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 one-year stall on new development in the Latah Valley is up for an emergency vote tonight at Spokane City Council
- Renters could soon see the right to AC! A new ordinance guaranteeing that protection gets a first read tonight
- The people want safe streets now! So do Spokane City Council Members Zack Zappone and Kitty Klitzke, who are pitching a safe streets adaptive design resolution at this week’s Public Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainability Committee meeting.
- Don’t want to sit through boring public meetings? This week’s Bicycle Advisory Board meeting is a ROVING meeting! On bikes!
Important meetings this week:
Spokane County 2026 Comprehensive Plan Kickoff Forums
The Spokane County Planning Department is holding educational public forums on comprehensive planning. These forums are intended to help inform the public about the process of planning and community development and the Growth Management Act as the county prepares to update its comprehensive plan, seeking public participation in the process. There are two chances to attend a session this week, and a few more next week. You can also attend those meetings virtually at this Zoom link .
Wednesday, May 22 at 2 pm
Central Public Library
906 West Main Avenue
Spokane, WA, 99201
Thursday, May 23 at 2 pm
Airway Heights Public Library
1213 South Lundstrom Street
Airway Heights, WA, 9001
Spokane City Council
/5 peppers
Drug money
Between their State Drug Forfeiture Fund and their Federal Forfeiture Fund account, Spokane Police Department (SPD) has almost $750,000 seized from defendants, including a recent $120,000 from a local meth dealer . SPD is requesting permission from council to spend $520,000 of those funds on various things, including $100,000 to buy three new undercover vehicles (they say they’re running low due to “collisions and mechanical failures”), $140,000 for a new crime scene imagery scanner , $160,000 for Cellebrite software — which helps cops hack phones , $15,000 for drone use training, $25,000 for respirators to wear “in environments where powdered fentanyl may be encountered,” and $80,000 for confidential funds. Those confidential funds are used to “to conduct controlled substance, human trafficking investigations and acquiring key information,” according to SPD.
These purchases will have a “net zero” impact on the city’s budget, according to the briefing sheet, because they come out of a fund specifically designated for SPD to use to supplement their budgeted funds from the city.
A hold on development in Latah Valley
Spokane City Council could set an immediate one-year moratorium on development in the Latah/Hangman and Grandview/Thorpe neighborhoods after last year’s wildfire evacuations showed the need for added infrastructure to support quick emergency evacuations.
We covered the proposal in CIVICS when it first appeared in committee , but there are a couple important details to note. First, an amendment from Council Member Paul Dillon, one of the sponsors of the ordinance, would set a public hearing on the moratorium for July 15. However, because the ordinance is classified as an emergency, it will go up for a vote tonight — before the public hearing happens — and require five of the seven votes to pass.
Will we finally have a definition of “emergency?”
It’s possible! We don’t want to make any definitive statements, as the ordinance to define what exactly an “emergency” is has been deferred a few times before, but it’s slated for a final vote tonight. The ordinance seeks to establish a clearer process and definition for city council’s emergency ordinances (like the above Latah Valley moratorium ordinance), and prevent the council from abusing the emergency ordinances, which prevent both a mayoral veto and a citizen’s referendum. For a detailed description on what exactly the ordinance is, check out the last time we wrote it up here .
Since that edition of CIVICS, there was one small change: the two amendments Council Member Michael Cathcart submitted passed, making a small technical edit and changing the wording to state an emergency ordinance could only be adopted when “the ordinance details why the potential for a citizens’ referendum repealing the council action will be detrimental to public health, safety, or welfare,” and it includes details on how it meets one of the other original criteria pieces.
Renters could beat the heat
A new renter protection ordinance that would protect the rights of renters to keep their apartments cool and safe during heat waves is on the agenda for a first read tonight. Sponsored by Council President Betsy Wilkerson and Klitzke, the ordinance would codify renters’ rights to install the portable cooling device of their choice, as long as it doesn’t violate city building code, damage the premises or require an amount of amperage that would damage the building’s electrical circuits. It would also prevent landlords, property managers or developers from retaliating against tenants for exercising their rights or informing other tenants of their rights. If debate on last month’s ordinance to require an increased notification period before rent raises is any indication, this ordinance could see pushback as well.
Agenda here
Monday, May 20 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, May 23 at 11 am
City Council Chambers – Lower Level of City Hall
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.
The meeting is also live streamed here .
Public Infrastructure, Environment, and Sustainability Committee
/5 peppers
Safe streets now!
Council Members Zack Zappone and Klitzke are co-sponsoring a resolution that could be another win for local transit safety advocates like the Spokane Reimagined group that have been testifying at numerous public meetings and forums around town. The resolution demands “Safe Streets Now!” and requests that Mayor Lisa Brown direct the Public Works Department to implement adaptive design strategies immediately, citing the 33-year high of traffic deaths in Washington State.
Adaptive design strategies are temporary, cost-effective solutions that reallocate street space and mitigate safety concerns, such as extending sidewalks, replacing parking spots with “parklets” and creating protected bike lanes. These strategies are intended to put pedestrian safety and enjoyment at the center of street use, and, if the resolution passes, would be paid for through the Traffic Calming Measure fund. Spokane currently has implemented adaptive design strategies on Woodside Avenue, Post Street Bridge and near the Spokane International Airport.
Agenda here
Monday, May 20 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.
Mead School District Board of Directors
/5 peppers
Budget and levy discussion
Mead School District Board of Directors meeting agendas are often incredibly thin, with one line of description for what’s happening and no context. In the one-page agenda, we notice two items that could be of interest: a discussion on the 2024-2025 budget, and a discussion and review of a survey on their most recent levy, which passed .
