Council outlines street project plans

The Spokane Valley City Council took a look at everything from the city’s adult entertainment regulations to the 2010 Transportation Improvement Plan during this week’s meeting.

City staff is recommending the council revise the adult entertainment regulations to remove any ambiguity over what is and is not allowed in adult businesses. “This is an area that is very, very frequently litigated,” said deputy city attorney Cary Driskell. “There’s really a need to update the regulations from time to time.”

The changes would also outline a set of rules for businesses to appeal administrative determinations made by the city.

The transportation plan outlines what street projects the city plans to complete this year. The projects include improvements to the Sprague and Sullivan, and Sullivan and Broadway intersections. Also planned are projects to synchronize traffic lights on Sprague from University to Sullivan and on Pines from Trent to Sprague. The signals would be linked with fiber optic cable to manage the coordination of the lights, said public works director Neil Kersten. Most of the work would be done in the sidewalk area so streets wouldn’t have to be ripped up, Kersten said.

The council also heard a report on the ongoing negotiations for a draft interlocal agreement with the Spokane Regional Transportation Council. The transportation council includes representatives from local cities and Spokane County and determines which road projects in the county get state and federal funding. The interlocal agreement is periodically updated.

City attorney Mike Connelly said he thinks a few areas of the new proposed agreement need further research. One section said that any property bought by SRTC would be legally owned by Spokane County. “There is no statutory basis for this,” Connelly said. He believes that the jurisdiction the property is located in should be the legal owner and said he has not been given a reason for the change.

Connelly said he is also concerned with a new clause that would require any amendment be passed by “consent of the county and 60 percent of the cities and towns that represent 75 percent of the cities’ and towns’ population.” That language would give Spokane County veto power, which it has not had before, Connelly said.

The draft interlocal agreement will come before the council for approval once negotiations are complete.

Next week the council plans to host a joint meeting with the Spokane City Council from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall. Items expected to be discussed include animal control, solid waste, the jail and a transportation benefit district.