Legislative Meeting - Regular Meeting

I know I was here approximately maybe six or eight months ago to talk to you about House Bill 2015. If there really is a concern about the costs, um, House Bill 2015 is specifically for that. It can be used for public records request. I know that when we talked about it before or when I checked on it before, it was turned down by the uh, sheriff's office to um, to reach out for that money. But um it's frustrating because there's money and resources for those records when it comes to a television show or you know some kind of footage for public relations purposes. But somehow there are resources for that. But when families or others are trying to get answers, suddenly there are added costs and more barriers. And I'm very concerned about that. I can let you know that what I went through as an impacted mother. My son, I want you to pay attention to the dates. My son was shot and killed on January 7th of 2019. I didn't receive any public records until September of that year. Although Detective Staley with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office handd delivered to the attorney for the police officer that shot my son, handd delivered. So I have to assume he drove there in a county vehicle to do that. The records within three days of my son's death. H I bring this up because I don't want this to be misused. I don't want impacted families to have additional barriers to go through. I think you should reconsider this resolution and it should be looked at again. Thank you.

Thank you. The other person that I have signed up for public forum is Jim Lady. Jim Lady Spokane. I'm a regional representative of the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability. I am the police accountability director for Spokane Community Against Racism and the executive director for Citizen 926. I'm here to address the recently approved body cam redaction fee. Last week, each one of you voted to approve a new fee to charge the public 78 cents per minute of redacted body cam footage when requesting public records. Each one of you voted to take power from the public and to give that power to the government. You voted against transparency and you voted to revictimize people that have been victims of the judicial system. Can you imagine being the mother of a person killed by law enforcement? Can you imagine having to sit next to officers of the same agency that killed your child just so you can watch video of the officers from that agency kill your child? And then you can't walk out with that video to help you seek legal representation. You voted for a policy which was created to deter people from requesting public records. None of you consulted or discussed with this policy with the public who are negatively impacted by this decision. You pulled the trigger without ever considering beyond your target to see who else you might harm. You give each person from the public three minutes to plead their case and then you ask them you never ask them questions for clarification. Yet you let representatives from the government have unlimited time to speak. You ask them questions. You allow them time for rebuttal. This is not fair and balanced process. The scales are tipped in favor of the government. You enable that. I ask you to consider rolling back this

harmful policy and stop empowering the government while harming the public. Going forward, I ask that you stop voting without doing your due diligence and speaking with the people that these policies will affect. You serve at the will of the people, not the the not of the government. Please stop being facilitators of bad policy that is anti-people and pro- authority. You have damaged transparency, accountability, and the ability to seek justice. All so you can reduce someone's workload. I understand the issue of a small group of people that abuse the public records process, but you imposed a policy to stop behavior you disliked while destroying the public records process at the same time. This shows that the public needs to pay better attention to what is happening in the county and the votes taking place in these chambers. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Lee. I I would like to ask you a question like you referenced how we asked many elected officials questions. When we passed this, you you were present when we passed it, correct? I was. Did you hear the part of the presentation that stated that if a victim of a crime is trying to access those same body camera uh public records that there is no cost to them to get those redacted videos? Sure. Commissioner Karn, can you can you define victim? Anybody who is a part of that case. There was also another

is a victim but she's not allowed. She has to pay for those records. There was also it was also stated in there that it said that an attorney seeking those public records on behalf of someone having to do with that case would also not be charged. Did you hear that part of the presentation?

I do and I work with those victims and they do not have access to attorneys until they can bring public records to them. Most of these people that are looking for legal representation are ask are having to bring documents to attorneys because they can't afford it. A lot of these people do not have the finances to get these records or to hire an attorney. So, they're hoping that an attorney will take the case under contingency. To be able to get an attorney to do that, you have to show them you have a case. Without those records, you can't show them a case. And the people that are asking are not considered victims. Ethan Murray's mother was not considered a victim. She had to pay for the records. Debbie Novak's mother, she's not considered a victim. She had to pay for the records. This goes on and on and on and we are not helping the actual victims or their families.

Thank you. Thank you. Okay. So, I'm going to just do a final call for Oh, we do have one more person that wants to testify. So, this is going to be our final person for our open public forum. Um, Nadine Burgess.

