Latest news with #PamHaley
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Spokane County, two largest cities agree to share data, coordinate on homelessness response
May 25—The Inland Northwest took a step towards a regional, coordinated response to homelessness this week, although not to the lengths advocates once hoped. Spokane County and the cities of Spokane and Spokane Valley have signed on to an interlocal agreement to work together on the state's housing and homelessness crisis. The agreement ensures coordinated data sharing, award granting, extreme weather responses and development planning. Spokane Valley Mayor Pam Haley said the collaboration should help the region combat homelessness more efficiently and help people achieve better and lasting outcomes. "Addressing homelessness cannot be tackled alone by any single jurisdiction," Haley said. "This collaboration will allow us to pool our resources to coordinate planning efforts, establish priority interventions to meet the needs of our community, and jointly evaluate the performance of providers to maximize the regional funds dedicated to homelessness." The agreement is the first major step towards the regional approach to homelessness posited by local leaders a few years ago. But it's not the regional authority composed of government officials, service providers, business leaders and subject matter experts explored while former Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward was in office, and that appeared to lose steam over the competing interests and personalities involved, and a wave of new leaders put in office during the 2023 election cycle. "By continuing to collaborate, we can make more efficient use of public dollars and improve outcomes for people experiencing homelessness in our communities," Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said in a written statement. State law requires counties in Washington to adopt a five-year homeless housing plan consistent with guidelines laid out by the state Department of Commerce, and to provide regular updates through annual progress reports on those plans. The city of Spokane is also required to adopt a strategy as it administers state and federal housing funds. The Valley administers only a fraction of the funding Spokane and the county do, but is included in the region's Continuum of Care 2025-30 Five-Year Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. George Dahl, Spokane County's housing and community development administrator, said the interlocal agreement is predicated on the five-year plan, ensuring collaboration as each government body works to meet its objectives. Dahl told the commissioners it replaces a 2012 contract between the county and the city of Spokane for homelessness data sharing. "This interlocal really spells out that we will coordinate, collaborate and work well together, whether I'm in the seat three years from now, or if my counterparts of the city or the Valley are there," Dahl said. In addition to sharing data, coordinating inclement weather and emergency shelter responses and having housing and support services staff meet regularly, the three jurisdictions have agreed to coordinate on how they distribute funding for housing and homeless services projects in the region. Spokane Valley City Services Administrator Gloria Mantz said contract requirements and performance measures will also be more consistent between the three when awarding funding. "There are very limited dollars for these purposes, and we can only expect that we're going to see a reduction in the near future with what's happening at the federal level," Mantz said. "So it's very important you know that we pick the best qualified and that they adhere to the contract requirements and that they're meeting those performance measures."
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Washington law keeps identifying information of whistleblowers private following investigation into Spokane Valley councilman
May 18—OLYMPIA — Washington lawmakers amended public disclosure law this year to require identifying information of accusers, complainants and witnesses in workplace discrimination or harassment cases be kept private and their voices altered in audio recordings. The legislation, introduced by Rep. Rob Chase, R-Spokane Valley, and signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson on Thursday, was written in response to what some Spokane Valley employees describe as targeted retaliation by City Councilman Al Merkel. Merkel has been bogged in controversy since taking office last year, largely due to a failure to get along with fellow council members and city staffers. Testy arguments have become a mainstay of council meetings as Merkel has repeatedly butted heads with the board and department heads over construction projects, grant applications and the complaints and investigations related to him. Last May, an independent investigator found Merkel repeatedly disrespected city staff, often engaging in "intimidating behavior." In one instance, he reportedly asked Mayor Pam Haley to stay after a council meeting to speak, and then stood between her and the door as he got in Haley's face and yelled at her, according to a city staffer who witnessed the event. Merkel has maintained the report cleared him of all "legal wrongdoing," apparently based on the investigator's determination that his behavior was the same towards city employees of all genders, ages and other protected classes. He argued city staff members did not like his "loud and direct" approach, that claims of harassment were "trumped up," and that his Latino heritage may contribute to how those in City Hall perceive him. City and board leaders say Merkel has continued to be disrespectful to staff following the investigation's findings, even after his office was moved from the dedicated office space for the council to the first floor of City Hall and the completion of a more than $40,000 remodel to the building to implement more separation and safety measures between Merkel and city staff. Merkel himself testified against the proposal as it worked through the Legislature. "Let's be real, this bill exists mainly to keep government actors from being held accountable," Merkel said. Merkle added that the city was attempting to silence him "because of the criticisms that I've laid at the city of Spokane Valley over tax waste." Merkel did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new law Friday afternoon. As he testified before the House Government committee in February, Chase said the bill was "prompted by an incident, a specific situation that happened in the city of Spokane Valley." "My goal is to protect employees who are investigating workplace harassment," Chase said. Speaking before the Senate Government Committee, Chase said the bill "protects whistleblowers." "We need to have whistleblowers who go out on a limb to protect the Republic," Chase said. As he signed the legislation Thursday, Ferguson said the bill "prevents victims of workplace harassment from being revictimized by an abuser who may figure