of revenues; and said in advance of the 2012 budget preparation, he wanted to review the current finances but to also have a budgeting philosophy or goal directed toward the ending fund balance so staff knows the parameters in which to work; he said there is plenty of time to conduct more research; and he reminded council about the $500,000 transfer from the civil facilities fund as a"nest egg" for capital projects. In discussing the several funds, Finance Director Retreat minutes: February 8, 2011 Page 8 of 14 Approved by Council: February 22, 2011 Thompson explained that one of the goals is to keep the service level stabilization reserve fund at $5.4 million, and said he feels we will be there at the end of 2010; said the civic facilities capital projects fund is being used for the full-width paveback so we are down to about $4.3 million, and he went through a list of other funds and reserves and their purpose; and said one of the things we will need in the future is an equipment fund since we now own plowing equipment, which will eventually need to be replaced; he said all the departments coming in at 3% under budget was beneficial, and because we budget so conservatively, we will have about $27.1 million as a ending fund balance in the general fund for 2010, which is an increase over the $24.6 million ending fund balance in 2009; and said when calculating the end of the 2010 budget, most of the various reserve funds will likely be more than expected. In an attempt to find ways to spend more on capital projects or pavement management, Mr. Thompson said staff is suggesting capping the general fund balance end-of-year reserves at $26 million, and anything in excess of that, to take 40% of that excess amount to be used as matching funds for state and/or federal grants, which could be added to that $.5 million in that budget which would give us about $940,000 as a start. Mr. Thompson explained that most operating funds fall under the general fund, that streets and stormwater are separate; that we projected a 5% increase for each year and account for spending less than budgeted, so he feels the projected $27.1 million ending fund balance for 2010 will be fairly accurate, and we could actually even have a little more than projected. Mr. Jackson said the objective is to recognize that we are very fortunate to have $26 million as an ending fund balance; as a new city we started out very frugal and had the philosophy that there would be ups and downs through the years and the intent was to level that out, yet have funds available to help in the lean years; he said Council will find out just how lean we are when comparing us to other cities, and said as we address our long range plan, we propose protecting the $26 million, adding that this economy is far too uncertain to spend that down; that in a few years if we have growth in sales tax, then that would be the time to re-evaluate; he said staff arrived at 40% because we are still putting the majority of funds to the ending fund balance. Mr. Jackson stressed we will continue to support those "red" funds listed on Mr. Thompson's list, but always protect our future; and as the economy improves, we could look at reducing that ending fund reserve, but he stressed that the future at this point is very uncertain. Mr. Jackson stated that we have a healthy, financially sound city and that feels good; and said he also feels if we didn't have that reserve now, we would probably be in the same financial condition as so many other struggling cities. Further, Mr. Jackson said that most of our business plans included requests for additional positions and services we could offer, but we backed off those ideas when the economy fell; and stated with this plan, we will always protect the principle of the city in terms of an ending fund balance. Mr. Jackson said council doesn't have to resolve this today, but he wanted to address this idea well in advance of 2012 budget preparation, and said he would like to develop another budget policy in terms of how we handle our ending fund balance, including discussions about at what point do you start to look at more drastic reductions in service; what is the willingness of the city to spend down, that we realize we can financially make it through 2015 but after that, it is unknown. Mr. Jackson said having a 15% carryover will not get a city out of crisis, and said this is why we see so many cities in financial trouble as that only amounts to about two months of operating expenses. Councilmember Gothmann added that we also need to keep in mind that although the economy appears to be improving a little, we are not yet out of this recession. There were no Council objections to capping the general fund reserves at $26 million as noted. Mr. Jackson stated that he realizes this is not the time to discuss an additional revenue stream, even though most municipalities realize that revenues from sales and properiy taxes will not fund public works, community development, street preservation, capital projects, and law enforcement and that it will take an additional revenue