Spokane Valley City Council Regular Meeting - December 23, 2025
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Spokane Valley City Council Regular Meeting - December 23, 2025
The Spokane Valley City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall (10210 E Sprague Ave). Mayor Haley presided; Councilmembers Wick, Higgins, Yeager, and Deputy Mayor Hattenberg were present. Councilmembers Merkel and Padden were excused by unanimous vote. The meeting included approval of the agenda, a motion to grant employees a full day off on Christmas Eve, public comments, approval of the consent agenda, adoption of the 2026 Master Fee Schedule, authorization of a change order for City Hall repairs, a non‑action kratom discussion, setting of the advance agenda, and councilmember reports.
Consent Calendar
- Unanimously approved claim vouchers for December 23, 2025 ($1,507,125.44) and payroll for the period ending December 15, 2025 ($731,880.58)..
Public Comments & Testimony
- John Robertson thanked the Council for supporting police patrols that reduced shoplifting and expressed appreciation for Councilmember Higgins’ service.
- Darrell Williams urged caution regarding drunk driving during the holidays, noted the “Don’t Drrink and Drive” signs, and invited public input to WSDOT.
- Deb Schrock wished everyone a Merry Christmas and thanked the Council for their work over the past year.
- Donna Shepard (emailed) expressed concern that the Garco change order includes new construction (e.g., the IT office) rather than pure repairs and urged the city to follow competitive bidding procedures.
- Ben Lund expressed trust in the staff and Garco, supporting the change order as the most cost‑effective approach to fix the building.
Discussion Items
- Employee Christmas Eve Leave: Councilmember Wick moved to give all city employees a full day off on Christmas Eve (December 24, 2025) in line with federal and county practices (current policy was a half day). The motion passed unanimously.
- Resolution 25‑013 – 2026 Master Fee Schedule: Accounting Manager Dan Domrese presented the resolution repealing Resolution 25‑006 and adopting the 2026 fee schedule. Previous council consensus on permit fees (October 21), course‑related fees (November 25), and the overall schedule (December 9) were noted. The resolution passed unanimously.
- Garco Change Order #12 – City Hall Repairs: City Manager John Holman and Project Manager Glenn Ritter (Garco) presented the third phase of City Hall remediation. Work includes replacing five multi‑story storefronts with curtain wall systems, repairing 13 glue‑lamb beams (drilling and epoxy injection rather than replacement), re‑caulking 120 window systems and repairing 40 operable vents, repairing two small metal roofs, installing security glazing (shatter‑proof film) on lower‑level windows, adding access control to restrooms and a second‑floor secure door, building a new IT manager office, and reconstructing the permit counter with a glass barrier for employee safety. The total cost is approximately $2 million with a 20% contingency. Staff explained the progressive design‑build contract with Garco was procured through an open RFQ process and that continuing with Garco is more efficient and cost‑effective than separate bidding. Upoon questioning, staff stated the building has been thoroughly studied and is structurally sound. A public commenter raised process concerns, but councilmembers defended the procurement method and noted Garco was competitively selected. The motion to authorize the city manager to execute the change order passed unanimously.
- Kratom Discussion (Non‑Action): Lieutenant Rob Satake and Deputy City Attorney Caitlin Prunty presented an overview of kratom—a plant‑based substance with opioid‑like effects sold in convenience stores and cannabis shops—noting two local deaths (with kratom along with other substances in June/July 2025), no state or federal regulation, and that Cle Elum and Spokane are considering bans. Regulatory options discussed include an outright prohibition (civil infraction or misdemeanor) or limiting sales to minors. Councilmembers expressed support for an outright ban enforced via civil infractions and business license revocation. Consensus was reached to bring a draft ordinance to a future agenda.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimously approved: Agenda, consent agenda, excusal of Councilmembers Merkel and Padden.
- Granted: All city employees a full day off on Christmas Eve (December 24, 2025).
- Adopted: Resolution 25‑013 setting the 2026 Master Fee Schedule (unanimous).- Auth orized: The city manager to execute Change Order #12 with Garco Construction for City Hall repairs, including up to 20% contingency (unanimous).- Consensed: To place a future ordinance banning kratom sales in Spokane Valley on a future agenda, with staff directed to draft an ordinance.
- Drected: Staff to begin reviewing the public safety contract with Spokane County and bring options for more local control to Council for discussion.
- Adanced Agenda decisions: Removed the SCRAPS contract re‑opening from the advance agenda (retaining advisory committee discussion) and added a future study session on the public safety contract.
Meeting Transcript
Mayor Haley at six o'clock when you're ready. Okay, we'll go ahead and bring this meeting to order. This is the Spokane Valley City Council regular meeting in formal A format for Tuesday, December 23rd, 2025. And then if everyone will stand, we'll have an invocation from Brian Noble from Family Policy Institute of Washington. Hello, my father, we just thank you for this evening, God, and we thank you for our council members. We pray for abundant wisdom upon their lives. God, we thank you for this season that we are in, and the Prince of Peace came that we may have peace both in our town and our cities and around the world, God. And so Lord, we thank you that you go before us, that we can remember all the wisdom that you have brought, the things that you brought to our life, the blessings that you brought. And God, would you just bind us together as a as a community group, as a people group, that we would be of one mind and that we would walk in in just a boldness and courage to honor you, but also that we would find ways and areas of agreement. So I pray for wisdom in this room tonight. I pray that you'd give direction to each of our council members. Amen. Thank you. Now join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Hi, Claire. One nation under God. Thank you. That brings us to roll call with help from Ms. Patterson. Certainly. Mayor Haley here. Deputy Mayor Hattenberg. Here. Councilmember Wick. Here. Councilmember Higgins. Here. Councilmember Yeager. Merry Christmas. And Councilmember Paden and Merkel. Move to excuse Councilmember Merkel and Councilmember Padden. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed. They are excused. Thank you. Next we need to approve our agenda. Move to approve the agenda. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed. All right. The agenda is approved unanimously. Madam Mayor. Yes. If I may. It's my understanding that uh the federal government has um decided to give the um day before Christmas, Christmas Eve, a full day off for their employees. The county has also done the same thing.
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