Entire City Council up for election

All seven Spokane Valley City Council seats will be up for grabs in the November elections.

The four candidates with the most votes will receive four-year terms. The remaining three will receive two-year terms in order to make the coming election the last in which all council members are up for election at the same time.

Those wishing to run may file for office at the county elections office July 25-29. The filing fee is $4 for council positions and $5 for the mayor position.

Candidates also must begin filing financial reports with the Public Disclosure Commission as soon as they begin campaigning.

The primary election will be Sept. 20, with Sept. 2 as the cutoff to register to vote at the county elections office. The general election will be Nov. 8, with Oct. 24 as the last day to register in person.

Anyone wanting to cast a ballot in the state of Washington must be registered to vote by mail at least 30 days before the election or primary or in person at least 15 days before an election. Eligible voters must be U.S. citizens and legal residents of the state who will be 18 or over on election day and have not had their voting rights revoked by a court.

In Spokane County, registration forms and other information are available at the county auditor’s elections office at 1033 W. Gardner Ave. in Spokane. The phone number is 477-2320.

Voters can also request that a registration form be mailed to them at the Washington secretary of state’s Web site at www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/register_mail.aspx.

Also on the ballot in November will be a measure asking voters whether the City Council should receive a pay raise. An independent salary commission recommended that council members’ monthly pay be increased to $900, the mayor’s salary to $1,200 and the deputy mayor’s salary to $1,000.

A group of residents gathered about 6,500 signatures last fall to put the raise on the ballot. Otherwise a raise would require only council approval.