stream. Mr. Jackson said staff is working to hold down the expenses in these times of low revenues; and that he would hate to see a policy that wouldn't allow us to use any of that in the lean years. Councilmember Grafos agreed with the cap but suggested "working it from both ends" since we are not in a growth mode, but to attack it from both sides to grow revenues for the City. Mr. Thompson reminded everyone that there will always be more street and park projects than we have funds Retreat minutes: February 8, 2011 Page 9 of 14 Approved by Council: February 22, 2011 for. Mr. Jackson further pointed out that page 70 of our budget shows the street capital improvement fund of $500,000; and said it is important to note we have reserves and are setting aside funds for future needs and that many cities are not able to do; that we will need future renovation for replacement of this and other buildings, and as we acquire snowplows and other equipment, we will need to determine how much to set aside; and said we will work together to develop a budget statement along those lines and bring this back to council at a future meeting; and said we will follow that "rule of thumb" and likely include that in the 2012 budget as part of the budget philosophy. 7. Council long-Range Plans - Mavor Towev Mike Jackson Mr. Jackson said Mayor Towey has proposed this topic so Council could look at long-range goals for the city and to tie that in with economic development; and said there are several examples in the packet of goals we currently have; and that the comprehensive plan has a number of land use goals and economic development goals, and he mentioned some examples on page 17 in the council packet materials; and added that the Parks and Recreation Plan includes goals and objectives as well. Mr. Jackson asked if Council prefers to discuss and brainstorm long-range plans, or start on the economic development plan and go on from there. Mayor Towey said he feels the first step should be economic development goals, and said as we move further in 2011 to include that topic in the summer retreat; and said that he feels we will have to determine the long term goals, try to assess what the economy will look like in the future; to incorporate the funding and overall plan and determine how best to implement that plan; and said the "experts" are saying that this recession is different from other recessions due to the uncertainty of when it will turn around; but said he feels we should discuss what the next five to six years will look like; adding that some of the goals in the comprehensive plan were done at a different time and in a different situation. Councilmember Gothmann said he feels Council needs to consult with their constituents through some type of data gathering in order to find out what they want. Mayor Towey reiterated what Mr. Jackson said earlier, that it is a good feeling knowing we're in the financial situation we are in and we are fairly comfortable, but said he knows things can turn around quickly; and he feels if not addressed now, this is something to address during the summer budget retreat. Councilmember Grafos said he agreed, but that council does not want to codify those goals into our comp plan because the economy is so uncertain and he suggested not putting something in there that would be so specific as to "tie our hands." Mr. Jackson suggested council review the comp plan goals to make sure they are sustainable over the long term; and Councilmember Grafos said in reference to having goals for a specific area such as auto row, we don't know if we can do that in this economy, and said he feels the need to be more general. Councilmember Gothmann explained that the policies and the goals are different; that it is the policy that implements the goal. Mr. Jackson agreed that economic development has a long-range impact so that might be a good place to start, and he asked council if they had anything specific ar wanted to address any deficiencies in the city services or community. Councilmember Grassel suggested it may be time to look at the structure of the budget to make sure the needs are prioritized befare any "wants" are projected; and said that maintenance and preservation should be a mandatory line item; that it is a huge cost to citizens, and again stated that she would like to re-visit the structure of the budget; she said there are a lot of nice ideas in here, but she is not sure she would agee with several of the goals in that they were written to accompany SARP (Sprague/Appleway Revitalization Plan). Mr. Jackson stated that council can discuss the priarity of those goals; that he feels it is difficult if we set a goal to accomplish street preservation in that just like any city's general fund, it will fall short of that goal; and he said that is the basic problem with any city; as criminal justice takes the majority of property and sales tax; and he asked what for example, are very basic things we can do far code enforcement; that there are numerous unkempt properties which have weed and other issues, and said we can go a long way in