Agenda here
Monday, May 20 at 6 p.m.
Union Event Center
12509 N. Market St. Bldg. D, Mead, WA 99021
Watch via Zoom here .
Board of Spokane County Commissioners Briefing Session
/5 peppers
Extension in works for police tech contract
The Spokane County Sheriff is looking to renew its contract with its supplier of body camera and taser technologies for 10 years, at a total cost of more than $12 million. The multi-year extension with military and law enforcement manufacturer Axon is expected to save the agency more than $4 million over the course of the contract. The deal includes training, unlimited storage for video footage and free replacement for taser cartridges.
Green appliances funding may come from state
The county will discuss a state grant of nearly $1.5 million to pay back households and some businesses that install high-efficiency appliances to scale back electricity use. The funding became available in February through the State Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program (HEAR).
Agenda here
Tuesday, May 21 at 9 am
Public Works Building Lower Level, Commissioners’ Hearing Room
1026 W. Broadway Ave, Spokane, WA 99260
The meeting is also live streamed here.
Board of Spokane County Commissioners Legislative Session
/5 peppers
Housing plan up for approval
The BoCC will vote whether to approve the 2024 Annual Action Plan to allocate, in part, $5.8 million in federal funding dedicated to alleviating homelessness. One big area of improvement is emergency shelters, which are identified in the plan’s executive summary as “a significant area of need in Spokane County.” The funding would accomplish some of the goals set under the joint 5-Year Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness between the city of Spokane and the county, which runs from 2020 to next year.
Board & district appointments
The BoCC will voted whether to approve the following people for service positions on various county boards and districts:
- Alisha Benson to the Spokane County Health Sciences and Services Authority Board.
- David Lewis as the Liberty Lake representative on the Spokane County Housing and Community Development Advisory Board.
- Rocio N. Caravantes-Wofford to the At-Large South position on the Spokane County Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee.
- Jamie Rosteck to the Spokane County Community Services Behavioral Health Advisory Board.
- David Lund to the Spokane County Community Services Behavioral Health Advisory Board.
- Jackie Sauer to the Spokane County Community Services Behavioral Health Advisory Board.
- Joseph Lynch to the Board of Directors of the Pasadena Park Irrigation District No. 17.
$2.2 million for Brooks Road improvements
Wheeler Excavation bid $2,287,765.10 for a construction project to repave Brooks Road from Thorpe Road to Highway 2, and the BoCC will vote on whether to award the contractor the job. Much of the funding for the project comes from the state’s Rural Arterial Program.
Agenda here
Tuesday, May 21 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 Valley City Council
/5 peppers
Homeless outreach services
Since 2023, Spokane Valley City Council has been using document recording fees to fund a homeless services program they established in July of 2023. Decisions about this program have been made by a task force established in September 2023, which earmarked almost $200,000 in funds for Partners Inland NW to connect unhoused folks to services. In March, Partners Inland NW notified the city that in order to keep up with other demands placed on their agency, they needed to discontinue their outreach program.
The task force immediately put out a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new service provider, and is recommending that Spokane Valley award the contract — which includes 1.5 full time case managers, a supervisor for approximately six hours per week, direct costs, discretionary costs to assist clients and additional start-up costs as they will hire new staff — to Frontier Behavioral Health. The item is slated for discussion at this week’s meeting, with a vote on the contract potentially happening May 28, if council decides to move forward with the task force’s recommendation.
Agenda here
Tuesday, May 21 at 6 pm
City Hall
10210 E Sprague Ave
Spokane Valley, Washington 99206
Virtual attendance here .
Liberty Lake City Council
/5 peppers
Transportation talks
Transportation has been the hot topic at a lot of the public meetings lately, including Liberty Lake City Council, which is holding a workshop this week to talk about adopting their 6-year Transportation Improvement Plan in late June. The plan can be viewed starting on page 78 of the agenda, and public comment is requested at this week’s meeting.
Agenda here
Tuesday, May 21 at 7 pm
22710 E Country Vista Drive, Liberty Lake, WA 99019
The meeting is also live streamed here .
Spokane Public Library Board of Trustees
/5 peppers
Agenda here
Tuesday, May 21 at 4:30 pm
Shadle Park Library
2111 W. Wellesley Ave, Spokane, Washington, 99205
The meeting is also live streamed here .
Bicycle Advisory Board
/5 bikes
Bike meeting on bikes!
The Bicycle Advisory Board (BAB) is having a special roving meeting this week. No action will be taken, but they’re inviting members of the public to join members of the BAB in a two–hour bike ride and discussion. They’ll start at 5:30 pm in the West Parking Lot of Grant Park, hit the halfway point of 5th Avenue & Fiske Street at 6:20 pm and finish back at the West Parking Lot of Grant Park at 7:30 where they’ll have a discussion and debrief of the ride. We don’t think this meeting will be particularly spicy, but we do think it will be both fun and insightful, and we recommend that all of you bicyclists or bike-curious folks get out on the road and ride for this roving meeting.
Agenda here
Tuesday, May 21 at 6 pm
City Council Briefing Center
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here .
Spokane School District Board of Directors
/5 peppers
Special budget discussion
We’ve been told by a RANGE reader that the special budget discussions held prior to regular meetings by the Spokane School District Board of Directors have been particularly spicy since the levy failed in February. These meetings start at 4:30 for the interested public.
Agenda here
Wednesday, May 22 at 6 pm
Spokane Public Schools Administration Building
200 N. Bernard, Spokane, WA 99201
The meeting is also live streamed here.
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