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In a move not unlike a high school breakup, Spokane County commissioners severed their relationship with the city of Spokane Valley – with a cell phone message.
During the break in Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Richard Munson checked his phone and listened to a message from county Commissioner Mark Richard. The voice mail was blunt and to the point: The commissioners had voted to sever the county’s road maintenance agreement with Spokane Valley, effective Oct. 15, 2009.
“Well, that was a bit of a surprise,” Munson said at the meeting’s conclusion. The mayor then asked City Manager David Mercier: “I don’t believe they have talked to us at all about this, have they?”
“I was completely unaware of it until you mentioned it just before we reconvened,” Mercier replied.
A press release received at the Spokane Valley News Herald at 5:05 p.m. Tuesday states the commissioners voted unanimously to discontinue the contract – which includes maintenance of traffic signals, signing, highway striping and winter maintenance such as plowing – as it was no longer “mutually beneficial.”
County Engineer Bob Brueggeman told the commissioners that since the city was opting for a limited scope of services, the $1.8 million contract was no longer cost-effective.
The city had been contracting most of its road maintenance services through the county since incorporation in 2003. Since then, Spokane Valley has been scaling back the scope of the contract and some of the work – like road sweeping and patching – has been awarded to other vendors.
City officials, however, believed they would continue to partner with the county for at least a few more years. So Tuesday’s abrupt end – the matter didn’t appear on the commissioners’ agenda for the day -- was a shock to the council and city staff.
“I guess (the money from) the contract is something the county doesn’t think it needs,” Munson said.
Under the existing contract, either the city or the county may sever the agreement with a 180-day notice. This allows for the city to either find an alternate contractor or come up with a plan to do the work for itself. But a tight budget and the high cost of equipment make the latter option unlikely for the time being. The county will continue to plow for the winter of 2008-09 since the contract won’t expire until next fall.
The county, however, would still like to continue to provide traffic light signalization maintenance for the city. The commissioners directed staff to work with the city to continue that portion of the agreement after Oct. 15, 2009.
In other news, the council agreed to spend $520,000 to help various organizations bring tourism dollars to Spokane Valley. The funding is generated through a special excise tax collected by stays in Spokane Valley hotels and motels and distributed through recommendations by a council-appointed
Lodging Tax Committee. Those receiving funding in 2009 are:
- Spokane County Fair and Expo Center -- $18,250 for advertising for the Interstate Fair
- Spokane Convention and Visitors Bureau -- $336,000 for tourism and convention marketing
- ValleyFest -- $27,500 for promotion efforts
- Spokane Regional Sports Commission -- $115,000 for promotion and marketing
- Spokane Valley Museum -- $3,250 for advertising
- CenterPlace -- $90,000 for marketing
- 2010 Figure Skating Championships -- $30,000
The various groups had asked for $645,260, and the committee may recommend giving out more of the tax receipts in six months if collected revenues turn out to be higher than expected.
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By
Mike Huffman