improving the appearance of the community through code enforcement; that the amount of money needed for preservation and capital projects is about $6 million a year depending on grants and REET (real estate excise taxes) funds, and said no city can pay for their own infrastructure without federal and state grants. Further, Mr. Jackson said that the current goals were discussed at many meetings; that the comp plan goals is a topic for future review, and that not Retreat minutes: February 8, 2011 Page 10 of 14 Approved by Council: February 22, 2011 all goals need to be wrapped up in the comp plan. Mr. Jackson explained that he envisions a process of council going through the economic development plan and establishing goals there; and move on from there to other long range goals; and said he would like to establish a process with this council, during a community forum, to start with economic development, and in terms of the comp plan goals, that would have to be put on the docket in the fall for council's review for the 2012 comp plan changes. Community Development Director McClung suggested looking at economic development as something that will impact land use or transportation; and those would go into those chapters as they get discussed; and she mentioned that state statutes require cities to have a major comp plan update, which is due by 2013, and such review would include water districts, sewer districts, school districts, etc., and that would be a good time to look at those goals. Mr. Jackson said we start with economic development and those goals council comes up with should go into the comp plan; that he feels that would be a more complete set; and that would be a document that is passed on; and said the test of any good plan is to be able to withstand change, and that it is perfectly normal to revise such plan from time to time. 8. 2011 Washinjzton State Legislative Agenda - Mayor Towe In anticipation for next week's trip to Olympia for the legislative session, Mr. Jackson said the most recent update includes the port of entry legislation, which will be dropped after this discussion takes place as it appears this has become very narrow to only apply to cattle trucks in the Spokane Region up to the Canadian border; that the Spokane Valley Partners testified in support of their project and it apparently went well; that other issues include seeking funding for the Park Road pool; law enforcement support, which he said seems to have sparked some disagreement if this would be an additional tax measure if separate districts were formed; and he mentioned the proposal to relax some of the SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) regulations. Community Development Director McClung said that initially she thought it was going to undergo some minor changes, but now appears there is more to it; that the proposal is to have the state eliminate the review for things already covered under our codes and ordinances; she said cities have very much progressed as required by the GMA (Growth Management Act) and cover a lot of the things SEPA was going to cover; that some cities are now hesitant to make changes; and she said she felt the idea was to eliminate duplicity but have the ability to catch the things that might "fall through the cracks." Mr. Jackson added that one of the components dealt with project boundaries overlapping two jurisdictions, with the idea of following the regulations of the entity that is least restrictive. Mr. Jackson said he anticipates more discussion on this topic when they are in Olympia. 9. Snow Removal Recap - Neil Kersten Public Works Director Kersten went over the Winter Snow Operations Plan and what was accomplished last year; that they put out a bid for road graders to provide snow removal, and in November had about six different contractors on line at hourly rates; he said it was fortunate we did that as we ended up plowing the whole city twice, which he said is pretty unusual; he said the system worked well; he said with about "fourteen or fifteen graders running 24/7 we can plow the city in two to three days depending on how bad the snowfall was." He explained that they did all residential flat areas and hills, and concentrated on the arterials; that it costs about $65,000 each time we plow all the residentials, and said they did that twice. Mr. Kersten said they hired one additional staff person, the mechanic position previously approved, and he worked out very well; that last year they used Poe's mechanic heavily, but this year we used our own so the cost of the Poe contract went way down; he said we will be using Poe's divers now and our equipment. Mr. Kersten also mentioned he is looking at some new sites for the City's maintenance shop. Concerning equipment, Mr. Kersten said that WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation) had one very good used truck and we bought it and it is an excellent truck, and said we probably will not buy anything next year, but will start to look at the age of the older trucks and get into a replacement process; adding that he also got the backhoe