Council to seek lobbyist

Spokane Valley may soon be in search of a friend for hire at the state capital.

At its meeting Tuesday, City Council members instructed the city manager to draft a solicitation for a lobbyist to work on the city’s behalf in Olympia.

“It really helps to have an insider develop that legislative agenda,” said Councilman Rich Munson, who’s raised the idea of hiring a lobbyist at a recent meetings.

Tuesday he gave other council members a list of Washington lobbyists, the cities they work for and what they cost.

Many Washington cities employ a professional glad-hander to push their agenda in Olympia on at least a part-time basis.

“Us being the eighth largest city and not being on this list really says something,” said Councilman Steve Taylor.

Councilman Mike DeVleming was more skeptical. He asked Tuesday and at an earlier meeting why the city pays over $50,000 per year to belong to the Association of Washington Cities, which lobbies on municipal issues, if it’s not working to advance the interest of the city.

Others on the council said AWC works on more general issues, and a Spokane Valley lobbyist would follow bills and budget items that affect the city directly. The city’s physical distance from Olympia and the fast pace of the legislative session also were given as reasons to hire someone to keep an eye on legislation that could affect the city.

At a future meeting the council will decide whether to give final approval to send out a request for lobbyists to apply for the job. They agreed the contract amount should be up to $40,000.