Streets, parking, budgets and awards…
Brian Coddington, Communications Director, No Phone Number Available
Tuesday, July 8, 2014 at 2:30 p.m.
Street construction and maintenance, the budget, parking and awards were the topics of Spokane Mayor David Condon's media briefing.
- Four South Hill projects, either underway or upcoming, will improve the drivability of streets and enhance safety. Those projects are on Grand Boulevard, Ray Street, High Drive and Lincoln/Monroe streets. These are part of the more than 41 projects planned citywide this season totaling #36 million in construction.
- A discussion is underway about a plan to establish sustainable funding for street improvements. The City has proposed a pay-as-you-go model that would create up to $25 million annually over 20 years for street improvements through strategic refinancing. The next step is to develop an oversight plan for the proposed streets levy.
- The 2015 budget discussion is underway. Hard works and tough decisions closed the budget gap that faced the City last year and allowed the City to finish 2013 about 0.3 percent to the good. Just past the midpoint in the 2014 budget year, revenues are tracking even with expenses.
- Over the past 60 days, people paid off their overdue parking tickets without collection fees or interest. And, they came out in big numbers - especially at the end. Overall, 443 people paid off 2,046 tickets totaling $89,445 – and 948 of those tickets were paid during the last week of the program. Over the course of the 60-day Parking Amnesty Program, those who paid off tickets saved more than $74,298 in collection fees and $22,000 in interest. Letters will be sent this week to those who still have four or more overdue parking tickets, are now eligible for the boot-and-tow program that begins this month.
- The City has received some recent recognition. Spokane was recognized by the state Department of Ecology for full compliance with its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit. The second award, the Culture of Health Prize from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, recognized Spokane for "understanding the strong connection between education and health" and taking on "graduationrates and school attendance as health issues."
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