loader where they were leasing one from Poe, so those costs disappeared. During the heavy snow at Thanksgiving time, he said he ran out of staff to be with Poe drivers, that we have one of our drivers leading the hired contractars, and said he has a couple ideas concerning hiring two more people; that there is $300,000 in the stormwater funds, and they would plenty Retreat minutes: February 8, 2011 Page 11 of 14 Approved by Council: February 22, 2011 of work to do in the winter, and they could vactor during other seasons, or handle the street signs, but not the traffic signals. Mr. Kersten said currently Spokane County handles our street signs for us at about a three-quarter time person, and said he spoke with the County and they don't mind if we do this and that it would not affect their staffing levels; and again stated he would have enough work to keep two staff busy when they are not plowing snow, and said he will refine that for next year's budget. Mr. Kersten said it has been a great budget year far this winter and he is still way under budget; that in November and December he spent a little over $300,000, and said even though those months had a snowfall well above average, they are still way under budget; that his department has worked very efficiently while keeping the desired level of service; and Councilmember Grafos mentioned that many citizens felt our city did a great job with snow plowing this year. The group took a break at 2:05 p.m. and reconvened at 2:20 p.m. 10. Solid Waste - DeputY Mayar Schimmels Neil Kersten Cary Driskell Mr. Jackson said that last week's two-day summit on solid waste ended with a request to work on a task force committee, which was initially slated to begin next week but will be re-scheduled due to the upcoming City Legislative Action Conference (CLAC) in Olympia; and that so far the committee includes, among others: Commissioner French, Mayor VanOrman, Mayor Trulove, and DepuTy Mayor Schimmels; and Mr. Jackson, upon hearing no objections, said he will notify the committee that our representatives will include Deputy Mayor Schimmels and Councilmember Gothmann. City Manager Jackson explained he had another meeting to attend, but that Acting City Attorney Driskell and Public Works Director Kersten recently met with the city and the county to discuss our contract, and that the proposal is to extend our contract through 2014 and insert language that we would not be bound to the bond payments upon the termination of our contract, which he said was a concern of ours. Mr. Kersten added that the Wheelabrator contract increases $3 a ton, and the current cap is about 250,000 tons, so they'll get paid far another 30,000 tons; that they'll receive $3 million over the three-year period to do contract management for the $15 million capital improvements, so overall fees paid to Wheelabrator will increase $2.5 to $3 million a year; under the new interlocal, the city can raise the tipping fee (1) if they issue a bond to pay debt retirement; (2)initiate an increase for that base fee operation to $3 per ton; and (3) create a solid waste system reserve account. Mr. Kersten said in essence, there are currently no reserves and they want a reserve account in order to have funds to operate, although they didn't indicate the amount of dollars desired in such account. Further, Mr. Kersten said based on information Russ Menke (Director, Spokane Regional Solid Waste System) put together last week, he mentioned a utility tax, but Mr. Kersten said the County would indicate they can't do a utility tax, so probably we would be looking at least a$20 to $25 tipping fee increase for this three-year period. Mr. Kersten said at the end of 2014, if they opted out, the $15 million would be amortized over a fifteen-year period; and said if you opt out over the three years, you won't have to pay for that, so it creates an interim period; and said the process would be to upgrade the plant, get it going, send out a new bid, determine the new fee, and toward the end of the process assess the cost of long-haul, or there is the option of building one's own landfill. Councilmember Gothmann asked about the option of opting out for the disposal but staying with the group for other parts, such as clean green; and Mr. Kersten said there will be limited hazardous waste pickup and recycling. Councilmember Gothmann then summarized the options our city will be facing would include to do it all except disposal and stay with the group, or continue the disposal at the waste-to-energy plant. Mr. Kersten also mentioned that during that three-year period, the facility at Fishpath will develop and we'll start to see if that is successful; that it could divert a good deal of food and yard waste; and said if Waste Management builds the single stream, it could all go through all at once into one can. Mr. Kersten also stated that we'll have to wait and see what will they get in terms of energy rates for the waste-to-energy facility, as that will determine if we're talking wholesale or green, and said that revenue will change a lot. Deputy Mayor Retreat minutes: