Spokane Valley City Council Meeting – January 6, 2026

The Spokane Valley City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting included the election of a new Mayor and Deputy Mayor, a public comment on kratom regulation, and a discussion of a telecommunications franchise ordinance. The council also heard staff reports and council comments highlighting 2025 accomplishments and 2026 priorities.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Spencer Coffin (Spokane resident, self-identified progressive and daily kratom user) spoke during the first general public comment period. He opposed a blanket city ban on kratom, arguing it would displace demand rather than reduce harm, especially for low-income residents. He urged the council to focus restrictions on high-potency synthetic 7-OH mitragynine products and to include baseline data and scheduled reviews if regulating kratom. He also noted that Spokane’s planned blanket ban would push pressure onto Spokane Valley.

Action Item: Council Officer Selections

• Mayor Election: Nominations were opened for Councilmembers Laura Patton, Pam Haley, and Tim Wick. After balloting, Councilmember Laura Patton received four votes (from Yeager, Patton, Kelly, and Merkel) achieving a majority. Patton was declared Mayor.
• Deputy Mayor Election: Nominations were opened for Councilmembers Rod Hattenberg and Tim Wick. Councilmember Rod Hattenberg received five votes (from Patton, Yeager, Kelly, Haley, and Hattenberg) and was elected Deputy Mayor.

Discussion Items

• Ordinance 26-001 – Franchise Forged Fiber 37, LLC: Tony Beattie presented the franchise request from Forged Fiber 37, a subsidiary of AT&T (formerly Lumen), to install telecommunications fiber in city rights-of-way. Key points included:
  • The company does not intend to serve residential neighborhoods; no additional fiber capacity is currently needed.
  • Standard franchise terms include a $25,000 performance bond, a 3‑5 year warranty on pavement cuts (under the regional utility cut policy), and a $2 million commercial general liability policy naming the city as an additional insured.
  • State law prohibits the city from requiring franchise fees, but the city may increase the bond for larger projects and routinely inspects pavement cuts.
  • Councilmember Merkel asked about raising the standing $25,000 performance bond and extending the warranty to a flat five years. City Manager Holman and staff explained that the regional pavement cut policy sets the warranty, failures typically appear early, and the bond can be supplemented for specific projects. Consensus was reached to bring the ordinance forward for further action.

Key Outcomes

• Elected Mayor: Laura Patton (effective immediately).
• Elected Deputy Mayor: Rod Hattenberg (effective immediately).
• Ordinance 26-001: Council consensus to advance the franchise agreement with Forged Fiber 37, LLC to a future reading; staff will consider potential bond amount increases and may review the utility cut policy at its annual meeting.
• 2025 Workload Statistics (reported by City Manager): 44 regular meetings, 6 workshops/special meetings, 18 resolutions, 17 ordinances, 162 action items, 129 administrative reports, 8 community conversations, 14 proclamations, 6 URC community recognitions.
• Upcoming: Council flyover to Olympia on January 28–29, 2026; next regular council meeting on January 20, 2026 (Councilmember Wick to attend virtually from AWC conference).