There is concern among many of our residents regarding the funding for senior and youth recreational services at several of the community, senior and youth centers. The proposed 2012 Parks budget will reduce that funding as well as funding for other recreational programs due to declining Parks Department revenues over the past couple years. Continue reading
A Fire Station for Southwest Spokane?
Provision for a fire station for southwest Spokane has been a simmering topic for over a decade. This neighborhood has some of the longest response times for fire and EMS calls in the city. The area is currently served by Fire Station #4 with backup from Station #9. However as one can see on the Spokane fire station map, responding from either results in response times that fall below the city’s level-of-service standards.
It will take a lot more than talk and promises to build a new fire station. It will take organizing, specifically, organizing financing for a new fire station.
There are two components to that financing: 1) capital costs to build and equip the station and 2) ongoing costs to staff it with firefighters. Let’s tackle those one at a time. Continue reading
Posted in Budget, Neighborhoods, Public Safety
Tagged Eagle Ridge, fire department, fire station, Latah Valley
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The Ombudsman and PERC
In his decision of July 11th reversing the City’s ombudsman ordinance, arbitrator Michael Beck declared, “…changes made to the [ombudsman] ordinance make it so the OPO can put substantial pressure on the chief of police and/or the Mayor due to its expanded role in the investigatory process and the expansion of its right to communicate with the public.”
The public deserves a window into police procedures and practices, not to “bring pressure” but to bring transparency and accountability. The aim of the ordinance is to provide a window into the operations of the city department with the most power and leverage over civil liberties. The ombudsman, under the 2010 revised ordinance, is that window. Rather than impose or even make a judgment about discipline, a prerogative expressly denied in the 2010 ordinance, the job of the ombudsman is to be a tool whereby the police chief, elected officials and the public can obtain a professional, independent perspective on the work of our police officers as well as insure that work is consistent with best practices.
Isn’t that what a police ombudsman does? According to The National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE), yes. Continue reading
Posted in Public Safety
Tagged arbitrator, ombudsman, OPO, PERC, Spokane Police Department
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Placemaking
Here is inspiration for you. The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, the Washington State Main Street Program and the Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation have teamed to produce a one minute video featuring the built environment previous generations have bequeathed us. You may recognize many of the places featured are in Spokane.
As inspiring as this video is, it raises the question of what built environment the current generation is leaving for future generations. Will we invest in public spaces and buildings that make this place memorable and desirable – and therefore competitive for investment, attracting talent and keeping our children in Spokane? Or will we only invest in the narrowest sense to try and maintain what we have? Do we engage in placemaking as celebrated in the video? Or do we settle for the asphalt-only reconstruction we commonly refer to as “curb to curb?”
This generation is doing some of both. When funds can be found through grants, we are adding value to our public spaces. But when we cannot find those “enhancement grants” provided by the state or federal government, we generally settle for less. The video suggests we would be wise to leverage our investment in public spaces to create environments that will be celebrated by future generations.
Posted in Budget, Land Use, Neighborhoods, Transportation
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Recycle – Save a Bundle on Your Utility Bill
Last Monday, the Council approved a contract with Waste Management to process more of the City’s recycling stream. This is great news on several fronts. First, it will permit city residents and businesses to recycle more easily. Each residential utility customer will be provided with a new recycling cart much like your existing residential garbage cart. All the items you previously recycled in the blue recycle bin will now go into the new cart. Second, all that stuff you wanted to recycle but could not like cereal boxes, office paper and all manner of plastic, will be accepted for recycling. In communities where this “single stream” recycling has been implemented, recycling rates rose substantially.
How does this save you money on your utility bill?
If you are among the 70% of city residents who have a 68 or 95 gallon garbage cart and you choose to recycle consistently, you may be able to downsize your cart and save money. For example, reducing your cart size from 95 to 68 gallons will reduce your garbage charge by 31% or $142 per year. Downsizing from a 68 to a 32 gallon cart will save you 45% or $138 per year.
Spokane is on the threshold of becoming more environmentally and financially sustainable. By September of 2012, residents will be able to substantially increase their recycling, reduce their waste stream and reduce the cost of garbage service. Sweet!
Posted in Budget, Utilities
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Connecting Dots
There is much confusion of late regarding the 2011 changes to water rate structure. Let’s sort that out. Continue reading
Spokane Schools, the Comprehensive Plan and Parking Requirements
Spokane Public Schools has been engaged with the City Council regarding the Unified Development Code and parking requirement for public schools. What follows is a my letter in reply to a letter from School Board President Sue Chapin and Superintendent Nancy Stowell.
May 9, 2011
Dear Ms. Chapin and Dr. Stowell,
Thank you for your letter of April 28th. Continue reading
Posted in Land Use, Neighborhoods, Transportation, Uncategorized
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Berkley Woods
My email inbox has been overwhelmed with messages from the Southgate neighborhood – and most particularly the Berkley Woods development – over the last three weeks. Residents are very concerned regarding two proposed multi-family housing projects (Palouse Family Apartments and Traditions at South Hill) in the area to the east of Shopko, adjacent to their homes. It is great that the neighborhood is highly engaged and I am hopeful the SEPA process will be used successfully to mitigate the impacts of new development. The point of this post is to inform the neighborhood of this opportunity and share the tools to engage most effectively. Continue reading
Posted in Land Use, Neighborhoods
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Water, water…everywhere?
Not exactly. Although Spokane is blessed with a large body of underground water called the Spokane Valley- Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, it is not an infinite resource. Our region depends on this aquifer for household, agricultural and business uses. The aquifer also recharges the Spokane River and depends on rain and snowpack to do so. The Spokane River and the Little Spokane River receive 74% of the average annual Aquifer discharge. (The Spokane River summer flow continues to decline) Human use of the Aquifer (groundwater withdrawal by wells) comprises 22% of the average Aquifer discharge: however, peak summer water withdrawal can be three or four times the winter values. Continue reading
Posted in Utilities
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A Much Belated Thank You!
With all the government/labor issues being debated nationwide, this is a great time to look back to December 2010 and thank the City’s labor unions for what they did to sustain jobs and city services for our community.
As most of you know, the City faced a shortfall of approximately $12 million dollars in its 2011 budget. That revenue shortfall would have resulted in a 9% cut to departmental budgets – unless the labor unions agreed to give up the raises the City had promised in their contracts, cap the annual growth in the cost of their health insurance at 4% and contribute more money to the management of their health insurance accounts. In other words, the request of them was to make significant concessions to existing contracts. To the community’s benefit, the International Association of Firefighters Local 29, the Spokane Police Guild, the Lieutenants & Captains Association, the Spokane Fire Officers Association, AFSCME Local 270-Prosecuting Attorneys and AFSCME Local 270-Public Defenders all came through. Continue reading