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Still stinging from Spokane County’s severance of the road-maintenance contract, the Spokane Valley City Council voted last week to begin to shop around for potential alternatives in every other area the city relies on the county for service – including law enforcement.
Although council members were quick to point out they have been happy with the county’s work – running the gamut from plowing to police – they feel they have been backed into a corner after the abruptness of the county commissioners’ decision. The feeling that other contracts with the county could be in jeopardy was punctuated by a voice-mail message from Commissioner
Mark Richard left on Mayor Richard Munson’s cell phone Dec. 9 that the road-maintenance pact would be history after Oct. 15, 2009.
At the council’s Dec. 30 meeting, Munson characterized that act as an example of the “lack of respect” and “arrogance” of the county commissioners.
It was a move that, Richard later said, the commissioners “should have handled differently.”
At this Tuesday’s morning meeting, Richard reiterated that Spokane Valley has “cherry picked” over the last few years the services that it wants the county to provide. Snowplowing is an area that no longer makes economic sense for Spokane County, he said.
“(The city) kept reducing the contract that it was no longer feasible for us,” Richard said, adding that – until this year at least – Spokane Valley was scaling back on service to keep its costs down.
That has turned around this year, Richard said, as the city has been more willing to hire private contractors to assist the county in plowing efforts.
“I’ve noticed they’ve been very complimentary of our staff and seem willing to pay contractors and invest more money,” Richard said. “The (Spokane Valley) roads are in better shape this year. They do seem to be doing a good job.”
Bob Brueggeman, county engineer, said he is confident that Spokane Valley will be in good shape next winter.
“They do have a pretty good fleet of private contractors,” he said. “They can do it.”
Munson said that the city will find – probably from the private sector – new vendors who will plow and maintain the city’s streets. But the short notice has left Spokane Valley at a disadvantage.
“Really, it’s a two-year process to come up with a reasonable contract,” he said.
Under the existing road-maintenance contract, either party can walk away with a 180-day notice. In fact, when the existing contract was signed in 2006, it was understood that summer asphalt patching and other repairs would be transitioned away from the county over three years.
Snowplowing, however, wasn’t on the list. Council members believe that coming up with costs for services from others is prudent and a form of “disaster prevention” – and point to the recent piling of snow as Exhibit A.
The cost to re-evaluate the city’s remaining 16 contracts has yet to be determined; however city staff members believe there are sufficient funds in the 2009 budget.
For several months, the council had debated whether or not to authorize an assessment of the city’s law-enforcement contract with the Spokane County’s Sheriff’s Office. Back in October, the council – in a 4-3 vote – agreed to fund an audit of existing services at a cost of $79,000. But that amount did not include looking into potential alternatives – such as the city creating its own police department.
That changed on Dec. 30 when the council agreed to spend another $52,500 to have ICMA Consulting assess potential alternatives.
“We are not doing this to create our own police force,” Munson reiterated. “It’s because we don’t know if the county is going to give us one year to establish our own police force.”
Munson added the city has had nothing but good service from Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and that the sheriff understands the commissioners could potentially end the contract.
Council Member Rose Dempsey said she still had reservations and that the assessment was “the same thing we voted down” months earlier.
“I know,” Munson said. “Things have changed.”
He added that the council would schedule a meeting with the commissioners by February to discuss the existing contracts and other issues.
“There’s a lack of trust that has to be corrected,” he said.
Also at the Dec. 30 meeting, council members agreed to extend the median on Argonne Road at Indiana Avenue to prevent northbound drivers from making left turns at the unsignalled intersection. On Oct. 14, council members – against the advice of city staff members and the police chief – agreed to place signs at the intersection prohibiting left turns during heavy traffic hours.
But Munson said the signs aren’t working. Watching traffic at the intersection, he said he watched several drivers disobey the signs and one near collision.
“I find it amazing that people didn’t adjust,” he said. “Now that left-turn lane will be closed forever.”
Orange barrels will be placed to stop motorists from making the turn until the concrete median can be extended when the weather gets better.
Finally, council members agreed to reappoint three incumbents to Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. Peggy Doering represents Valleyfest, which receives funding from the tax, while Cal Clausen and Lee Cameron represent businesses in the hotel industry that collect the tax. All were given two-year terms.
Council Member Diana Wilhite will be the committee chairwoman in 2009.
The lodging tax is collected from stays at local hotels, motels and campgrounds and is used to promote tourism-related activities throughout the city.
Committee members then meet and review grant proposals from local groups that seek funding that draw and encourage tourism. The final choices are made by the City Council based on the committee’s recommendations.
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By
Mike Huffman
