Smooth Start To Liberty Lake Beginning

Sat., Dec. 9, 2000

By Lorie Hutson lorieh@spokesman.com (509) 459-5446

They had to dust off their Robert’s Rules of Order. But the first round of city-building meetings in Liberty Lake this week were fairly smooth.

Citizens of Spokane County’s newest city have formed five teams to research and recommend plans for the government when its officers are elected in April. The primary election will be Feb. 6.

Committees spent the week organizing, brainstorming the issues they will tackle and setting goals. They then split themselves into subcommittees to focus on options for library services, road maintenance, zoning and other issues.

The meetings were well attended, with 15 to 20 members on each of the committees.

“This is a unique experience that we are all heading into,” said Lud Kramer, a former Washington Secretary of State who is chairman of the transition teams.

But the road has already been a little bumpy for Liberty Lake. In trying to gather information for the new city services, some residents have inundated county departments with phone calls for information. Many callers have the same questions.

“None of us has the right to attack or demand anything of the county,” Kramer told committee members.

County department heads are preparing their annual budget right now for commissioners and don’t have time to handle all the phone calls, said county administrator Fran Boxer. Many people have the same questions.

Boxer and Boundary Review Board director Susan Winchell have agreed to be the liaison between Liberty Lake and the county and all questions should be directed to them.

One of the decisions already looming for Liberty Lake is determining how the new city should be staffed.

Both Kramer and Boxer said they hope Liberty Lake will rely on talent in the community and help from the county to get the city started and make hires, rather than contracting with a consulting firm that specializes in staffing new cities, as some communities have done.

This sidebar appeared with the story:

Working togetheR

All Liberty Lake residents, including those living outside the boundaries of the new city, are welcome to work with the transition teams. Meeting times and committee reports will be posted on the city’s website as they become available. Go to: http://ll2000.sowinso.com.

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