Welcome to CIVICS, where we break down the week’s municipal meetings throughout the Inland Northwest, so you can get involved and speak out about the issues you care about.
Some things that stick out to us this week include:
- A potential conclusion to the TRAC Shelter contract saga
- Liberty Lake City Council will take a vote on the ordinance to impose more control over the city library’s Board of Trustees
- Fees for Airbnbs in Spokane may lower to $2 per night
- Possible assistance for low-income home buyers
Important meetings this week:
- Spokane City Council (and Study Session)
- Public Safety & Community Health Committee
- Board of County Commissioners
- Spokane Valley City Council
- Liberty Lake City Council
- Spokane School District Board of Directors
- Community, Housing, and Human Services Board
- Citizens Transportation Advisory Board
- Spokane Human Rights Commission
Intersections of Identity workshop
On December 7, Spectrum Center Spokane’s education department is hosting their Intersections of Identity workshop, which is open to the public and will “provide participants with language and frameworks for understanding the ways identities (race, class, gender, sexuality, ability) intersect with another and are impacted by bias, privilege and other structures within society.” These workshops are hosted with the intent of building a safer, more equitable community for all. Registration is $50 per person and tickets can be purchased here.
Thursday, December 7 from 4 – 6 pm
3rd Floor Conference Room (Niche Working Space)
25 West Main Avenue, Spokane, WA 99201
Tickets cost $50 and are available here.
Community involvement opportunities: transportation edition
The Spokane Regional Transportation Council (SRTC) is recruiting for two citizen positions to work with the council.
They are looking for volunteers for their Equity Working Group, which aims to ensure equity and accessibility in SRTC work. Duties of this position would range from evaluating outreach and engagement strategies to reviewing methods for selecting and evaluating the equity impacts of transportation projects. The group is planning to meet bimonthly starting in January, with virtual and in-person attendance options. To join the Equity Working Group, send a completed participation form via email to shayward@srtc.org or by snail mail to Savannah Hayward, 421 W Riverside Ave Ste 500, Spokane WA 99201.
SRTC is also recruiting for members of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), a committee that provides the SRTC Board of Directors with citizen perspectives on how potential decisions would impact people and their neighborhoods and make official recommendations prior to the Board’s decisions. This committee meets on the fourth Wednesday of every month from 3 to 4:30 pm, and can be attended virtually or in person. The first meeting for new members would be January 24. To apply, email a completed form to contact.srtc@srtc.org by December 15, 2023.
Spokane City Council
Tracking the TRAC contract
On Friday, the newest version of the TRAC contract, which we’ve been following for weeks, was a $3.7 million amendment that would guarantee Salvation Army’s operations through April but allow the city to bail at any time. However, when we checked this morning, the agenda reflected the original amendment that had city council members last week frustrated and potentially unwilling to vote yes: a $3.9 million contract with the Salvation Army lasting through the end of April, with no option to bail. We’ve been following this amendment as it’s developed over the last month, and have in-depth coverage on the prior version here, and the failed Request for Proposals that led to this eleventh hour rush to ensure the TRAC shelter stays open come January 1 here. Paul Dillon, Spokane City Council’s newest member, told us he thinks the amendment will continue to be negotiated all day and could change prior to the meeting tonight. RANGE will be following the Briefing Session prior to the meeting to see if a new version is substituted and will be at 6 pm Legislative Session following this item.
$1.4 million from police to firefighters
According to this agenda item, Spokane Police Department (SPD) came in $1.4 million under budget by the end of 2023. Spokane Fire Department (SFD) came in over budget with overtime hours. So, in what looks like a relatively simple fix, the city council will vote to move $1.4 million that was transferred to SPD from the Public Safety Personnel and Crime Reduction Fund to SFD. The information in the agenda is light, but the item may seem confusing because last Monday the city council passed the 2024 city budget that included allowing police to use $1.8 million from the city’s Traffic Calming Fund for traffic enforcement. These budgets are for different years, and the $1.4 million change is meant to balance the 2023 budget.
Special election for parks levy
After discussions about what raises in taxes voters would or wouldn’t support, Spokane City Council could vote to move the property tax levy to pay for sweeping park improvements back from the originally planned special election on February 13 to August 6 primary election. If voters approve the levy, which proposes an increase in regular property tax levy by $0.29/$1,000 beginning in 2025, it would give the city an estimated $225 million over the course of the next 20 years to fund new parks, renovations and improvements of existing parks and new park rangers. The text of the amendment states that the decision to move this item back from February to August came after consultation with “subject matter experts and the incoming city administration.”
Resolution for library levy
Though the levy to support parks could be moved to August, the library levy for a three-year property tax increase will be staying on the February special election ballot. Tonight’s meeting will see both a resolution to officially submit the ballot language to the county auditor, and a resolution to appoint committee members to write the “for” and “against” statements that appear in the voter’s guide.
