NO HEADLINE
| What is the first change you would make to the way the county manages growth and development? | How would you build the county’s proposed wastewater treatment plant? | Would you raise taxes to improve the county’s budget? If so, what taxes? | What would you do to reduce jail overcrowding? | Do you support the proposed .1 percent sales tax increase for criminal justice and public safety? |
Democratic candidates for District 1 | ||||
| Growth and development are essential but have suffered from lack of coordinated planning. I’d apply comprehensive planning and zoning intelligently and fairly to assure that growth pays for itself, and continue developing an accelerated permitting process. | All of Spokane could benefit from regional cooperation on this issue. We must work together to tap all funding sources to build a plant that serves the region and doesn’t harm the river or aquifer. | We should live within our means. I would want a zero-based budget with a multi-year outlook and frequent tracking reports to provide a clear idea of how the county is managing our money before I would consider a tax increase. | Work with the judges to encourage use of alternative sentencing procedures (e.g., home detention, electronic monitoring, etc.) for nonviolent crimes. Improve mental health care to get the mentally ill out of the jails and into treatment programs. | No. Not enough time went into the development of this proposal, we have seen no budgets or plans justifying it, and the fact that cities in the county were not consulted is shameful. |
| Follow the state-mandated comprehensive growth management plan. Allow development in urban growth areas. This will increase property values and property taxes. | Design it to comply with all legal requirements. Then it will qualify for low-cost loans. | No. By improving property values with managed development, total property taxes taken in will increase. | Encourage the judicial system to use creative alternatives to incarceration. | No. Sales tax is too regressive. |
| The county needs a long-term strategic plan that addresses financing of the infrastructure for the growth allowed by the comprehensive plan. The plan allows revisions every five years. The strategic plan should follow that same schedule. | Follow the best science providing a solution both cost-effective and causing the least damage to our drinking water. Abundant water will be an economic advantage for this region as other Western cities expend their meager resources. | I would not raise property taxes past Initiative 601 limitations and the amount we have banked, holding them well below inflation rate. With property taxes doubling in the last 12 years, there are efficiencies to find before raising taxes. | Short-term, we need a capital project to alleviate overcrowding. Long-term, we need to work with the state to address the underlying cause. A dollar reduction in the state’s correction budget increases the burden to locals up to eight times. | No. The ballot title does little to ensure that your tax dollars will go where you want. Only one-third is designated for criminal justice. There is no accountability to the voter for how the rest of the money is used. |
Republican candidate for District 1 | ||||
| Spokane County should apply rules fairly and consistently. It should not allow the personal agendas of staff or elected officials to interfere. We should also identify rules that are pushing more jobs to Idaho and beyond. | I see three objectives: protect our environment by utilizing the best technology we can afford, seek participation from as many jurisdictions as possible, and build it in a timely manner to avoid building moratoriums that could jeopardize our economy. | Only as a last resort. Before that, we need to conduct a performance audit of current programs. We should look for opportunities for cooperation with other jurisdictions, and see what voters do this fall on county-related ballot issues. | This is the fastest-growing budget item and needs comprehensive review. We need to get a handle on the number of nonviolent offenders, mental health patients, prisoner health care costs, and how quickly people are processed through the system. | Yes, I support the proposal. We also need to recognize that there is currently no definition for “public health and safety” in the state law allowing counties to put this issue before voters, so officials must clarify precisely how the money may be used. |
Republican candidates for District 2 | ||||
First, I will perform a SWOT analysis (evaluate the strengths and weaknesses) with the department heads in the county, review the issues and prioritize our objectives. Our common goal must be economic development to provide living wage jobs. | Right now the decision to dump the effluent into the river or use it for irrigation has not been decided by the Department of Ecology. I am inclined to proceed with the plan as outlined by Mr. Bruce Rawls, utilities director. | Instead of raising taxes, I prefer to focus energies in our county on generating revenue through existing tax structures via economic development. We need to help existing companies sell products and services outside of our region. | Geiger confinement has increased 48 percent over last year. I will work with the judicial system to utilize home monitoring more frequently for low-risk offenders. | I don’t have enough information to answer yes or no. The cost of our criminal justice system has increased due to the unfunded state mandates and the increase in arrests. Crime has decreased. The decision must rest with voters. |
| Focus on the county’s mission as a rural service provider and create a vision for coordinating efforts with cities to provide urban services. The county and cities working together can achieve desirable development and economic growth. | Use best technology. New methods allow for reuse (irrigation). Pretreatment, conservation and non-point source modification can improve river quality and extend capacity. Finance with low-interest public works money, revenue bonds, and impact fees. | No. The county has plowed through a $15 million dollar reserve. You need to zero-base budget, focus on priorities and redefine county government functions. Only after your employees are empowered to do their jobs can cost savings be accomplished. | Focus on home monitoring for nonviolent offenders. Increase utilization of the Geiger facility and begin discussions with other low-cost institutions to house inmates with longer sentences. | No. Taxes are counterproductive to economic competitiveness and this one comes with no specific plan or public imput to support it. The current increase as written requires all new spending. |
| Add clarity to adopted regulations. 36.70B of the Growth Management Act encourages communities to reduce duplication and simplify processes. People need to know what the rules are in simple terms. | In a timely manner, with regional dialogue and partnership in mind, and with the best technology we can buy for the money citizens are willing to invest. | No. We start by asking what we are doing, why we are doing it, and what it really costs. We need to start rewarding departments for being efficient and frugal. I am confident together we will find the savings. | Treat our mentally ill with dignity by getting them out of jail beds. They occupy over 30 percent of the beds, where they cannot get proper care and this is forcing us to release bad guys on bail. | No. I believe we are short of resources and nothing is more important than our public safety, but I am not convinced yet that a tax is necessary and am concerned law enforcement was not adequately consulted. |
Democratic candidates for District 2 | ||||
| Respect personal property. Use the state Growth Management Act to densify urban areas, but work to keep density to a minimum of 2.5 houses/acre. In some cases, more density is appropriate based upon surrounding land and neighborhoods. Be more open with the public. | After a clear review of the project, possible funding methods and design, build a plant with the most advanced science and technology. Collaboratively develop a regional approach and build being environmentally sensitive, setting the goal of not discharging more treated water into the Spokane River. | No. Taxes should only be raised when there is a community emergency or an undeniable countywide opportunity, and then only with the approval of Spokane County voters. | Felons, violent criminals and those who are a direct menace to our community need to be locked up. But our jail population could be reduced through alternatives like electronic monitoring or house arrest. Also, our jail population is growing with repeat drug offenders and the mentally ill. I believe it is better and cheaper to treat rather than incarcerate. | I have some reservations about the proposed ballot issue; it needs to be more specific about what will be funded. Also, many communities are beginning to rely too much on increasing sales taxes. I would not support this measure without more definition and a vote of the Spokane County people. |
| I will require that developers pay reasonable development fees to pay for the cost of new schools, parks and roads so that needed job growth doesn’t have a negative impact on our neighborhoods. This will lower growth’s tax burden. | Cooperatively, with all jurisdictions and agencies. All environmental concerns must be addressed. A regional facility will save money, and income-adjusted aquifer protection fees should help finance the plant. | I will only accept the criminal justice tax, supported by Sheriff Sterk, but a full explanation of its specific purposes is still required, and it must be periodically re-examined to ensure that is still necessary. | Home confinement and monitoring for nonviolent offenders, and other measures recommended by the sheriff’s department and city law enforcement departments. | Yes. |