Key Vote On County Growth Act Postponed City’s Decision On Urban Boundaries Delayed As Panel Lacked Quorum
Spokane officials on Friday were forced to delay a key decision regarding the Growth Management Act, further tightening the schedule for complying with the law.
The committee had planned to take a final vote on the urban growth boundaries they’ll recommend to county commissioners.
But a county attorney warned that the committee’s haste might spark a legal appeal. Besides, the committee, which includes elected officials from Spokane city and county and the county’s small towns, was one member shy of a quorum.
The delay puts the county on a tight schedule for setting growth boundaries before the end of the year. The decision is already two months past due.
Any further delay means Commissioner-elect Kate McCaslin would help make the decision, rather than lame-duck Commissioner Steve Hasson. Developers and environmentalists believe Hasson is more likely than McCaslin to vote for tight growth boundaries.
County attorney Rob Binger told members it’s just as well there wasn’t a quorum, since the steering committee shouldn’t take a final vote on their recommendations until an environmental impact statement is printed.
Committee members already know the contents of that document, which explains the impact of drawing lines to designate rural areas from those where urban growth will be allowed.
Acting before the study is available to the public, Binger said, could lead to legal challenges of the work that has taken the committee two years to complete.
The document should be done Wednesday morning, so the committee plans to meet at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Spokane Arena Champions Room, 720 W. Mallon.
Commissioners scheduled a Dec. 27 hearing on the matter, and must advertise the proposed boundaries at least 10 days in advance.
The notice must be placed in The Spokane Valley News-Herald, which commissioners selected this year as the county’s newspaper of record. The newspaper, which is published on Fridays, has a Tuesday deadline for advertising copy.
So, the county must write its legal ad before the steering committee takes its final vote. If the recommendation changes substantially, the ad would have to run again and the commissioners’ meeting rescheduled until early next year, after McCaslin is sworn in.
, DataTimes