February 8, 2011 Page 12 of 14 Approved by Council: February 22, 2011 Schimmels said we should be able to save $1 million a year on the clean green avoiding those transportation miles. Further discussion included projections of the tipping fee over the next three years, rates and rate increases, working on the governance of a regional plant and have that committee explore the options, which it was mentioned would likely take a year or two to get that group set up and operational; that once our agreement is signed it will extend us to 2014; costs of long hauling and burning; and Waste Management's cost in Spokane Valley. At Councilmember Gothmann's request, Mr. Kersten said he will get a draft fact sheet on the figures we are paying now to Waste Management. Councilmember Grassel said she understood the board would conduct the research and report back in six weeks. Mr. Jackson stated that once the county approves the expenditures and the contract, that time will not be as critical as we will have up until 2014, that Council will need to consider approving that extension, and added that the committee is preparing to meet very soon; and regarding that committee, it was suggested that a first issue to consider might be the utility tax, which Mr. Jackson said Spokane will implement in November and which we understand they can do independently. Mr. Kersten said he felt we would not have to approve the extension as we will be going through the options as well, and that the County added to the contract that they couldn't do the utility tax without approval of each jurisdiction, and Deputy Mayor Schimmels said so unless they change the interlocal, we don't have to do anything except discuss the issues. Councilmember Grafos said that we can approve that contract or not, but regarding the new system, that perhaps we can look at a myriad of services independent of Wheelabrator and not have that tied to twenty years of bonds. Mr. Kersten said the ideal option is to examine the issues as a group; and Mr. Jackson said he will notify the County of our representatives for the governance board. 11. E-government System - Mike Jackson Concerning our new E-Government System, City Manager Jackson said it has worked well and he extended compliments to staff inembers Michelle Rasmussen, Carolbelle Branch, Devin Nickerson, Chris Thompson and Roxanne Wyatt for their work. Mr. Jackson said this system enables us to track a request or complaint, put it in the system, show the area of concern on the map, give the citizen a tracking number, and later communicate with citizens to make sure the issue was resolved. Mr. Jackson said this could include anything from not having their street plowed, to having a snow berm, ice on the road, etc., or that a street light is out; which he said happened and we referred the citizen to Avista. Mr. Jackson said he feels this system has geatly enhanced our relationship with citizens as we strive to make sure their concerns are taken care of; and Administrative Assistant Rasmussen explained that it also tracks the time of day when the call went through, and when it was finalized; she noted that staff received about 340 calls during that first snow plowing, and she made about 150 calls and returned-e-mails; and said even if the citizen didn't like the response, they appreciated us following through and letting them know the situation. Mr. Jackson said we use the same method when citizens speak during council meetings, and it has worked well. Mr. Kersten added that people are friendlier when they understand the situation. In addition, staff got together with a list of interesting questions so that the answers to those questions could be supplied to the staff at the front desk; and said this has been a very worthwhile system and a boost to customer service. Mr. Jackson added that this system was part of the new website approved earlier by this council. 12. Brainstorming - Mayor ToweX Mr. Jackson said the group is open to any and all ideas. Public Works Director Kersten said regarding road preservation, they are finishing their master plan and re-scored all the roads and will be bringing that updated plan to council in the next two to three months; and he mentioned several projects and the need to complete the grind and overlay before roads thoroughly deteriorate which would be a tremendous cost. A brief discussion of road priorities took place and Mr. Kersten said they are updating their six-year plan now, and stated that the new road standards help extend the life of the arterials. In an attempt to get Council the information they desire, Police Chief VanLeuven asked council to let him know if his Retreat minutes: February 8, 2011 Page 13 of 14 Approved by Council: February 22, 2011 monthly reports are too detailed, not detailed enough, or they need different data. Parks and Recreation Director Stone mentioned the city's lack of open and park spaces, stating that we still have what we inherited from Spokane County when we incorporated; that the 2006 Parks and Recreation Plan outlines the needs, and as of this year they will have