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Last winter, the city of Spokane Valley dug itself out from layers of snow with the help of road crews from Spokane County.
These days, municipal officials are emerging from a storm of a different kind.
Spokane Valley Mayor Rich Munson was informed last week – via a voice mail message from Spokane County Commissioner Mark Richard – that Spokane County would not be renewing its road maintenance contract with Spokane Valley, an agreement that had been in place since the city incorporated in 2003. Spokane Valley will have until Oct. 15, 2009 to find a new provider for services like snow clearing, road striping and street signage.
Munson, who received word of the county’s decision during a break at the Dec. 9 City Council meeting, said he was surprised at the way the news was delivered.
“There was a definite lack of coordination,” Munson said. “This was not on any published agenda. We just have to wonder what contract they’re going to cut next.”
Spokane Valley City Manager David Mercier last spoke with county representatives in March about the status of the road contract. At the time, Mercier said, there was no talk of any impending change.
“I came away from that meeting thinking that those issues had been addressed,” Mercier said. “We talked about any transition from the current agreement likely taking three to five years.”
Under the current contract, the city or county can walk away from the arrangement with a minimum notice of 180 days. Spokane County spokeswoman Martha Lou Wheatley-Billeter said the commissioners provided the city of Spokane Valley an extra four months “providing additional time for a smooth transition to a new contractor for road maintenance services.”
Wheatley-Billeter also referred to a section in Spokane Valley’s 2009 budget under “Executive and Legislative Support” that makes mention of the city evaluating the availability, cost and effectiveness of private companies taking over winter road maintenance.
“This is something they were looking into already,” Wheatley-Billeter said.
Richard said he expected board chairwoman Bonnie Mager inform Munson of the county’s decision at a legislative reception sponsored by Greater Spokane Incorporated last Tuesday prior to the Spokane Valley City Council meeting. Munson was at the meeting, but never received word of the change.
“Looking back, we should have handled this differently,” Richard said.
Meanwhile, a press release from Spokane County went out around 5 p.m., announcing the unanimous vote to discontinue the $1.8 million annual contract based on recommendations by county engineer Robert Bruegemann that the agreement was no longer cost-effective. In 2005, Spokane Valley began scaling back its road maintenance contract with the county, opting to have private companies handle work like street patching.
Richard said he had spoken with Munson this spring about the “preservation of contracts between the city and county,” a discussion that, he said, centered around the understanding that such agreements would be discontinued if they did not represent a “win-win situation” for both sides.
Richard also expressed concern with “the city’s criticism of county staff, management and commissioners.”
“We need to rebuild our relationship, but I think Spokane Valley also has to take some ownership,” Richard said. “It’s our phone that’s ringing when people are looking for someone to blame.”
At Tuesday’s council meeting, Mercier applauded county crews for its work during last winter’s snowstorm, saying “the county did a marvelous job under the circumstances.”
Munson said he expected to have bids for the county’s replacement out by March 2009. In the meantime, the mayor said he will recommend that the City Council “re-evaluate each one of the 16 remaining contracts with the county.”
Spokane Valley Council Member Gary Schimmels said that while the county’s announcement came as a surprise, he remained confident that the city will have maintenance providers in place by next October.
“There are three or four entities out here that could gear up and easily serve as that replacement,” Schimmels said. “I see it as a good opportunity.”
Schimmels said the city would probably steer away from establishing its own road maintenance department, due to budget concerns. The city of Spokane tackles its winter streets with 36 plow trucks, including seven de-icing vehicles and six sanders.
Munson expressed hope that the city and county could “start talking again soon.”
“We need to move forward,” he said. “Our residents are also citizens of Spokane County. It will be important that we work with county leadership.”
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By
Craig Howard
