Spokane Valley City Council Regular Meeting – July 21, 2026

The Spokane Valley City Council held a regular meeting on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The council considered four action items, received two administrative reports, and heard public comments on a range of topics including automated license plate readers, voter integrity, traffic safety, and transportation planning. All action items were approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• First General Public Comment: An unnamed speaker urged the council to join 90 other cities in canceling contracts with Flock automated license plate readers (ALPRs), citing studies showing no deterrent effect, misuse of data, and lack of transparency. The speaker stated the cameras provide nothing in return to citizens.
• John Harding voiced concerns about voter integrity, claiming 24 million illegally registered voters and 465 counties with more registered voters than eligible voters. He urged the council to support enforcement of the 1993 voter integrity law and questioned the reliability of electronic voting machines.
• Second General Public Comment: Blaine Slacks questioned the scoring rubric in the draft Active Transportation Plan, arguing that schools and parks were rated as separate categories (10 points each) rather than combined, which could undervalue safe routes to school. He also expressed concerns about the Level of Traffic Stress tool but acknowledged the state requires it. He asked for the rubric to be reevaluated.
• Jonathan Plum raised two traffic concerns: (1) reckless driving on 8th Avenue east of Barker Road, asking for targeted enforcement and a speed study; (2) the proposed roundabout at Barker and 8th, requesting verification that the design accommodates full-size commercial vehicles (design vehicle, swept path analysis, truck apron, repair history at comparable roundabouts). He also asked if Flock cameras, though canceled, were still physically present. The city manager responded that cameras have not been active since March and will be removed by Flock, and that public works will follow up on the roundabout design.

Action Items

• Resolution 26-012 – Master Parking Prohibition Schedule: Presented by Jerremy Clark. The resolution adopts a baseline inventory of all signed no-parking areas in the city, as required by code. Approved unanimously.
• Motion – TIB Grant Application: Presented by Adam Jackson and Kristen Armstrong. Authorized the city manager to submit 2026 Transportation Improvement Board grant applications for two projects: Pines Road from 32nd to 40th ($880,000) and Barker Road from Sprague to south city limits ($897,000). Both projects have an 80% grant / 20% local match. The Sullivan Trent interchange will be pursued in a later cycle. Approved unanimously.
• Motion – Arterial School Crossing Bid Award: Presented by Rob Lochmiller. Awarded the contract to Halloween Construction Inc. in the amount of $1,239,505.49 for improvements at 10 school crossing locations. The sole responsive bid was 21% above the engineer's estimate, but an additional $520,000 grant from WSDOT Safe Routes to School raised the total grant to $1,712,000, covering the cost. Councilmember Wick asked about adding speed feedback signs; staff will explore using contingency funds. Approved unanimously.
• Motion – Federal Local Bridge Program Grant Opportunity: Presented by Robert Blegen. Authorized applying for up to $800,000 for preservation projects on three bridges: Fancher over BNSF, Barker over BNSF, and Barker over the Spokane River. The project would apply a penetrating surface sealer to extend bridge deck life. Approved unanimously.
• Motion – Mayoral Appointment to Homeless and Housing Task Force: Confirmed the mayoral appointment of Councilmember Jessica Yeager as a second alternate for position one (city council representative). Approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

• Admin Report: Citywide Impact Fees Discussion – Jerremy Clark presented three options to update the transportation impact fee program, which currently has three zones. The recommended Option 3 includes all projects on the eligible list but reduces the fee rate to keep development affordable, charging about $6,800 per trip in the East zone (lowest) and $10,900 per trip in the West zone (highest). The total project list is $264 million, fiscally constrained by historical city spending trends. Option 3 provides flexibility in fund use and aligns with existing city contributions. Council supported moving forward with Option 3.
• Admin Report: Draft Active Transportation Plan – Adam Jackson, Jerremy Clark, and Kylie Jones (Kimley Horn) presented the first draft of the plan, developed over 18 months. Key findings: community engagement (winter market, online surveys, stakeholder working group) identified top priorities as safety, completing missing connections, and improving access to schools, parks, and businesses. The plan uses Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) analysis and proposes network improvements: sidewalk infill, bicycle/shared-use paths, and corridor studies (e.g., Sullivan, Pines, Sprague). About 80% of projects are in the existing comprehensive plan. Next steps: public hearing in mid-to-late August followed by a council study session. Council discussed LTS methodology and project prioritization.

Key Outcomes

• Resolution 26-012 adopted unanimously.
• Authorization to submit TIB grants (Pines and Barker) approved unanimously.
• Arterial School Crossing bid awarded to Halloween Construction Inc. approved unanimously.
• Federal Local Bridge Program grant application authorized unanimously.
• Mayoral appointment of Jessica Yeager as task force alternate confirmed unanimously.
• Council consensus to proceed with Option 3 for citywide impact fee update; staff will finalize rate study and bring back for adoption.
• Draft Active Transportation Plan will proceed to public hearing and subsequent council study session.
• City Manager announced chip seal projects starting August 3 (Sprague Ave) and August 10 (32nd Ave).