Thank you, commissioners. I just wanted to come and say thank you for your thoughtful consideration. I know you've received a lot of correspondence regarding the Gateway dog park and I just want to respectfully say thank you for listening and I hope everybody's been respectful. I know it was an issue that you weren't initially aware of the impact on a lot of the local residents there and if there's any way that we can be part of the solution and contribute if that's something that we can do to help scraps we try to be as independent and self-sufficient as possible and it's really a great resource that is used by a lot of people. So I just want to say thank you. If there's anything that we can do to be helpful to the county, we are happy to do it and to organize volunteers. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. So, I am going to do one last call for anyone wishing to testify to our open public forum. See no one online, no one in the audience. I'm going to close the open public forum. I'm going look to my fellow commissioners for the proclamations.

Madame Chair, I would like to re to read this proclamation in the form of a motion. This is in the matter of proclaiming April 3rd, 2026 as Giving Joy Day in recognition of Eastern Washington University's 144th birthday. Whereas for 144 years, Eastern Washington University has served Spokane County and the greater Inland Northwest as a transformative public institution of higher education, preparing generations of students for meaningful careers, strengthening the regional workforce, and contributing to the economic vitality of civic life of our communities. And whereas Eastern Washington University advances its mission every day by providing an inclusive, equitable, and affordable learning environment that expands access to higher education, fosters upward mobility, and equipss graduates with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience needed to meet the evolving needs of employers and industries throughout Spokane County and the region. And whereas as the region's polytenic, Eastern Washington University is boldly building a future for students that is defined by opportunity, innovation, and academic and athletic excellence through scholarships and transformative educational experiences. Now therefore, be it resolved, we the board of county commissioners for Spokane County, Washington, on behalf of the citizens, and in recognition of Eastern Washington's 144th birthday, and its immeasurable contribution to the economic strength, educational advancement, and civic life within Spokane County to hereby proclaim April 3rd, 2026 as Giving Joy Day. We also encourage staff, students, faculty,

and alumni in the community and community partners to join in the celebration of this milestone in the history of Eastern Washington University dated this 31st day of March 2026. Second. I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying I. I. I. Motion passes unanimously. I would like to ask Dr. Sherry McMahon if you'd like to come up and say a few words and then we'll present the proclamation and take a photo.

Wonderful. Thank you so very much commissioners for this recognition and your continued partnership with Eastern Washington University. Giving Joy Day is a special moment for us because it reflects what makes this region and our university so strong. It's the people who believe in our mission and invest in our future. At Eastern, we're focused on expanding access and preparing students to lead and serve right here in the Spokane region. And what's powerful about Giving Joy Day is that it brings this mission to life. It's our alumni, our community members, our faculty and staff all coming together to support our students and create opportunity. Every gift opens the door for our students. You know, side note, Eastern is the most affordable four-year college in the state of Washington, and we are so very proud of that. We're trying to keep it that way. And so this every bit goes towards helping those students in our mission. We're really proud to be part of Spokane County and we're grateful for the way this community continues to show show up for our students. So I thank you and I'd love to provide a a student testimony. Linda who's our senior director of annual giving would is going to share a little student letter. President, thank you so much. Thank you so much for the opportunity to deliver words on behalf of one of our students. He's one of the vice presidents of our ASWU student organization. And I hope you'll forgive me because this still chokes me up a little bit. He just shared this with me the other day. He says, "As a part of Giving Joy Day, a day that truly reflects the spirit of generosity, community, and the belief that knowledge is power.

Giving Joy Day is more about raise more than just raising money. It's about opportunity and access and possibility. He writes, "I can say with complete honesty that without the support of donors and the efforts like this one, I would not be standing here today preparing to graduate in June." He writes between every scholarship, every program, every opportunity to grow and to learn, there are first people who chose to give. Before anything else, someone believed that students like me are worth investing in. Because of these givers, students like me are able to pursue degrees they once thought were impossible. Because of these people, students like me can focus on their studies and not have to choose between paying bills and staying enrolled. Because of people like you, students from all backgrounds can find a place where they belong and where they can succeed. And because of you, for so many, college is not just a dream, it's a reality. He writes, "On behalf of the entire student body, I want to say thank you. Thank you not only to donors who donate so generously, but to the staff and the people behind the scenes who work tirelessly to secure the gifts and to all of those including all of you who create opportunities for us, the students. Your work may often go unseen, but its impact is felt every day on our campus. Thank you.