City charter update?
At last week’s Public Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainability Committee, Council Member Zack Zappone proposed rescinding a resolution previously passed by council that would have put a 7-person redistricting committee on the special election ballot in February. While the original language of the agenda item seemed to be in line with Zappone’s proposal of rescinding the resolution, council will now vote on a request to substitute it with a version that instead seeks to amend it. The full item, which begins on page 444 of the agenda, is incomplete, so it’s a little unclear what the plan is for this special election item.
Agenda here
Monday, December 4 at 6 pm
City Council Chambers – Lower Level of City Hall
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane City Council Study Sessions
Agenda here when available.
Thursday, December 7 at 11 am
City Council Chambers – Lower Level of City Hall
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Public Safety & Community Health Committee
Less fees for AirBnBs
The committee will be discussing an amendment to the city ordinance regulating short term rentals and bed and breakfasts in Spokane. A clause in the ordinance allows the city to collect a fee for each night of rental reservation which goes towards low-income housing. However, the original $4 fee was high enough to be considered an unlawful tax. In the amendment being discussed today, the fee would be lowered to $2 per night to avoid that issue.
Assistance for low-income home buyers
$2 million of funds to help low-income home buyers are being voted on today. The funds, which come from an ARPA allocation, would be used for a down payment assistance program for first time home buyers who earn below 80% of the average median income. The funds would be awarded to Habitat for Humanity, which would run the program.
Agenda here
Monday, December 4 at 1:15 pm
Council Chambers in the Lower Level of City Hall.
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane Valley City Council
How to pay for it? TBD
Spokane Valley City Council continues to make decisions about the Transportation Benefit District (TBD). Tuesday will see the first reading of an ordinance that would impose a $20 vehicle license tab fee. Though they could only approve the ordinance for a second reading at this meeting, if it passes at the next, it would take effect on July 1, 2024, and generate about $2.8 million in revenue annually. The ordinance specifies that any revenue collected from the tab fees would be restricted for use on the Valley’s new Pavement Management program, as well as a new city fund that would be created for activity related to the TBD.
Agenda here
Tuesday, December 5 at 6 pm
CenterPlace Great Room
2426 N Discovery Place, Spokane Valley, WA 99216
Virtual attendance here.
Liberty Lake City Council
Library control ordinance will see a vote
At the last Liberty Lake City Council meeting, Council Member Phil Folyer introduced an ordinance that would give the council policy-making control over the city’s library, including which titles can appear on its shelves. Those decisions are currently made by the library’s board of trustees, an appointed body of library professionals who are trained to make decisions about what content best serves a given population. The ordinance is on its second reading and will see a vote on Tuesday. We covered the ordinance in-depth here.
Liberty Lake budget
After a lengthy discussion at the last city council meeting, with one of the major sticking points being whether the nearly 25% of property taxes that fund the library should be pulled from the $3 million pool prior to sending $1 million out to the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district the city shares with Spokane Valley, or a proposal to instead pull it from the $2 million in property taxes leftover after the money is sent to the TIF, effectively slashing the library’s budget by a significant amount.
Agenda here
Tuesday, December 5 at 7 pm
22710 E Country Vista Drive, Liberty Lake, WA 99019
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Board of Spokane County Commissioners
Agenda here
Tuesday, December 5 at 2 pm
Public Works Building Lower Level, Commissioners’ Hearing Room
1026 W. Broadway Ave, Spokane, WA 99260
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Spokane School District Board of Directors
Every time a measure or levy goes onto a ballot, you’ll usually see a section for arguments for and against the item in the voter pamphlet. It’s also required by state law and those statements get written by people who apply for committees for each side.
At a special meeting/work session of the Spokane school board on Wednesday, the school board will review those applications and choose who to appoint for the Replacement of Expiring Educational Programs and Operation Levy and the Bonds to Replace, Modernize and Improve Aging School Facilities in February. At the regular meeting, the board will approve those selections in the consent agenda. At this time, there are three applicants on the “for” side for both and one applicant on the “against” side, though that applicant appears to not have given their name or if they meet the resident requirements to be on a committee.
Agenda here
Wednesday, December 6 at 6 pm (regular meeting) and 4:30 pm (work session)
Spokane Public Schools Administration Building
200 N. Bernard, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Community, Housing, and Human Services Board
Agenda here when available
Wednesday, December 6 at 4 pm
City Council Briefing Chambers
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
Virtual attendance link included on their agenda when available.
Citizen’s Transportation Advisory Board
Agenda here when available.
Wednesday, December 6 at 5:30 p.m.
In person at the Streets Department Conference Room or Zoom link here.
901 N Nelson Street, Spokane, WA
Spokane Human Rights Commission
Agenda here when available.
Thursday, December 7 at 5:30 p.m.
Council Briefing Center in the Lower Level of City Hall.
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
