Annexation
Under the Growth Management Act cities are encouraged to annex areas which look, feel, and act “urban”. However, annexation is typically a challenging endeavor. Click here to read more...
Business development, job creation, and taxes
One advantage of the City of Spokane's tax structure is that there is no local B & O tax, unlike many cities on the west side. A disadvantage, on the other hand, involves the tax charged on gross business receipts through the State B & O tax. Click here to read more...
Controlling the cost of city government
We must do everything we can to vigilantly protect the long-term fiscal health of the city. To accomplish this we must address the staggering costs of employee wages and benefits. I value every employee, but at this time there is no money for wage or benefit increases. Click here to read more...
Local government service delivery responsibilities
Most jurisdictions within the County, and including the County, are experiencing the same financial difficulties. The state and federal governments are asking each to do more with less; and this is not right. Click here to read more...
Public mass transit
The City has a vital interest in supporting a healthy, comprehensive transportation system, which includes public transit. It enables residents to get to jobs, schools, shopping, etc. One of the most important functions of public transportation is urban mobility. Click here to read more...
Spokane’s current economic difficulties
When I was first elected to the City Council, I was concerned about the fact that we did not have a “rainy day” fund, or any other substantial reserves, which is imperative for a city of our size. Click here to read more...
Waste water discharges
Washington State has a very stringent standard for the phosphorus level, which is 8 parts per billion. My understanding is that our state has adopted one of the highest standards in the nation. Click here to read more...
Waste water discharges
Currently, in the City of Spokane, we are installing equipment for a secondary level of treatment to help meet this standard. We are also engaging in a “purple pipe” program in which treated wastewater is used to water public golf courses, thereby keeping some of this water from being pumped back into the river. Combined sewer and storm water overflow systems are also being separated to keep any spillage into the river to a minimum. The City is taking its role to keep the Spokane River healthy very seriously.
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Spokane’s current economic difficulties
Over the past three years, we have established a $5 million “rainy day” fund and grown our Un-appropriated Reserves to over $20 million. This second reserve, as it matured, was responsible for bringing our bond rating back up to the AA- level that Spokane enjoyed before the River Park Square fiasco.
Any good business owner knows that being prepared for the inevitable economic ups and downs is a must for survival. Since coming to the City Council as an elected official, I have tirelessly prepared for the difficult times we’re now facing. It hasn’t escaped my notice that expenses within the city were going up at a faster rate than the revenues needed to support them –even in better times. I understood that this “structural gap” had to be addressed.
Eighty percent of the general fund is either directly or indirectly related to wages and benefits. For that reason, I voted against the last three union contracts. It’s a simple matter of the current economy’s inability to support them. City tax payers cannot afford to pay city employees an annual increase of 5% (for the next four years) when many of them are either taking pay cuts themselves, or losing their jobs altogether. The mayor is now asking for concessions from the labor groups. If unsuccessful, we will be forced to make some very difficult cuts. It is my desire to keep every city employee working, which will enable us to maintain our current level of service to the citizens. This can only be accomplished through union concessions. Through the newly formed Employee Led Innovation (ELI) program, we will also be looking for ways to create greater efficiencies in the way day-to-day operations are handled.
Unfunded mandates, from the state, are also having a huge impact on our current economic condition. We must communicate more aggressively with the state policy makers and executives that cities cannot fund mandates without designated revenue attached. As Chair of the Association of Washington Cities Long-term State Legislative Committee, I will be wrestling with this “unfunded mandates” issue because it is affecting the majority of cities in the state. We must also continue to look for ways to partner with other regional jurisdictions in order to keep costs under control. Back to the top
Public mass transit
Because Spokane is the urban center of the region, transit services are naturally concentrated in the City and therefore especially important. Spokane Transit is a separate entity from the City, but the City plays a critical leadership role with STA through the three seats it has on the nine-member Board of Directors. I have served on the board since 2006. During that time, I have been part of the board's active and focused effort to transform the organization and the results have been dramatic...a ridership increase of nearly 50% over the past three years.
The board is now interested in developing a vision for an expanded multimodal transit system that connects the City and the region, and an actionable strategy for making it a reality over the next five, ten, twenty and fifty years. The connection between transit and economic development in the city is strong. One example of the relationship between the City and STA is the Streetcar Project for which the City obtained both State and Federal funding. The City is partnering with STA to conduct an Alternative Analysis to determine which downtown routes should be included for consideration. Beyond that, the study will determine which mode makes the most sense for economic development potential and cost (rail or rubber tire; electric, hybrid or diesel).
