Way Is Cleared For Two Incorporation Votes

Thu., Nov. 14, 1996

By Brian Coddington brianc@spokesman.com

Backers of two proposed Spokane Valley cities have withdrawn their appeals that stopped a vote on both last spring, clearing the way for a February election.

County commissioners still must pass a resolution setting an election date, but it appears the separate efforts to incorporate the cities of Opportunity and Evergreen are headed for a vote on Feb. 4.

“We’ve pulled the appeal,” said Ed Meadows, Opportunity’s chief proponent. “We’re just waiting for the commissioners to give us an election date.”

Meadows and Vivienne Latimer, who has taken a lead in Evergreen’s incorporation attempt, appealed the Boundary Review Board’s approval of boundaries for the proposed cities last April, derailing a May 21 election.

Both were angered by county Auditor Bill Donahue’s decision to use a temporary law to overrule the county commissioners and hold a mail-in election. They worried the vote-by-mail format would have increased voter turnout and encouraged uninformed voters to cast ballots.

Appealing the boundaries effectively blocked a mail-in vote. A two-year law extending the auditor authority over elections expired June 9.

Having put the mail-in election behind them, Opportunity backers are focusing their energies on a February special election.

“It will be all or nothing,” Meadows said. “If it fails I don’t imagine anyone’s going to want to try it again.”

Latimer confirmed she had withdrawn her appeal, but declined to further detail plans for Evergreen’s incorporation attempt.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen from here on out, but I’m assuming we’re going to go to election,” Latimer said before referring further questions to the group’s spokesperson Arne Woodard.

Attempts to reach Woodard, a real estate agent, were unsuccessful.

The proposed city of Opportunity would be bounded by Interstate 90 on the north, 16th Avenue on the south, Argonne Road on the west and Evergreen Road on the east. It would include a population of about 19,000 residents.

Evergreen would include 15,000 residents living between the Spokane River, 24th Avenue, Evergreen Road and Barker Road.

Both cities need 50 percent of the votes plus one to successfully incorporate.

, DataTimes

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