Public Periscope

Fees, no; taxes, yes?

Maybe we here at “Public Periscope” are a little slow. Or confused. But last spring, we recall developers denouncing the City Council for even considering impact fees on homes built in the city’s fastest-growing areas. The proposed fees were aimed at paying for such things as construction of roads that might be required by residents of those new homes - without increasing the taxes of residents in slow- or nogrowth areas. The council - with the exception of Chris Anderson and Phyllis Holmes - gave fees the thumbs-down. … So, now our roads are crumbling and the city doesn’t have the money to fix them. The Spokane Homebuilders Association and the Real Estate Association, which opposed impact fees, are solidly behind a bond issue to resurface streets. “We lobbied hard against impact fees, … but a bond issue is one of the most fair ways of providing funds,” said Suzanne Knapp, representing the two associations. … OK, so the fees would pay for new roads and the bond issue would fix old roads, and we could be accused of mixing road apples and oranges. But if impact fees were helping to pay for new roads, wouldn’t the city have more money to patch the old ones?

Words to live by?

Councilman Chris Anderson was very critical of two colleagues last fall when they missed a briefing session to attend a candidates’ forum. Although it involved an information-only session, the decision by Councilman Orville Barnes and then-Councilwoman Bev Numbers was, Anderson said, a “poor choice, a disservice to the electorate and a shirking of responsibility.” … But Anderson apparently has had a change of heart on such absences and defends his decision to work as a driver on the “Dante’s Peak” movie set in Wallace, which forces him to miss actual council meetings - when real business such as voting takes place.

Directory assistance

If you’re trying to call somewhere in Oregon outside the Portland-Salem corridor or the north coast above Lincoln City, chances are you need to punch a different area code. The new area code is 541 for southern, eastern and central Oregon. … For the last seven months, you could reach most numbers by using the new area code or the old 503 code. That grace period ended last week, so reprogram your fax machines and update your phone books.

Civics lesson

Bill Pupo’s three daughters, his wife and his sister stopped by Spokane City Council chambers last week for his first meeting as acting city manager. “Look!” squealed one of his young daughters with glee and a few giggles. “He has a nametag!” Pupo’s position on the council dais now sports a brand-new wooden nameplate.

Wholesale crime at retail mecca

Prosecutors expect a surge in crime starting Aug. 20, 1997. It’s not the Gypsy curse. The crime wave comes from Utah. … That’s the date when Salt Lake City-based JP Realty Co. plans to open the Spokane Valley Mall. Kathryn Lee, deputy prosecutor in charge of major crimes, recently warned commissioners: “You put a new mall up, and you just open up that much more opportunity for shoplifting.”

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: HOT TOPICS Today: Boundary Review Board will hear what the public thinks about the city’s plan to annex 135 acres around Central Pre-Mix, which would hold nearly 1,300 “high-density” homes. The county is likely to object. 3:30 p.m., Public Works Building hearing room, 1026 W. Broadway.

“Public Periscope,” published Mondays, is compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports. If you’ve got a question about local government, growth or development, we’d like to help you find an answer. You can write us c/o The Spokesman-Review, Box 2160, Spokane 99210. Or send e-mail to jimc@spokesman.com. Or send a fax to (509) 459-5482. Or call Cityline at 458-8800 on a Touch-Tone phone, then press 9120 to leave a message.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports.