|
While the city of Spokane is actively seeking the services of the Spokane County
Regional Animal Protection Service, Spokane Valley is getting nervous about the
increasing costs.
The subject was raised by Council Member Rich Munson
during the council's discussion of the 2007 budget Tuesday night.
"I
am struggling on how I'm going to vote on this budget," Munson said. "I
don't want to see a budget with an increase to SCRAPS of $11,000."
The
SCRAPS contract, which is in the city's public safety budget, is expected to be
$444,008 in 2007. That's $10,500 more than the present year's budget and almost
$42,000 more than 2005.
Nancy Hill, SCRAPS director, has been working
on ideas that would help to increase animal control revenues to help the city
pay for the services, and that convinced Munson to vote for the budget. He remained
skeptical, however.
"A budget of $444,000 for dogs and cats is
a lot when our roads our suffering," he said. "I'll vote for the budget,
but I want to bring it up again after the first of the year to decide what to
do. We may want to go our own way."
Council Member Bill Gothmann added
that the council is taking money out of the street fund to balance the budget
and not out of the street fund.
"What we're doing is we are prioritizing,"
Gothmann said. "The general fund funds public safety where our priorities
are. Safety first, roads second. That's a good tactic."
After passing
the city's $76,702,503 budget, the council discussed snowplowing priorities, suggesting
that the Level 4 priority be limited in order to save money in the street-maintenance
fund.
The city currently has four levels of priorities. The first three
levels are implemented when there are snow events ranging from 1 to 3 inches.
The first only covers main arterials, such as Argonne, Sprague and Sullivan. The
second level adds more main streets and the third includes secondary arterials.
The fourth level is implemented when snow levels exceed 4 inches and includes
plowing on all of the city's residential and business streets.
Council
Member Mike DeVleming suggested, however, that the city hold off on the fourth
level.
Council Member Dick Denenny agreed, saying that heavy snowstorms
are often followed by warmer weather that melts the snow anyway. He suggested
the Level 4 priority be used with discretion not based on a set depth of snow,
but on road conditions that might require plowing.
City Manager Dave
Mercier said the policy will be changed to not plow all of the city's streets
unless bad conditions demand it.
"It would be an exception rather
than a rule," Mercier said.
In other action, council members approved
their governance manual that directs the procedures the council uses during meetings
and other official functions; approved the school zone speed changes for those
schools that have flashing yellow lights; and approved a resolution that sets
the city's legislative agenda and allows the city manager to go forward with a
contract to hire a lobbyist.` Click
here to...
Subscribe to the Spokane Valley News Herald | 
By
CHARLIE PLUMB
