In brief: Council approves care center sale
Four years after buying downtown apartments serving people with mental illness to prevent residents from losing their homes, the Spokane City Council has finally found a private buyer.
The council voted 7-0 Monday to sell the Carlyle Care Center, 206 S. Post St., to Pioneer Human Services, a nonprofit agency headquartered in Seattle.
The city bought the Carlyle in 2006 from US Bank for $3.2 million, using federal Department of Housing and Urban Development money. The city hoped that its ownership would be temporary, but officials struggled to find a buyer with the necessary financial backing.
Pioneer has promised to maintain the Carlyle, which is licensed for 139 adult residents, as low-income housing for at least 10 years. It also says it plans to maintain it current staff and services.
Firefighter deal gets final OK
A deal to prevent the loss of firefighter jobs was finalized Monday by the Spokane City Council in a unanimous vote.
Local 29 of the International Association of Fire Fighters voted late last month to accept the agreement, which eliminates cost-of-living raises the union was scheduled to receive next year. Those increases would have been around 3 percent. Firefighters still will be eligible for pay raises based on seniority.
The union also agreed to pick up the increased cost of employee medical benefits above 4 percent.
The Spokane firefighters were the first group of city employees to meet Mayor Mary Verner’s terms for preventing layoffs. Last week, she reached a deal with the Spokane Police Guild, which still needs approval of its membership and the City Council.
If the police agreement is ratified, about 20 employees in other unions that didn’t come to an agreement with city administrators still will lose their jobs.
Special session just needs date
OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire said Monday that a special session to deal with the state’s budget shortfall is inevitable, and she gave lawmakers a Thursday deadline to present her with a date to hold it.
Gregoire said that if lawmakers don’t have a plan for her by Thursday afternoon, she’ll pick a date for them, but said that it will happen before the Christmas holiday.
“I need them to take action now,” she told reporters after the meeting.
Gregoire announced the deadline after meeting with Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, said Senate Democrats will push for a Friday start, with work to continue through the weekend. Lawmakers are already in town for prescheduled committee meetings.