Recap of Jan 13 City Council Meeting

Hi folks! We’ve packed a lot into just the first half of January, and I wanted to share a quick recap of everything that’s happened so far.

The year kicked off with Council Training on January 6th, followed by our swearing‑in ceremony on January 13th for newly elected Councilmembers Shelly Hahn, Mark Posthuma, and myself, along with our new Mayor, Elsa Martin. Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us. It was wonderful to see a full house at Wren Pierson. Immediately afterward, we got right to work and headed down to City Hall for our first regular meeting that included a full agenda. You can watch the recording of the meeting below as well.

General Meeting Notes

Our previous City Administrator left in August, and sometime after that Mayor Grover, with Council approval, appointed Todd Ableman and Cindy Niemeier as co‑interim City Administrators. Todd retired in December, and Cindy retired this past week, leaving a temporary leadership gap while Mayor Martin begins the search for a full‑time City Administrator. Mayor Martin asked Todd to return for a 90‑day appointment as sole interim City Administrator, and Council unanimously approved the appointment.

We heard two public comments:

• A request to expand parking on College Street
• Support for Cheney accepting the SAFER grant to help fund and staff the Fire Department

Spokane Transit Authority (STA) also presented their Connect 2035 Strategic Plan as an informational item.

We took a moment to recognize Cindy for her many contributions to the City, with a heartfelt message from Todd honoring her retirement.

Council then entered a brief Executive Session as per RCW 42.30.110 (1)(i):

"To discuss with legal counsel representing the agency matters relating to agency enforcement actions, or to discuss with legal counsel representing the agency litigation or potential litigation to which the agency, the governing body, or a member acting in an official capacity is, or is likely to become, a party, when public knowledge regarding the discussion is likely to result in an adverse legal or financial consequence to the agency."

Chambers were cleared and the Zoom recording paused, then resumed once the session concluded.

We unanimously approved several standard resolutions:

• Resolution F‑456: Updating the authorized individual on the Local Government Investment Pool Authorization Form to interim Finance Director Marnie Ashford
• Resolution F‑457: Authorizing Zero DB pole attachment transfers for the Light Department, including a 15% contingency
• Resolution F‑458: Approving replacement of the Well Seven pump, which is now beyond repair, using appropriated Public Works funds plus an additional $14,800

Fire Department FEMA SAFER Grant

Fire Chief Jenkins again presented Resolution F-459 for the FEMA SAFER grant, which the City applied for and has been awarded. We invested $6,000 in a grant writer to help secure this funding covering four firefighters for three years, and the City agreeing to cover a fifth firefighter through overtime savings.

The grant structure:

• Years 1–2: Grant covers 75% of salary for four firefighters; City covers 25%
• Year 3: Grant covers 35%; City covers 65%

The Fire Department previously presented this grant in October and November. In November, due to a holiday‑shifted meeting and an absent Councilmember, the vote resulted in a tie, which Mayor Grover broke—declining the grant.

This month, FEMA granted an extension through January 31, 2026, and unlocked our application, allowing the new Council to change the response from “decline” if we choose to accept it.

Throughout these discussions there have been some concerns raised which include:

• How to sustainably fund the City’s share, especially in year three and beyond
• What happens to the firefighters after the grant period if funding cannot be maintained
• DHS standard terms and conditions tied to federal grants, especially the requirement for cooperation with federal immigration officials (Section C, Subsection IX)

At our January 13th meeting, we voted to defer the final decision to our next meeting on January 27th to allow time to gather more information. I recommended forming a small working group (“tiger team”) to help the Fire Chief develop clearer long‑term funding projections. I also requested that our City Attorney present the legal language we would submit to FEMA clarifying that we will not agree to terms requiring cooperation with federal immigration officers. State law appears to support this position, but we want to review the exact language before voting. I believe we all share a commitment to supporting and adequately funding our Fire Department, and I’m optimistic about the next presentation.

Mayor Pro Tem Selection

With a new Council seated and former Mayor Pro Tem Overhauser retiring at the end of last year, we held nominations for the next Mayor Pro Tem. This role steps in when the Mayor is unavailable, including facilitating Council meetings. Councilmember Posthuma was elected in a 4–3 vote and has graciously accepted the two‑year appointment.

Closing Thoughts

I’m very excited for the year ahead and honored to serve our community in this role. Thank you again to everyone who joined us for the swearing‑in ceremony and to all who attended or tuned in to the Council meeting on Zoom. It was great to see such strong participation and engagement!