The Monday, Sept. 16 Airway Heights City Council meeting saw some comments on an upcoming initiative placed before the state Legislature.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, the City Council heard from two members of the audience, including Spokane County Treasurer Rob Chase, regarding I-601. The initiative would allow electronic payments for foreclosure notices while at the same time removing delinquent penalties, dropping interest increases to 1 percent for every month that goes by.
The City Council must first provide an opportunity for the public to make statements on the issue before issuing a public stance on any election item. At its next council study session, Monday, Sept. 23, the City Council will look into whether it will even go down the route of taking a side on the initiative.
Among the action items passed at the meeting was a task order for the scope of work from TD&H Engineering and GEO Engineers to monitor groundwater flow at the reclaimed water well site. Public Works Director Kelly Williquette said the $20,600 project will specifically lay out what amount of Airway Heights’ treated water makes it back into the paleochannels to recharge West Plains aquifer. Those water rights will stick with the city, allowing them to move it to other locations that could be used in the future.
“What we have to do is prove to (Department of) Ecology what amount of water we’re actually taking out of the ground is equal to what we’re putting into the ground,” Williquette said.
The city can pull about 2,800 gallons of water per minute instantaneously at the moment.
The Planning Commission officially received a new member with the passage of Paul Freeman’s nomination. Freeman was at the last council meeting, detailing his interest in the city. He joins as the third of the five-member commission, which currently has two vacant spots for the public to fill.
The City Council also passed a second reading of an ordinance authorizing the sale and issuance of water and sewer revenue bonds, not to exceed $3.6 million. After passage of the ordinance, the council passed two resolutions relating to it. One adopts procedures to comply with post-issuance tax and another creates a disclosure practices working group and adopts disclosure controls. The second resolution ensures compliance with IRS codes to maintain the tax-exempt status of any city-issued tax-exempt bonds.
“By putting these in place, we have a layer of protection,” Rushing said.
Other items passed at the meeting included an intergovernmental agreement between Spokane County and Airway Heights regarding commute trip reduction implementation. Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director J.C. Kennedy said the agreement comes around every two years, and doesn’t really have much impact to the city with regards to finances.
Pete Hartmann, Deputy of Emergency Management at Spokane Emergency Management, provided an overview of being ready when an emergency strikes. His presentation was in conjunction with National Preparedness Month, although the information provided by Hartmann and the office extends beyond September.
The next City Council meeting will be held Monday, Oct. 7 at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers.
James Eik can be reached at james@cheneyfreepress.com.
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