Thank you. So, we'd like you to have you come up and we will come around and we'll get a photo and present you with a proclamation. You got to That will take us to our next proclamation, which is uh 3B on today's agenda, which is to proclaim April 6 through 10th, 2026 as National Public Health Week in Spokane County. Commissioner Waldruff. It's time for public health week and it's always exciting because we have a wonderful uh Spokane Regional Health District that does a lot of great work. So, I'm going to read this proclamation um in the form of a a motion in the matter of proclaiming support for National Public Health Week, April 6 to 12th, 2026. Whereas the week of April 6, 2026 is National Public Health Week and the theme ready set action highlights how scientific discoveries, legislation, and

community initiatives have significantly improved the health of Americans. And whereas thanks to public health policies, the childhood mortality rate has declined, adult smoking rates have dropped, US deaths due to HIV AIDS have fallen sharply, access to mental health care has expanded, childhood lead poisoning has declined, and public health now actively addresses climate related health threats through education, preparedness plans, and strategies to reduce harm from extreme weather and wildfires. And whereas racial and ethnic minority populations in the United States continue to experience a disproportionate burden of illness and death. And whereas a person's health outcomes vary widely by zip code due to differences in the built environment, environmental quality, community contexts, access to healthy foods, access to education, and access to health care. And whereas public health professionals help communities prevent, prepare for, withstand, and recover from the full impact of a range of health threats ranging from infectious disease outbreaks to natural disaster preparedness. So now, therefore, be it resolved, we, the board of county commissioners for Spokane County, Washington, on behalf of the citizens of Spokane County, do hereby proclaim our support for the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week, April 6 through 12th, 2026, and encourage the people of Spokane County to learn about the role of the public health system in improving citizens health and well-being.

Second. Okay, I have a motion second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying I. I. I. I. Motion passes unanimously. So, we have Dr. Velasquez and Kelly Hawkins. If one of you want to come up and speak and then we'll present you with a proclamation and take your photo.

Well, thank you. Uh, good afternoon everyone. Before I say something about public health, I just want to say congratulations to one of our long-standing partners, our friends at Eastern. We do believe in the power of education and we actually just signed a comprehensive affiliation agreement at the end of last year because we want to take this to the next level. So congratulations to our partners. So as you get to this time of the year um spring is in the air although it's been kind of weird but it's here and we get to see beautiful sunsets, beautiful sunrises, nature coming back. And as I think about that, I think um one of the reasons why we can all enjoy the beauty of Spokane is because of that quiet work that happens by the almost 300 members of the public health uh team at Spokane Regional Health District. These are folks that come to work every day with one thought in mind. What can I do today to make the community better? What can I do today to improve the health, wellness, and access of someone? what can I do today to do something that would make my community healthier and happier? So, every day they quietly many times we don't see them. And I know we only acknowledge National Public Health once a year, but uh the diligent labor, the compassion, the passion, and the work is seen every day in pretty much everything we do in this community, even if we don't know about it. So, I do want to say thank you to all of our team members and all of our partners. We couldn't do it without them. We collaborate with many to really amplify that impact in the community. And we can luckily say that we're a wonderful place to live and we're a wonderful place in terms of health, wellness, and happiness. And I would like to say take some credit for that from the public

health perspective and say that's one of the reasons why we can say all of those. So I want to say thank you to the board of county commissioners for the acknowledgement and on behalf of the team, I'm happy to accept the proclamation and say thank you for everything you do to support us in everything we do every day. So, thank you.

I just got to say thank you for your dedication to the health district and to our community. So, thank you and we're excited to be able to give you this proclamation. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. That will then take us to our third proclamation. And normally we don't try to do three at once, but today was special with us being off next week and we wanted to make sure that we got all these proclamations in before uh we had our recess for spring break. So item 3 C is to proclaim April 2026 as child abuse prevention month. Um and so go ahead, Commissioner.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'd like to read this proclamation in the form of a motion. Whereas the children of Spokane County are among our community's most valuable resources and their healthy development is essential to the future strength and well-being of our city. And whereas child abuse and neglect remain serious issues with long lasting impacts that affect children and families across every race, culture, and socioeconomic background. And all children deserve to grow up in safe, stable, and nurturing environments. And whereas members of Spokane County's child abuse multidisciplinary team, including law enforcement, child protection professionals, medical providers, advocates, prosecutors, and community partners, work collaboratively to ensure the safety, protection, and healing of children through traumainformed investigations and coordinated support services. And whereas the Children's Advocacy Center operated by partners with families and children serve Spokane County by working alongside multidisciplinary partners to support child victims and their families and promote safety, healing, and justice. And whereas during child abuse prevention month, we recognize the vital importance of collaboration between parents, caregivers, educators, healthc care providers, businesses, and community agencies in promoting positive protective factors. Support the strengthening of families and raising awareness to ensure that all children are safe, healthy, and nurtured. Now therefore, be it resolved, we, the board of county commissioners for Spokane County, Washington, on behalf of our citizens, do hereby proclaim the month of April 2026 as child abuse prevention month, dated this 31st day of March, 2026.

