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. We’re short-staffed today with a reporter on vacation and a reporter at the courthouse covering another federal trial, so enjoy an abbreviated CIVICS edition today — there’s a lot of bullet points
Some things that stick out to us this week include:
- The city of Spokane could pass a law heightening punishment for street racers and a resolution declining to disperse affordable housing funds this year, instead saving those funds to afford $2 million in 2027.
- At the Public Infrastructure, Environment, and Sustainability Committee, the council will discuss expanding the Spokane Police Department’s contract with Axon, for more body cameras and TASERs, among other things.
- The County Commissioners are planning to ask a state commission for permission to levy a regressive 0.1% sales tax — despite foregoing the annual property tax increase a few months ago that would have cost homeowners about $2.
- The Board of County Commissioners also plan to send Al French back to the Spokane Regional Health District to balance out the appointment of a tribal representative, placing all five county commissioners on the board.
Spokane City Council
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It’s set to be a pretty short meeting overall, but there’s a few items worth noting on the docket for tonight’s city council meeting:
- If the consent agenda is approved, the city could spend $136,361 on project design, project management and modular furniture for a redesign of the fourth floor of City Hall.
- Also in the consent agenda, after a deferral, is the agreement to sell the building that houses the city’s Public Defender’s offices — located at 824 N Monroe — for over $2 million, with the option to lease it back for up to nine years.
- Later in the meeting, the council could pass a resolution stating their intent to not disburse money from the HEART fund (previously known as the 1590 Fund, named for the state bill authorizing a local sales and use tax for affordable housing) this year. The funds they would be able to award this year are limited, the resolution states. Instead, the council plans to wait for spring 2027, when they anticipate being able to award around $2 million to primarily affordable housing projects.
- The council could also pass an ordinance further penalizing street racing and aggressive speeding, while also allowing the police department to make citations under the law based on video evidence where speeders’ license plates can be identified like dashcams, cell phone video and the speed cameras already installed in school zones.
Monday, June 8 at 6 pmCouncil Chambers 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd, SpokaneThe meeting is also live streamed here.
Public Infrastructure, Environment, and Sustainability Committee
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