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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Council won’t fix roads with tax

The Sherwood Forest neighborhood in Spokane Valley is a quiet, woodsy area with 1970s-era homes.

Its roads look to be about the same vintage.

Spokane County will tear up streets there and in nine other neighborhoods when it replaces septic tanks with sewer lines next year. Although that would have been a prime time to fully repave the streets, giving the neighborhoods good-quality, long-lasting roads, voters rejected a bond Tuesday to pay for that work. Instead, only an asphalt patch – a cheaper, weaker alternative – will cover the sewer trench on those roads.

“I’m not happy,” said Ken Carmer, who has lived in Sherwood Forest for 10 years. “I voted for it. I wish this town could find a way to finance the streets.”

Almost 6,000 voters, or 49 percent, voted for the bond, while about 6,275, or 51 percent, rejected it. The ballot measure needed a 60 percent majority to pass.

“The citizens said they’re fine with patches,” Mayor Mike DeVleming said.

It’s within the council’s power to impose a utility tax without a vote of the people that would raise more than enough money for the work. But council members Wednesday said they have no plans to pursue that route.

“The people of the Valley do not want taxes,” Councilman Mike Flanigan said. “I think the people were quite indicative of what their positions are.”

The $6 million bond would have increased property taxes by 21 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value for six years. Residents currently pay $1.60 per $1,000, or $160 a year if they own a $100,000 home. The bond would have increased that by $21, to $181 a year, for those homeowners.

For 20 years, the county has been installing sewer lines in neighborhoods. Eliminating septic tanks helps protect the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, which lies beneath the Valley and provides drinking water for the region.

During the last several years, the county has fully paved most of the roads it has torn up for the sewer project. The city of Spokane Valley incorporated a year and a half ago, though, and now can’t afford to continue curb-to-curb paving.

Council members said the only hope for full-width paving to continue now is if the city can obtain federal community development block grants for the work or if the economy improves, causing sales tax revenues to increase.

Councilman Gary Schimmels predicted the issue will come up again six months from now.

“It’s going to rear its ugly head come sewer time next spring when people find out their streets are going to be patched.”

In Sherwood Forest, some residents were clueless about the issue. They said it wasn’t fair that they wouldn’t get the better roads, but they blamed themselves for not being informed.

Deputy Mayor Diana Wilhite said she wished the media had done more to educate the public. The city didn’t hold information sessions about it, although the issue was discussed repeatedly at council meetings.

“There were a number of other issues that I think took attention away from it,” DeVleming said. “I wish that we’d had more opportunities to get this message out.”

Schimmels guessed that many people voted against the bond because they’re upset with the council over other things, including a proposed pay hike that an independent salary commission recently recommended for council members.

“I’d say there’s a backlash there, but it’s not a well thought out one because we all suffer by it – especially the people who live on those streets.”

Rick Douglas owns a home in Sherwood Forest, but he was among those upset with the council.

“I voted no because I don’t trust them,” he said. “They can take their raise and put it toward the roads.”

With the increase, the council’s salaries would amount to a total of about $80,000 a year; curb-to-curb paving costs almost $1 million a year.