More than marijuana

The Feb. 11 Cheney City Council meeting covered more subjects than what to do about a interim zoning ordinance regarding the location of marijuana production, processing and retail outlets in the city.

Besides wrapping up a public hearing and approving moving Ordinance W-18 along the process towards becoming part of the city’s municipal zoning code, the council also took action on a pair of resolutions and ordinances. The measures dealt with a variety of functions from surplusing equipment to Cheney’s six-year project wish list.

According to a Planning Department staff report on the latter, the Capital Facilities Plan, the projects list is required by the state’s Growth Management Act as an inventory of existing facilities, locations and capacities that will be needed to handle projected growth over a 20-year period. Some projects, such as the $334,000, six-year water well rehabilitation work show funding coming from fees while others like the $718,045 annual water main replacements are paid for through grants.

A $619,856 Mullinix Road 12-inch water line extension from SR 904 to Salnave Road would be funded by “growth.” Most of the projects on the list, which ranged from water and sewer to electrical and parks and included $800,000 pool work in 2015 and a $3 million fire station remodel in 2019 showed no funding sources. Council approved the first reading of the facilities plan ordinance, with readings two and three and final passage scheduled for later.

The council approved all three readings and final passage of Ordinance W-26 to repeal a section of the city’s municipal code pertaining to dogs and cats and adopt in its place Spokane County Code Title 5. The action was required as part of a memorandum of understanding signed between Cheney and Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service (SCRAPS) to provide animal control in the city, and also deals with future updates to the county code.

“(It’s) so we don’t have two laws running at the same time (in the city),” Cheney Police Chief John Hensley said.

Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Tom Trulove to sign a supplemental amendment to the city’s agreement with the Washington State Department of Transportation for engineering services on the upcoming North Sixth Street Preservation Project. The amendment obligates additional federal funding of $29,205.94 for the maximum amount for construction administration services with Taylor Engineering and changes the fixed overhead rate to 134.4 percent; a move Public Works Director Todd Ableman said reduces the amount of overhead to the city.

Finally, council unanimously approved the surplusing of two pieces of Street Division equipment: a 1975 IHC water truck and a LECO mosquito fogger. Ableman told the council the fogger had never been used, while parts for the 40-plus year old water truck are becoming more difficult to find.

“The only thing good on it is probably the (water) tank,” Trulove said.

Prior to adjourning the meeting, council went into executive session to consider the minimum price for a possible real estate sale. No action was taken after the executive session ended and public meeting resumed.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.