Recap of April 28th Cheney City Council Meeting

We have another City Council meeting tonight (May 12th) so let's review what happened at our last meeting. The video recording of the meeting is available to watch and you can also read the (draft) meeting minutes that are up for approval tonight.

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Notes

This meeting was a longer one, running 2 hours 11 minutes with a packed agenda.

Public Comments

We had a single public comment from a resident speaking in favor of us passing the kratom ordinance that bans the sale of kratom products within city limits.

Informational Items

There were three informational items presented:

• Spokane Conservation District: Director Vicki Carer and Public Affairs Specialist Kohl Leroy presented on the district's work serving our region. They also shared that the district will be presenting a proposal to the Spokane County Board of County Commissioners to increase their tax levy from $10 to $15 per parcel of land in order to maintain their current level of service. That proposal goes before the County, not the City, so stay tuned to the county level if you want to follow that one.
• 2026 Legislative Wrap-Up: Our city lobbyist, Debora Munguia, gave Council an update on this year's legislative session and a preview of priorities heading into the next one. One highlight: the City has not had a formal legislative agenda for the past three years, and Ms. Munguia encouraged Council to organize and build one this year. She walked us through what that process looks like and what it takes to do it well. More to come on this as we get started down that path!
• Darwin AI: Shelley Ballard and Dustin Haisler presented Darwin AI, a platform designed to help municipalities like Cheney manage their AI policies and AI usage. This is a timely topic, as AI usage has been determined to be public record, meaning cities need tools to track and manage it responsibly. The demo covered how a tool like this can help enforce AI policy by restricting usage to approved tools only and helping prevent accidental exposure of personally identifiable information, like a social security number being inadvertently shared with an AI system. As someone with a technology background, I took the opportunity to ask a number of questions about their security practices and development process. To be clear, this was an informational item only. No action was taken and no commitment was made to purchase this or any other tool.

Resolutions

We had three resolutions presented and all passed unanimously.

• Resolution F-488 — Residential Street Preservation Tax Renewal: The city currently has a dedicated 4% tax on electrical and natural gas utilities that funds residential street preservation, but it's set to expire at the end of 2026. This resolution authorizes placing a renewal measure on the ballot, proposing to increase the rate to 6% with a 14-year sunset. During the meeting, Councilmember Barthels moved to amend the resolution to allow the measure to appear on either the August or November ballot rather than locking in August specifically. The amendment carried unanimously, as did the resolution as amended. Cheney voters will have the final say.
• Resolution F-489 — Pickleball & Tennis Court Lighting: This resolution approves a lighting contract as part of a larger 2026 Parks and Recreation project to rehabilitate the existing tennis courts and add four new pickleball courts. The lighting scope includes upgrading current tennis court fixtures to LED and installing new lighting for the pickleball courts. The project received a $5,000 grant from the Spokane Parks Foundation and anticipates a roughly $10,000 energy efficiency rebate from BPA, helping offset costs for Cheney taxpayers. Passed unanimously.
• Resolution F-490 — Aquatic Center Gift Agreement: This resolution formally accepts a generous anonymous donation of $300,000 over 10 years to the Cheney Aquatic Center, made possible through an existing partnership with the Spokane Parks Foundation. In a meaningful act of community spirit, the donor declined traditional naming rights and instead asked only that the building's signage include the phrase "A Gift to the Cheney Community." Passed unanimously.

Ordinances

There was only one ordinance on the table for discussion for its first reading.

Ordinance Z-03 — Prohibition on Kratom Sales:

Background: This ordinance follows the lead of neighboring cities that have already banned the sale of kratom products within their city limits. Spokane and Spokane Valley were first, and since our last Council meeting, Medical Lake has also passed their own kratom ban. Kratom is an unregulated, addictive, and potentially dangerous substance that can be easily found at local gas stations and convenience stores. Washington State was unable to address kratom regulation during this year's legislative session, so a coalition of municipalities across the state is working to align on similar local ordinances as a stopgap until Olympia can hopefully take it up next year. If state or federal regulation is enacted, the city ordinance would sunset automatically and defer to that higher level of regulation and enforcement.

Scope: To clear up some confusion that has come up in the community, here is exactly what this ordinance does and does not do:

This ordinance does:

• Prohibit the sale of kratom products at any business operating within Cheney city limits
• Subject businesses that violate the ban to escalating fines
• Direct fine revenue into a dedicated fund for public education and enforcement (added as an amendment during this meeting)

This ordinance does not:

• Prohibit purchasing kratom online
• Prohibit possessing kratom
• Prohibit personally consuming kratom

The focus is squarely on retail sales within our city. Because no age restrictions on kratom exist at the state or federal level, a local sales ban makes it meaningfully harder for kids to access these products at the gas station or corner store.

Discussion: The ordinance was presented for its first reading by Interim City Administrator Mr. Ableman, with questions answered by Police Chief Oakes and Fire Chief Jenkins. Council had a substantive discussion about the best path forward for our community's public safety. Councilmember Barthels raised alternative approaches during the meeting, including issuing a proclamation against kratom or asking local businesses to voluntarily remove the products from their shelves. Those ideas were left open in the room without resolution. Following the meeting, I received confirmation from the City that the voluntary ask to businesses is not something they plan to act on. As for the proclamation idea, that remains on the table as a potential option to revisit if the ordinance ultimately does not pass, but the plan is to see the full ordinance process through before considering a pivot to another approach. Councilmember Belock proposed directing fine revenue into a dedicated fund to support public education on kratom's risks and enforcement of the ban, which was incorporated into the motion.

Process: Ordinances of this type typically go through three readings before Council, giving the public ample opportunity to weigh in. Councilmember Barthels moved to approve the first reading in title and summary form only, incorporating Councilmember Belock's dedicated fund amendment. That motion passed unanimously. The second reading comes before Council tonight, May 12, for further discussion and consideration.

Staff and Council Reports

• Fire Chief Jenkins: A smoke alarm blitz in partnership with the American Red Cross is scheduled for May 16.
• Mayor Martin highlighted the Cheney Depot grand opening and ribbon cutting, and previewed Mayfest on May 9.
• Councilmember Long (me! 😄) shared about attending Betz's Steam Night, Coffee with Council, a Medical Lake Council meeting, the Depot opening, and EWU Alumni Awards.

• Councilmember Belock flagged Well 5 updates coming in May and noted the filing period for elected officials.
• Councilmember Hahn flagged an upcoming special Steering Committee of Elected Officials meeting focused on housing allocation methodologies, which local governments need to complete as part of their comprehensive plans under the Growth Management Act.

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Last meeting was a productive one, and tonight looks to be equally full. On the agenda: a vote to confirm the appointment of Cheney's new Finance Director, acceptance of a ladder truck from Spokane Valley Fire that will be a welcome addition to our Fire Department, and the second reading of the kratom ordinance. You can check out the full agenda here and I hope to see you tonight!