Gop Club Unanimously Opposes Consolidation

A group of Spokane Valley Republicans met Tuesday night to rail against a proposal to consolidate Spokane’s city and county governments.

Many of the 40 or so people who attended the meeting of the Fourth District Republican Action Club said the proposal would be disastrous, leading to higher taxes and loss of local control.

State Legislative District 4 encompasses most of the Spokane Valley and a small part of the city of Spokane.

Clark Hager, publisher of the Spokane Valley Herald, led the round-table discussion.

Supporters of the proposal say consoli dation will streamline local government by eliminating duplicated services like land-use planning and police protection.

They also contend that having one government will make it easier to solve regional problems like growing traffic and crime.

Hager said that combining the city and county into one super-government would cost taxpayers in the unincorporated areas at least $20 million more per year in property taxes.

They wouldn’t get much for their money, he added, saying that powerful business interests concentrated in downtown Spokane ultimately would control the new government.

Downtown would prosper while suburbs like the Valley and the North Side would suffer, Hager said.

Hager used similar arguments to campaign in favor of forming a separate city in the Valley.

“You’ll pay the taxes, but, in fact, you won’t be a major participant,” Hager said. “This thing is tax and spend, tax and spend, only bigger and bigger and bigger.”

Almost everyone in the audience, including former Spokane City Councilwoman Margaret Leonard, agreed.

“I think this one is the big one,” said Leonard, who shared the head table with Hager. “If we lose this one … we’ll have to move out of the county.”

Club members voted unanimously to oppose the consolidation proposal, which 25 freeholders elected by county residents spent the last three years writing.

County residents will vote on the proposal Nov. 7.

, DataTimes