accomplished two out of a hundred different items; he said the challenge is to grab opportunities when they come up, realizing that funding is a challenge; he said they will face renovation needs in the future for things like restrooms and shelters. Councilmember Gothmann brought up the idea of taking care of the road preservations even if we have to borrow from ourselves now and re-pay it later, and suggested council consider different borrowing methods; and Mayor Towey agreed that is a problem council will have to solve next year. Councilmember Grassel suggested re-examining the budget structure as she would like to be able to tell citizens they have done everything possible to address funding situations; and said perhaps that will be up to the finance committee to examine. Mr. Jackson said at some point he believes it will require another funding source, but that council and the citizens need to be confident we have done everything we can concerning our budget. Councilmember Grassel suggested holding a town hall meeting with perhaps the Mayor, Police Chief, other councilmembers, perhaps twice a year or so in order to get more citizen contact; and also suggested this city might be ready for voting for the mayor versus council appointing the mayor; to keep the same form of government, but enable the citizens to actually vote for who they would like as mayor. Deputy Mayor Schimmels asked about the annual cost far our bond issue debt service, and Mr. Thompson replied about $200,000 a year; and Mr. Schimmels agreed with the town hall meeting idea to gain more citizen feedback. Mayar Towey said he, Mr. Jackson and Ms. Branch are working on his state of the city address; that they have confirmed two locations and have two more to confirm; that his speech is about thirly minutes, which will allow time for handing out informational pamphlets, and/or allowing time for questions. Councilmember Grafos agreed roads are an important priority; that he agrees with the need for an economic development plan; and suggested taking limited resources and target strategic areas so they might accomplish the goal of attracting more businesses while showing citizens they are doing something in a positive manner; and said perhaps we could use some of those stormwater funds and start at the auto row area to enhance the area by landscaping and fixing those streets. Deputy Mayor Schimmels added that perhaps they could have an opening ceremony before starting a large paving job. Mr. Jackson said he feels those issues can be addressed; and that it has been a long time since we had town meetings; that staff will come back with options on what can we have; that we are most likely looking at a funding source, and it is his goal to get council to have confidence in the budget numbers and that staff is doing everything possible to reduce spending; adding that we are a"very conservative organization." There were no further comments. Mayor Towey thanked staff for today's information, and thanked everyone for coming. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3:30 p.m. AT~'ES Twey, Mayor ~hristine Bainbridge, CitY Clerk Retreat minutes: February 8, 2011 Page 14 of 14 Approved by Council: February 22, 2011 January 31, 2011 Ms. Brenda Grassel Spokane Valley City Council 11707 E Sprague Avenue, Suite 106 Spokane Valley, WA 99206 Brenda- Thank you so much for asking for and including the opinions of the Spokane Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau as you prepare for your Council retreat on February 8. As you know, tourism is a powerful economic engine in Spokane Valley and Spokane County as a whole, pumping an estimated $741 million into our local economy this past year and offering our residents approximately $315 in direct tax relief each year due to local taxes paid by visitors. In fact, our job is to literally import taxpayers who come to our area, spend money and pay taxes and leave without putting pressure on already stretched resources. The model works! As we discussed, there are a number of key areas to focus on in order to continue this economic success story. As with any community, the rewards will be greater and reaped sooner if the focus is on expanding and or fully developing assets that currently exist versus breaking ground on totally new product. Clearly, the completion of the Spokane River Water Trail and the proper development of the Barker Road and Sullivan Park access points are critical. Creating this one of a kind, nationally recognized water trail, will draw media and visitors alike. The synergy between the WaterTrail and the Centennial trail is undeniable and both naturally run through the heart of your city! Outdoor enthusiasts will travel to our area to enjoy both, along with our other abundant outdoor assets, increasing overnight stays and overall visitor spending at restaurants, retailers and other attractions in Spokane Valley. Supporting the development and/or expansion of relationships with Spokane County may allow for new economic opportunities through travel. Plante's Ferry Park is a prime example where collaboration could