Recap of Feb 10 Cheney City Council Meeting

Hi everyone! I am working to get these recaps out more quickly and appreciate your patience as I continue to improve that turnaround time.

I also want to first address the incident that occurred during our February 10 meeting.

Zoom Disruption

During public comment, our meeting was unfortunately disrupted by individuals engaging in what is commonly referred to as “Zoom bombing.” The content shared was inappropriate and unacceptable. The individuals were removed as quickly as possible, but they rejoined almost immediately. As a result, the Zoom meeting was shut down for the remainder of the evening.

The meeting recording was transitioned to the court camera system so the meeting could continue. While functional, that system does not allow for live remote participation and the audio and video quality are not as strong. The recording is not yet publicly available because it is currently being reviewed with legal counsel as the City determines how to properly store and redact it in accordance with public records requirements.

In response, the City has moved Council meetings to a Zoom webinar format, which provides significantly more control over attendees and should help prevent a similar disruption in the future. We remain committed to maintaining a respectful and accessible public meeting environment.

General Meeting Notes

We heard three public comments:

• All three individuals spoke in support of reinstating the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of City Council meetings.
• The third speaker also expressed support for the resolution to hire two additional firefighters.

There were also four public comments submitted via email to the Council and Mayor. These were acknowledged in the record but were not read aloud in full during the meeting.

We received one informational presentation from David Smith, who shared a 2025 recap of the Cheney Outreach Center. He highlighted the incredible generosity within our community that continues to sustain and strengthen this important program.

David also noted some concerning trends, particularly a growing need for energy assistance. The organization plans to pursue additional grant funding to help meet that increased demand. Additionally, with the Medical Lake and Airway Heights outreach programs no longer able to provide rental assistance, they have asked Cheney Outreach to help fill that gap.

To respond, Cheney Outreach has applied for a new grant that would fund one full-time and one part-time staff position, along with expanded rental assistance support for neighboring communities. They expect to have an update within 30 to 40 days regarding whether the grant has been awarded and what the next steps will be.

We had 10 resolutions and all passed unanimously:

Fire Department

• Resolution F-463 – Red Cross Outreach Campaign: Enter into a no-cost agreement with the American Red Cross to support a smoke detector installation and fire preparedness campaign in Cheney.

• Resolution F-464 – Increase Fire Department Staffing: Authorization to hire two full-time firefighters to increase staffing levels in the Fire Department. This came out of the Council decision to decline the SAFER grant at the previous meeting knowing we still need to increase firefighter staffing.

Municipal Court

• Resolution F-465 – ILA with Lincoln County for Jail Services: Establish an interlocal agreement (ILA) with Lincoln County to house defendants for confinement when assigned long-term sentences.
• Resolution F-471 – Public Defense ILA with Spokane County: Approve an interlocal agreement with Spokane County for 1st-appearance public defense services, reducing the need for a city-appointed public defender on standby.
• Resolution F-472 – Cheney Prosecutor Contract: Approve a new contract for the Cheney city prosecutor to update compensation and terms.

Light Department

• Resolution F-466 – Ziply Fiber Third Amendment to Lease Agreement: Approve a third amendment to the lease with Ziply Fiber for use of city fiber and server space (March 1 through May 31, 2026) at $5,500 per month, with revenue used for maintenance and operations.

Public Works Department

• Resolution F-467 – Umbrella ILA for Public Works Services with Spokane County: Enter into an umbrella interlocal agreement with Spokane County for public works services.
• Resolution F-468 – FCS Contract Extension: Extend the contract with FCS for ongoing utility rate studies, including reuse rate work.
• Resolution F-469 – Water Department Service Truck Purchase: Authorize the purchase of a water department service truck (budget originally $60,000; vehicle in stock).

Financial

• Resolution F-470 – Lodging Tax Disbursement: Approve lodging tax allocations: full funding recommended for Pac8 Hockey and Mayfest events (separate applications received).

No staff reports were given at this meeting. In the Mayor’s report, we heard that recruitment is underway for several key leadership roles, including a permanent Police Chief and City Administrator.

During Council reports, each Councilmember shared updates from the committees they serve on. We also gave a shoutout to the Eastern Washington University alum who had the fun distinction of playing on both Super Bowl teams this year, reminded the community about Cheney Clean Sweep coming up on April 11, and Councilmember Nazzaro shared about the new Coffee with Council series we are launching in Cheney. The first gathering was this past Saturday and was a great opportunity to connect with neighbors!

I also provided a brief presentation highlighting my recent trip to Olympia for the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) City Action Days, shared an update on onboarding progress, and recapped attending the Commute Smart Awards.

Wrap Up

Thanks for sticking with me through another recap!

Our next City Council meeting is tonight. You can view the agenda here:
https://www.cityofcheney.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02242026-650?html=true

I hope to see you there, whether in person or on Zoom. I truly appreciate your engagement and involvement in our local community.