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:
- Join us for Office Hours! This Wednesday, from 2 to 4 pm at Tay Tay’s Cafe.
- Spokane City Council is set to vote on changes to the affordable housing fund. One of those changes is renaming it to the HEART fund.
- There’s two council committee meetings this week, with some big items up for discussion, like the operation of the new tiny home village in the West Hills neighborhood, an ordinance to stop landlords from using software to do rental price-fixing and an ordinance making it easier for them to fire their own staff.
- The Mead School District Board of Directors is revising its policy governing guest speakers to allow students to not attend speeches deemed “partisan” or “controversial” and to notify parents of such speakers.
Important meetings this week:
- Spokane City Council (and Study Session)
- Urban Experience Committee
- Finance and Administration Committee
- Public Infrastructure, Environment, and Sustainability Committee
- Spokane Public Library Board of Trustees
- Bicycle Advisory Board
- Spokane Plan Commission
- Board of County Commissioners – Briefing Session and Legislative Session
- Spokane Airport Board
- Mead School District Board of Directors
- West Valley School District Board of Directors
- Spokane School District Board of Directors
- Spokane Valley City Council
- Liberty Lake City Council
Office Hours
Dear readers: we love you and want to hang out, so, as we do every so often, we’re making some time and space for that. If you want to join us at our Office Hours session this week, we’ll be holed up at TayTay’s Cafe this Wednesday, October 22 from 2 to 4 pm to talk politics, elections, civics, journalism and really anything else you want to discuss. We hope to see you there!
Spokane City
Spokane City Council
/5 peppers
Looking for revenue
Facing a $13 million budget deficit, the city wants to look at potential revenue sources for the 2026 budget, including possibly increasing property taxes collected. This is the same increase they do almost every year, which is the state-allowed 1% increase of total property tax collected (which doesn’t necessarily mean your bill will go up by 1% — it’s complicated.) They’re setting a date for public hearing on this, so folks can come make their voices heard next week before the property tax is on the council’s November 3 agenda.
Federal wishlist
Council could approve a resolution setting their federal lobbying priorities for 2025-2026. On the list this year are just four items:
- “Protect civil rights and programs essential to the most vulnerable
- Improve public safety and access to care
- Grow the regional economy and strengthen the local workforce
- Invest in critical infrastructure”
Safe Streets priorities
Council is set to pass a resolution that sets their priorities for how the Safe Streets fund should be spent for 2026-2027 projects. Here’s the breakdown:
- Up to $6,450,000 total can be spent on permanent and adaptive safe streets projects with construction in 2026.
- Up to $2,267,000 of that total can be spent on permanent neighborhood safe streets projects.
- Up to $525,000 is to be used for adaptive safe streets strategies installed in 2026.
- Up to $8,875,000 in Spokane Safe Streets for All funds to be used for safe streets projects in 2027
- No less than $3.8 million on projects for the 27 by 2027 bike network
Have a HEART
After a series of deferrals, the city could finally approve the process of renaming the 1590 Fund to the HEART Fund. The 1590 Fund is made up of dollars collected through a sales tax authorized by the state government through bill 1590, with the revenue intended to be spent on affordable housing projects. The ordinance, which is up for a vote tonight, would also allow the city to use 10% of the revenue collected from the tax that fuels this fund on administrative fees from projects — up from 2.5% before.
Also tied to the HEART fund is a second ordinance up for a vote that would establish a permit fee deferral program for projects seeking to create affordable housing. Up to $150,000 in permit fees can be deferred for eligible projects (though they still have to be paid eventually) which can reduce up-front costs for developers and incentivize affordable housing construction. There are other programs that qualify developers for permit fee deferrals, but this seems to expand the list and create a new chapter of city code to outline the details.
Next week’s sneak peek:
- The council could hold a vote on an emergency ordinance that would make it easier for them to fire their own council staff, getting rid of protections established by then Council President Breean Beggs to ensure council staff had job security and weren’t subject to the political whims of the council. If passed, the ordinance would give the Council President sole authority to hire and fire council staff, except legislative assistants, which answer to their individual council members.
- Conspicuously disappearing from the agenda is the item to change council meeting days from Monday to some other day. This is being deferred about three months, pushing it out to February 2, after the elections.
Agenda hereMonday, October 20 at 6 pmCity 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, October 23 at 11 amCity Council Chambers – Lower Level of City Hall 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.The meeting is also live streamed here.
Council Committees
Urban Experience Committee (Spokane city)
/5 peppers…