increase visitation. Thousands of families currently stay in Spokane Valley each year while their children participate in soccer and softball. Addition of artificial turf at Plante's Ferry could maximize the playing season and the economic benefit to businesses nearby. The Spokane Valley Heritage Museum is a wonderful asset with its agriculture roots. Is the museum reaching out to the growers at Green Bluff, area farmers' markets and more to create a Valley asset as a key component to a regional itinerary? And finally, how can Spokane Valley identify and define tourism based events versus community events. There are many opportunities to bring to the fore new events which could bring great visitation and the resulting economic impact. The Spokane Valley City Council was delivered a white paper several years ago about creating a tourism based event for your city. Trying to make a community event like ValleyFest fit the mold of a tourism based event simply diminishes the power ValleyFest has as a real community pride builder! The Spokane CVB would be happy to update and deliver the whitepaper on building community events for your future consideration. As always, we are your tourism resource and we're prepared to assist you as you explore community and tourism development in the Spokane Valley. Our goal is for all communities in Spokane County to be thriving economically and philosophically. We look forward to rolling up our sleeves and getting down to the great business of travel and finding ways to bring more visitors through your doors! Warmly, leanna Hofineister Vice President & Director of Destination Marketing Spokane Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau w~ ~ ~y u~~, { y ie, ~~1,G` ~'4~„~ta "i ~'r~ ~:a~ (y ~ _ 1 ~.~'~..'p~ ~ ~ ~ 'Y A ;fi • ~ q ~ i;' ;4, ~ .e ' t a ~ ✓r~.. h A ~ ~ ~ w A e~z~Y6'~ 1~~ . ~ ~r • ~ f~ ~ rr,~r a. ~ ~ 4 ~ , 1 R t ~ E]y j ~ 'y~^W W~ A V~~NA'~ M~ ~ ~^~t f"S' v4 1 kA tt . ~ ~ ~ 9 ~ j ~ ~ " %A i- ~ t) u a ~y C~ ` ..,m4 + 'a Sn X A ~~1~ ""P ~ i ~ A ^ .M ~Q~ ~ ~,~k~ j ~ . ^~~'~3~ ( t ' ~ a~ ~i~Cyl~ tnv- a ~ Q ~ o m a w r M., ' ~3 = -3 aE n E pm ~0 a 7 . ~0 d 9 N ~1~ . 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Sprague Avenue Spokane Valley WA 99216 (509) 477-3300 SpokaneValle Police(crSpokaneCoun org 2011 Spokane Valley Police Department Mission, Vision, Core Values & Goals Mission• The Spokane County Sheriffs Office will be a positive influence in Spokane Valley by continuing to improve, promote, preserve, and deliver quality services that result in a feeling of safety and security. The Spokane County Sheriffs Office will accomplish this mission by working in partnership with the Spokane Valley community to enhance our law enforcement effectiveness. Vision• Our community will recognize the Spokane Valley Police Department as a progressive leader and trusted community partner working to make Spokane Valley a safe, secure and productive place for people to work, live, and go to school. We will have a solid reputation for respecting individual rights while aggressively pursuing and arresting criminal offenders by enforcing the law. We will be known for operating a no frills jail that meets humanitarian needs and operates in a fiscally responsible manner. We will be acknowledged for our commitment to make Spokane Valley a better place to live and an uncomfortable place for people who break the law. Core Values• The Spokane Valley Police Department is committed to the core values of Trustworthiness, Responsibility, Respect, Fairness, and Citizenship. We wholeheartedly believe in these values, which directs the work we do for the citizens of Spokane Valley. Goals• Patrol Unit: Goals for the Patrol Unit include: ➢ Maintain the adequate amount of resources to balance out our patrol mission and goals. In order to do that, we maintain minimum staffing levels, making sure we have adequately trained, properly equipped resources to meet the community needs. ➢ Maintain sufficient personnel to safely and effectively handle more than one major incident at a time, which increases the possibility of serious injury or fatality. Major Crimes: Goals for the Major Crimes Unit include: ➢ Continue to develop the Major Crimes Investigative team skills and expertise so all investigators can be efficient on Major Crimes cases. ➢ Use Investigative training funds on necessary courses - Bullet Trajectory - Domestic Violence Homicide ➢ Interact and work with all Law enforcement agencies on investigations. - Spokane Investigative Regional Response Team (Protocol Cases) ➢ Utilize intelligence to guide cases to be assigned - Intelligence-Led Policing - Identify trends - Anticipate crimes ➢ Foster the communication between the Investigative Division and Patrol. - CART training - Amber Alert ➢ Begin victim call backs on all reported crimes ➢ Merge the Major Crimes database with Property Crimes and GET. Sexual Assault Unit: Goals for the Sexual Assault Unit include: ➢ Move towards a more proactive Investigative Unit. ➢ Training for the Sexual Predator Unit - Victims range between 8 and 14 years of age. ■ Prevent the