Valley asks county about sewer transfer

Thunk!

That was the sound of the Spokane County staff’s in-box filling up Tuesday night, courtesy of the city of Spokane Valley.

The City Council agreed to ask the county to detail what it would take to transfer ownership of the sewer system to the new city. The council also wants to know under what conditions it could take over building a proposed regional wastewater treatment plant. The council didn’t go so far as to say, though, that it wants to own the sewers.

“For us to have due diligence, to make any kind of well-balanced decision on this, I think we have to request that this information be brought to us,” Mayor Mike DeVleming said.

But Bruce Rawls, the county’s utilities director, said the council’s request will require countless hours of county employee time. The city had asked the county in July under what conditions it would transfer sewer ownership, and the county responded that it would answer that complicated question if the city was serious about taking over.

In Rawls’ words, the county commissioners wanted to know, “Is the City Council just kicking tires or do they want to own something?”

Rawls said he didn’t get that answer Tuesday night.

“Since incorporation, the county has spent hundreds of hours” working to help the city get on its feet, he told a reporter. “The county’s not interested in spending thousands more just to see” if transferring the system is feasible when it’s not sure how committed Spokane Valley is to ownership.

The county currently owns the pipes and handles sewage treatment for the city’s residents. It has been planning to build a wastewater treatment plant to expand the amount of sewage that can be treated. Without the ability to clean more wastewater, the region could be forced to stop building new homes and businesses, public works officials have said.

Spokane Valley and Spokane County have been working together for more than a year on an agreement that would continue to recognize the county as owner of the sewer system.

The council’s inquiry into owning the system came after the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to the county this summer asking if it’d be willing to hand over everything within the city limits.

Some citizens had been urging the same. They want the city to collect the monthly sewer bills from customers, not the county. They want the city to get that money to boost its fiscal health.

Resident Howard Herman said handing over the sewer system, and part of a $40 million reserve fund the county has collected, would solve some of the city’s recent budget woes.

“If we had that wastewater system within the city and we had our share of the $40 million, we wouldn’t have to go out and ask people for a 21-cent raise,” Herman said, referring to a bond on next week’s ballot.

If voters pass it, the bond would pay to fully pave streets after sewer lines are installed in Spokane Valley. The bond would increase property taxes by 21 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value – $21 a year on a $100,000 house.

Rawls said Herman’s solution isn’t legal. The city couldn’t use money intended for capital sewer projects to improve streets. He said to continue the work the county is doing, including replacing septic tanks and building the new plant, will cost more than $150 million.

Councilman Steve Taylor cautioned the council about the message their request would send. But council members were clear that they weren’t ready to ask for sewer ownership.

“I don’t think we’re being irresponsible or arrogant by asking for that information,” Councilman Mike Flanigan said.

After the decision, Herman scolded the council for not making a bolder move.

“You guys are going to dance around until the lights go out,” he said. “I can’t understand why this council is reluctant to take the first move.”