Valley mayor to address state of city

Spokane Valley Mayor Rich Munson plans to lay the groundwork for a tax increase when he delivers his “state of the city” address Wednesday.

The city, which will celebrate its fifth birthday on March 31, did well in 2007, but will need “revenue enhancement” if it is to maintain its streets properly, Munson said this week.

He plans to offer financial details so people “can see there really is a problem that we have to deal with.” At the same time, Munson will lay out each city department’s accomplishments last year to persuade constituents their money is well spent.

Progress on a plan for revitalizing the Sprague-Appleway corridor will be high on the list.

Other accomplishments the mayor will tout include completion of plans to renovate the city’s three swimming pools. Plans call for a beach-like training pool at Valley Mission Park, a “lazy river” attraction at the Terrace View pool and a water slide at the Park Road pool.

Also, Munson plans to highlight a 95 percent increase in meeting-space rentals at CenterPlace community center, the purchase of 8.3 acres for a new park at Greenacres and receipt of $800,000 in state money for development of a children’s universal park.

The “universal park” will be a playground at Mirabeau Point Park that is accessible to children with a wide range of disabilities.

Munson’s challenge will be to convince Spokane Valley residents to spend more on street maintenance.

City Administrator David Mercier said the city has a two-part problem that adds up to an annual street-maintenance revenue shortfall of approximately $7 million.

Day-to-day maintenance, such as snow removal and pothole repairs, costs the city about $4.6 million a year but the city gets only about $2.15 million a year in fuel tax revenue, Mercier said.

In addition to that $2.45 million-a-year shortfall, a study has shown the city needs to spend about $4.5 million a year on major maintenance, such as resurfacing and chip-sealing. The city has no money for any of the major maintenance costs, Mercier said.

The City Council Finance Committee was still considering options this week, but Munson said one possibility is a vehicle license fee the Legislature authorized last year.

Cities may levy up to $20 a year per vehicle without a public vote, but Munson said that wouldn’t raise enough money to solve the problem. Thompson has estimated a $20 fee would generate $1.2 million to $1.4 million a year.

Cities may levy up to $100 a year per vehicle with voter approval, but Munson predicted the Spokane Valley council will insist on a public vote for any amount it seeks. Imposing a tax without a vote “just isn’t the way we do things around here,” he said.

Spokane County commissioners hope to forge an agreement with cities to collect a countywide vehicle fee and use at least part of the money to support construction of a north-south freeway. But Munson has told commissioners Spokane Valley won’t wait for negotiations.

Any countywide fee would require the support of both the Spokane and Spokane Valley city councils.

“We need to get that thing on the ballot by November,” he said.