I'll second the motion. Okay, I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion?

Just briefly wanted to thank the board for squeezing this one in. Uh it's really an important thing to take a moment and recognize the people who help keep our kids safe. They're listed in the uh in the proclamation, but there's I had the privilege of working with many of those folks as an assistant attorney general and juvenile court for seven years and the dedication uh that a lot of those people put in just blows the mind. Uh there's also court staff. Uh there's teachers, child care workers. when you think about collaboration and kind of the broader team, um counselors, of course, first responders, just people in our community who are looking out for kids. So, really appreciate what they do. It's really hard work, uh but it's um absolutely critical. So, thanks to everybody involved in help keeping kids safe.

Thank you for what you did as well. So, all those in favor, please signify by saying I. I. I motion passes unanimously. So, um I think we have Carol um Plitsky with Partners Families and Children's who's here and I know you have a group with you as well as I see our press attorney Preston Mcola. So, if you would like to come up and speak for a few minutes,

thank you very much. We really appreciate it and thank you for this proclamation and for shining a light on an issue that impacts far too many children and families in our community. Prevention is possible when we work together across systems and alongside families. And we appreciate your continued leadership and support. So, I'm joined today by quite a few people representing uh the team and partners that do this work every single day. So, could you all please stand and I'd love to introduce you. And then what we may do for the photo is have them have you all come up so she introduces um you can come up and maybe we'll have you stand in front and we'll stand behind. How about that?

Perfect. Thank you. And doctor, we made our eight.

Okay. So, we have starting from the left here, our development director at Partners with Families and Children, um Kyle Lawrence. Next to him is Rebecca Hag Green. She is one of our forensic interviewers. And then is Stephanie Woodhelm. She is our Children's Advocacy Center program director. Then we have Dr. Pam Colemmyer who is a board member. And then we have Amanda Fry from the prosecutor's office, Rebecca Neighbors, a child legal advocate with Partners but working out of the prosecutor's office, and Preston McCullum from the prosecutor's office. So, thank you all for all the work you do every single day and for being here today. Yes. Thank you very much.

Thank you. So, if everyone wants to come down in front and we'll get a photo. Okay. Thank you all so very much for being here. We appreciate all the proclamations that we've done today. Um so but we do have to continue our meeting. So again, we are striking 6C from today's agenda. And so then I will look to my fellow commissioners.

Madame Chair, I move to approve items four, five, and six, including all sub items with the exception of items 6C. Second. have a motion and and a second for items three, four, just four, five, sorry. Six um excluding 6C on today's agenda and all sub items. Any further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying I. I.

I. Motion passes unanimously. That will then take us to item 7A, which is a public hearing item to consider amending an existing telecommunications franchise granted to Nightcom, Inc. and Matt Zakar. Thank you, Madam Chair. here today to discuss amending an existing franchise we have with Night Nightcom Telecom and their current franchise is for just limited locations around Spokane County and the proposal is simply to expand the geographic coverage area to the entire county. Um none of the other terms and conditions of the franchise are changing. Uh happy to answer any questions regarding it.

Are there any discussion? Any questions? Okay. Thank you. So, this is a public hearing item, so I will open it to public testimony on item 7A is just presented. See no one online. No one in the audience. Second call for anyone wishing to testify on item number 7A. Seeing no one online, no one in the audience. Third and final call. Okay, seeing no one online and no one in the audience, I'm going to close the public testimony and look to my fellow commissioners. Madam Chair, move to approve public hearing item number 7A as presented by staff. Second.

I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying I. I. I. I. I. Motion passes unanimously. Um, are there any miscellaneous items to come before us? We we had a plethora this morning, so I think I think we're good. Okay. And is uh anything else, Mr. Folson. No April Fools. Very good. Very good. Okay. With no uh further items coming before us, we will close the uh meeting for today and adjourn it. Thank you all very much. Uh we will be off next week for spring break and be back the following week. Thank you.