child from becoming a victim with undercover internet chats. - Training using software to capture the IP address, utilize the software and training to prosecute in the state system ➢ Enhance the face-to-face address verification of Registered Sex Offenders - Collect voluntary information from Registered Sex Offender ■ Assist in Child Abductions - Combine all RSO files (from SPD/SCSO) into one central file in SCSO ■ Make RSO files accessible to all law enforcement agencies in Washington state utilizing the Offender Watch System • Saves time for our sexual assault investigators not needing to obtain the information from other agencies. Valley Precinct Property Crimes: Goals for the Property Crimes Unit in the Spokane Valley include: ➢ Continue to develop and incorporate Intelligence Led Policing principles into our operation model - Focus on groups of suspects, not individual crimes - Utilize databases to identify and track criminal trends - Utilize patrol to facilitate investigative intelligence on a regular basis. - Partner with the community to expand resources to reduce crime - Actively engage SCOPE members in assisting us whenever possible - Develop a program with contractors and citizens to improve property/tool identification. - Utilize leading organized crime charges whenever appropriate. ➢ Attend training as allowed by the investigations budget that focuses on interview/interrogation techniques and Intelligence Led Policing. ➢ Support and assist Major Crimes when requested in investigating major incidents and officer involved shootings. In 2009, Intelligence-Led Policing (ILP) principles were not yet implemented. ILP principles focus on working groups of people committing a majority of crime and using intelligence gathered from multiple sources to identify criminal groups and crime trends. Using these principles the goal is to use our limited resources to more effectively and efficiently deploy personnel. 39% Increase in Solvability from 2009 to 2010 Spokane Violent Crime Gang Enforcement Team (SVCGET): Goals for the SVCGET Unit include: ➢ To reduce the incidence of gang related activity by focusing on the more active and violent gangs and gang members in the greater Spokane area. - Prioritize violent crime/criminal gang enterprise cases. - Utilize sophisticated investigative techniques against the highest priority targets in an effort to dismantle their violent criminal organizations. - Work closely with federal and state prosecutors and apply the appropriate criminal statutes to aggressively prosecute criminal gang members. ➢ To reduce the number of youth joining gangs through Prevention and Intervention Strategies - SVCGET will actively seek out new methods to reduce gang membership by researching existing, successful programs nationwide. - Work with social service providers, criminal justice groups and various community stakeholders in the Prevention and Intervention of gang recruitment and membership by At-Risk Youth in our community. ➢ Effectively address violent crimes in the greater Spokane area by maintaining a rapid, effective and measured proactive and reactive capability combined with an effective intelligence department within SVCGET. - SVCGET will respond to the most serious violent crimes that have a federal nexus/responsibility that pose a significant threat to the citizens in the greater Spokane area. SVCGET will maintain and manage a reactive team capable of responding 24/7 to the most violent incidents as they occur. - SVCGET will continue to actively seek out intelligence information through sources, proactive contacts and enforcement, as well as hosting a weekly gang meeting, and participate in local, county and state law enforcement briefings. Meth Detecdive Position: Goals for the Meth Detective include: ➢ Combat Meth Manufacturing - Continue monitoring of precursor product purchases and thefts and perform follow-up investigation to prevent meth labs - Respond to discovered meth labs, process labs, and shut them down - Maintain training and equipment necessary for meth lab processing ➢ Combat the use of ineth in the Spokane area - Investigate and arrest known meth dealers - Identify major meth sources of supply and disrupt or dismantle them Drug Endangered ChildYen (DEC) PYOgram: Goals for the DEC Detective include: ➢ Continue collaborative community response to drug endangered children - Assess and redefine roles of team members - Schedule and attend regular team meetings - Maintain and improve relationships and processes within the DEC program - Participate in training for team members and the community Investigative Task Force (ITF): Goals for the ITF include: ➢ Combat Drug Trafficking within the Spokane area - Investigate and arrest known drug dealers - Identify drug sources of supply and disrupt or dismantle them ➢ Combat Crime within the Spokane area - Investigate crimes and arrest criminals as resources allow - Prioritize and target the most active criminals utilizing principles of intelligence led policing - Provide specialized services such as surveillance and undercover operations where needed.