New STA budget includes extra sales-tax revenue

The Spokane Transit Authority Board approved Wednesday a modified budget that takes into account the extra revenue the agency will receive because of a voter-approved sales tax increase.

But because STA won’t begin receiving receipts from the tax of .3 percent – or 3 cents on a $10 purchase – until December, the budget will still necessitate short-term spending on operations of about $6.7 million originally reserved for other purposes.

Board members also approved raising the fare for the shuttle between downtown Spokane and Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena from 25 cents to 50 cents starting Sept. 1.

The move was requested by local businesses whose on-street parking was being monopolized by Arena shuttle riders.

For daily commuters, the new fare will match the price of a City Ticket, which includes parking in an Arena lot and the shuttle ride.

In other business, the STA Board also made good on a promise to begin televising its meetings, but not until after a lively discussion in which members debated the pros and cons of evening and afternoon meeting times, various venues and how often the meetings should be aired.

Some members favored only televising the meetings quarterly.

Others wanted the meeting time moved back to 2 p.m. because public attendance has dropped off since May, when the time was changed to 5:30 p.m.

But members of the public at Wednesday’s meeting encouraged the board to keep the meetings at 5:30 p.m., saying that attendance would likely pick up in the fall.

“I would like the general public to see the STA as approachable,” said board member and Liberty Lake City Councilman Brian Sayrs, who advocated televising all the meetings.

The board ultimately decided to continue holding its monthly meetings at 5:30 p.m., but to move them to Spokane City Hall so that they can be televised on CityCable Channel 5.

In November, they will re-evaluate whether attendance is sufficient to maintain the evening meetings.

A series of quarterly town hall-style meetings throughout the community was also approved.

The first is scheduled for Sept. 29 at the Spokane Valley Church of Nazarene.