out their identity through a public records request." Ferguson noted that Washington has one of the strongest public records laws in the country, though there must be a balance "to make sure that we're protecting folks who are facing real challenges." "And their information should not be shared," Ferguson said. The bill exempts the redaction of names and job titles of elected officials. While the public records act previously required the names of complainants, accusers, and witnesses to be redacted, several Spokane Valley employees said that disclosing their contact information and job title made them easily identifiable in documents. "This is happening right now within the city of Spokane Valley," Spokane Valley City Attorney Kelly Konkright told the House government committee in February. He said a council member had used the Public Records Act "to target and publicly criticize city employees who honestly reported what they believed and witnessed was harassing behavior. This is discouraging the city's employees from reporting future misconduct." Stressing that she believes in open and transparent government, another public records employee told members of the committee that the city had received "many public records requests" from Merkel for all records related to an investigation into his conduct. "The council member, after receiving them, then posted comments and quotes from those interviews on social media, along with heckling the participants in those interviews," the employee said, adding that Merkel also posted the records on his campaign website with the identity of those interviewed, along with a review of the investigations. "It felt a lot like retaliation to those of us who had participated in interview processes, when it was never a political intent for us to go after this council member." The incident, the employee said, has left many city employees saying they will no longer come forward to testify in future investigations. Another city employee told the committee that the postings resulted in "distrust and resentment" toward Merkel. Candice Bock, director of government relations for the Association of Washington Cities, told the committee that the intent of the bill is to "make sure that the Public Records Act is not being used as a tool for retaliation against our folks who participate in an investigation." "The Public Records Act is to make sure that the public has access to our records," Brock said. "When we use it as a tool for retaliation, that creates a chilling effect on our employees and on our process." The bill passed in the Senate 48 to 1 and passed the House 92 to 5. It takes effect July 26. Editor's note: This article has been updated to correctly identify Spokane Valley City Attorney Kelly Konkright
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spokane Valley City Council considering reiterating it's 'not a sanctuary city'; resolution would carry no practical weight
Mar. 31—The Spokane Valley City Council will vote Tuesday on a resolution declaring the suburb "not a sanctuary city," a reiteration of a political grandstanding measure the council approved nearly a decade ago. It's unlikely the updated resolution, if approved, would have any practical effect within the city's boundaries. It contains no action steps for law enforcement or city staff members, and Mayor Pam Haley said she does not expect anyone to notice a difference in operations. The resolution does, however, rebuke the state's sanctuary state law, the Keep Washington Working Act, while driving home the council's position that it supports all enforcement of federal immigration law, according to a draft of the proposal. It would repeal a 2016 resolution to the same effect adopted before the state's sanctuary law, the Keep Washington Working Act, was enacted three years later. Supporters of the sanctuary state law said at the time of its passage that it is not the primary purpose of state and local law enforcement, and a misuse of those jurisdictions' resources, to enforce federal immigration law. The law sought to ensure the rights of immigrant communities from unnecessary contact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, and it also intended to mitigate the potential ramifications if those communities were targeted and unable to contribute to the state industries to which they contribute. As a result of the law, local police departments and sheriff's offices are only allowed to assist or share information with federal forces in very limited circumstances. The prior resolution, which directed the Spokane Valley Police Department and city staff to assist federal forces in immigration cases, was more direct about law enforcement than the one being considered Tuesday. The new version makes no overt mention of the municipality's police force, which is essentially a bureau of the Spokane County Sheriff's Office. Instead, the resolution declares that the council "pledges its cooperation and assistance to, and directs the City Manager to cooperate, assist, and work with Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies for law enforcement activities that support the public safety of Spokane Valley residents to the maximum extent available and allowable under the law." That latter part includes state law, which means the Keep Washington Working Act is still applicable in Spokane Valley regardless of the council's actions Tuesday. Sheriff's office spokesman Cpl. Mark Gregory said passage of the resolution will not change operations or policies within the agency. County deputies, regardless of whether they are in Spokane Valley, will adhere to state law and internal policies in line with the Keep Washington Working Act, which both dictate information can be shared with federal forces only if it comes up in relation to a criminal investigation. Immigration status is overwhelmingly considered a civil matter under U.S. law and standing court decisions. The resolution also calls on federal, state and local lawmakers and law enforcement members to join the city in advocating for the enforcement of federal immigration laws and policies that prioritize the safety of everyone in the United States "lawfully," the draft states. When asked about the timing of the resolution coming forward, Haley said an update was needed because of the changes to state law. She did not offer a reason why the updates are being made now, rather than 6 years ago when the law took effect. "We're trying to be in alignment with both federal law and state law, so that we can bring the best outcome for our citizens," Haley said. The resolution is being considered following a resolution approved earlier this year by the Spokane City Council affirming the city's status as a sanctuary city, and as the Trump administration continues to threaten to withhold federal funding from municipalities considered out of line with the president's ideology. Spokane Valley leaders have long touted the city's success rate in applying for federal grants. Spokane Valley City Council meetings are typically held at 6 p.m. Tuesdays in Spokane Valley City Hall.