The idea of linking the U-District with the Medical District; Downtown with the Northbank, Gonzaga, and the County Campus is exciting and could serve to distinguish Spokane for an innovative and cost-effective approach to connecting people and places. When STA was created, the City of Spokane, the County and other cities ceded their authority to provide public transportation to STA –which makes great economic sense. Because of that cooperation, taxpayer funds have been maximized and duplication of effort has been thwarted. It is particularly important for Spokane to present a unified transportation agenda to our State and Federal representatives. Having one entity vested with responsibility for public transportation that is governed by representatives of the cities and county it serves is a great model for achieving that unified vision/agenda. Back to the top
Local government service delivery responsibilities
I believe we will need to continue to “come to the table” to discuss consolidation of services, etc. I like to think of this as an opportunity to cooperate in areas where we might have either joint operations or an inter-local agreement with one jurisdiction to provide a particular service to another.
Wherever it makes sense, the pooling of resources should be pursued. Areas that might be considered include sewer, police, fire, library, animal control, parks, etc. We need to remember that the concept of any kind of regional governance doesn't guarantee that there will be actual savings in terms of dollars spent – especially in light of the fact that most services provided are personnel intensive. Back to the top
Controlling the cost of city government
An open and honest discussion with the state and unions is long overdue. Binding Arbitration laws should be, at the very least, “tweaked” to allow for an “ability to pay” and a “cost of living” factor. This might be a “multiplier” based on state location, i.e. 80K in Seattle could theoretically equate to 65K in Spokane. When we’re successful in getting wage and benefit costs under better control, we will then be able to calculate a more equitable cost for services provided and guarantee that those costs are covered.
Good internal and external audits are important to help ensure that the tax payer's dollars are being spent efficiently. It would also be wise to continue to look for ways to consolidate services with other jurisdictions, if financially feasible.
Additionally, the more services citizens expect from the government, the more we will have to look at raising funds to cover those services. However, educating citizens about their role in responsible citizenship can mitigate those expectations, i.e. neutering animals, energy saving techniques, siping tires rather than using studs, etc. Back to the top
Business development, job creation, and taxes
Considering the fact that our state borders Idaho, which is unencumbered by a B & O tax at either the state or local level, Spokane is hard-pressed to maintain a competitive edge for attracting new business. Idaho has us “outgunned” even though they have a state income tax and we do not. Washington is ranked 18th among all states in per capita state and local taxes, while Idaho is ranked 45th.
It is my understanding that Idaho has more business incentives to offer, such as Tax Increment Financing, and also has lower L & I costs. No wonder Buck Knives and Cabela's both nestled their businesses just inside the Idaho border. Spokane, Spokane County, and the surrounding jurisdictions need to continue to unify their State economic/business agenda to gather “tools” that would put us on a level playing field with Idaho. As the newly elected Secretary of the Association of Washington Cities, I will be able to have a role in more closely examining some of these issues.
Another area that I believe would benefit businesses, and therefore job creation, is encouraging infill development in our designated Centers and Corridors. We need to take a closer look at the regulations that put existing structures into “non-conforming” status. Currently, when a developer has to update more than 50% of a building, it becomes “non-conforming.” Unfortunately, most developers can build a new structure on a vacant piece of land outside of the designated area for a lot less than the amount required to bring a ‘non-conforming” structure into an acceptable status within the confines of current law.
To further promote new growth in the business sector, the City can and should continue its efforts toward streamlining permits, licenses, reviews, etc., and doing as much of this as possible on-line. Back to the top
Annexation
While it may help a city’s fiscal picture (if the proposed annexation isn’t limited to a residential area), it might also hinder the County, with fiscal shortfalls of its own to overcome. Currently, the City of Spokane is working with both Spokane County and the City of Airway Heights to annex a large section of the West Plains. Through cooperation and the use of inter-local agreements, we are working diligently to make this a win-win-win for all three jurisdictions. Tax dollars can and will be saved in annexation processes if all parties can cooperatively work through and mitigate potential losses to one jurisdiction or another, rather than resort to litigation. Back to the top