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:
- Spokane County is realizing that a good data center zoning policy is going to take more than four months to develop and will consider extending it until June 2027.
- The Spokane City Council will hold final hearings on two ordinances designed to help people quickly get back on their feet after disasters like the Spokane Complex fires.
- The council could also approve an additional $100,000 in legal fees to fight a lawsuit from the family of a man shot and killed by Spokane Police. Last week, we reported on flippant texts from the officers who shot him just hours after his death, with a recent update from Police Chief Kevin Hall.
- At the Public Safety and Community Health Committee, the Spokane City Council will discuss officially opposing two of the three ballot measures backed by Let’s Go Washington.
Spokane City Council Agenda Review
Every Tuesday, the council meets to finalize the Wednesday agenda, which now includes items that are coming up in the next two weeks, giving you more of a chance to comment on things before they’re up for a vote.
Up for a vote next week:
- A full slate of reappointments of representatives to city boards and commissions, including former congressional candidate Kevin Fagan to the Climate, Resiliency and Sustainability Board.
- Deciding on the schedule for budget hearings, as the city prepares for another potential deficit in 2027.
- A resolution to approve allocating unspent ARPA dollars to backfilling police and fire overtime costs
- A resolution to support the Department of Natural Resources land exchange of the Thorpe property
- A resolution to officially oppose Let’s Go Washington’s ballot measures to reinstate their original Parent’s Bill of Rights, and to require all girls wanting to participate in girls’ sports to get their sex assigned at birth checked and certified by a physician. In order to pass that next week, the council would first have to approve a rules suspension
- An ordinance to penalize “nuisance properties”
- A slate of ordinances to approve rate increases for waste- and storm-water services
- An ordinance to establish equitable budgeting practices
- An ordinance to implement an additional 0.1% sales tax through the state Public Safety Funding program. Money collected would go to “establish a Community Safety Campus, further integrate behavioral health into public safety systems and improve emergency preparedness.” This is a separate sales tax from the one the Spokane County Commission is considering for county law enforcement costs.
Up for a vote in two weeks:
- An ordinance to expand the boundary of the East Sprague Parking and Business Improvement Area to include new parcels on the west side of the current area, stretching along Sprague Avenue to Hatch Street. This is currently the only proposed (two weeks out) legislative item on the agenda.
Agenda hereTuesday, October 6 at 11 amCouncil Chambers808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane
Spokane City Council
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Legal fees for Musselman case
The council is set to pass a contract amendment to spend an additional $100,000 on legal services to fight a lawsuit from the estate of Joshua Musselman, who was shot and killed by the Spokane police in 2024. If passed, this would bring the total spent fighting the suit to $250,000. Last week, RANGE reported on the flippant texts officers were sending just hours after shooting Musselman, recently updated with Spokane Police Department’s response to our reporting.
Shelter beds in bad weather
The council could pass a resolution allowing the administration to enter into an up to $1 million contract with Catholic Charities and Jewels Helping Hands to operate shelter beds during inclement weather conditions. This will be paid for with 1590 funds. Details on the shelter beds can be found here.
Final hearings
If you want to make yourself heard on the emergency ordinances to provide regulatory relief for rebuilds in the wake of the Spokane Complex fires, and to create a Temporary Disaster Housing Program for residents displaced by emergencies like wildfires or other natural disasters, this is your last chance as those have a final hearing scheduled this week…