The euthanasia of shelter pets keeps reverberating in local government as Spokane County has opened arbitration over the city's contract for animal control services with Spokane County Regional Animal Protective Service (SCRAPS). On Sept. 25, the Spokane City Council passed an emergency ordinance restricting the euthanization of animals at the shelter due to lack of space, after more than a dozen dogs were put down in one day the week prior. The next day, Sept. 26, Spokane County sent a letter to the city noting that SCRAPS would not abide by the ordinance (which would only affect animals impounded in city limits) without going through a dispute resolution process. Last week, county CEO Scott Simmons asked the city to repeal the ordinance and said SCRAPS already does not euthanize animals only due to space constraints. "We really need that [ordinance] to be repealed, and then we can move forward on resolving these disputes," Simmons told council members last Thursday. (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)
TARGETED VANDALISM
Hate reared its ugly head in Spokane last week when vandals took aim at local showcases of support for the LGBTQ+ community — three nights in a row. On Friday, paint was smeared across the pride flag intersection mural on Spokane Falls Boulevard near Riverfront Park as well as the rainbow crosswalk outside the Odyssey Youth Movement facility in the South Perry neighborhood. Atomic Threads Boutique, which boasts a wide array of gender-inclusive clothing, also had one of its windows smashed at its North Monroe Street location. Then, on Saturday, Odyssey found hate speech spray-painted across its windows, door and sign. The next night vandals returned to further mar the already-paint-covered South Perry crosswalk with tire marks. "These actions are designated to make LGBTQ+ youth and young adults feel unwelcome and othered in their own community," OYM Executive Director Ian Sullivan says. The Spokane Police Department is investigating the incidents. (COLTON RASANEN)
CONDITIONS AND AFFAIRS
This week's Spokane City Council meeting opened with Mayor Nadine Woodward presenting a legally required update on what's been going on in Spokane. "I am fulfilling my duty as mayor to deliver the statement of conditions and affairs at the second October meeting of the City Council," Woodward said as she started her speech. Woodward touched on a number of topics, including her vision for a "back to basics" approach as the city heads into a challenging budget season. "We are in a time of economic uncertainty," Woodward said, adding that an Association of Washington Cities survey found that one-third of cities in Washington (including Spokane) expect their expenses to outpace revenues this year. Economic downturn, inflation, increasing costs and "ongoing structural challenges" are major factors across the state and in Spokane, Woodward said, stressing that she wants to have an "unyielding emphasis on resetting ourselves around core principle services" this year. Public safety is the top priority, Woodward said, and accounts for more than half the general fund portion of this year's proposed budget. (NATE SANFORD)
