Last month, Spokane City Council members asked Mayor Nadine Woodward to order an investigation into "unusual and concerning communications" between police Chief Craig Meidl and a group of downtown property owners. She refused. This week, the Council introduced an emergency ordinance that would give Spokane's Office of the Police Ombudsman authority to directly investigate the police chief. The ombudsman is tasked with investigating the police department, but city code says complaints against the chief need to go through the mayor. The city charter, however, says Spokane's ombudsman shall investigate "any matter necessary" to fulfill its duty. "This just removes that language that seems to restrict the ombudsman's powers that are under the charter," says Council President Breean Beggs. The relationship between the chief and the property owners was uncovered as part of a recent ombudsman investigation into a separate matter. In a lengthy interview with the Inlander last week, Ombudsman Bart Logue said he would have liked to dig further. "If we had broader authority, we might follow that trail. Because maybe there's nothing to see here," Logue said. "But are there policy violations? I don't know." (NATE SANFORD)
SAYONARA SNOWPACK
While things in the world of water monitoring were starting to look positive in late April, with the state hitting 111 percent of normal snowpack, a hot May quickly spoiled that. Over 18 days of record-setting heat in May, Washington saw half of its snowpack melt, according to the state Department of Ecology. The Spokane River went from a rip-roaring 24,000 cubic-feet-per-second of water flowing on May 8 to a measly 4,300 cfs during the early morning hours of June 5, according to U.S. Geological Survey tracking. That's far below the 6,500 cfs required by state law from mid-April to mid-June to protect the aquifer and wildlife. Some creeks in the Spokane River watershed have already dried up, and some water rights holders on the Little Spokane River could be asked to stop using surface water this month, Ecology reports. (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)
I LIKE TO PARK MY BICYCLE
Cyclists may soon have more places to lock up, after the Spokane City Council voted on Monday to increase the number of bike parking spots developers can include in new buildings. Under the previous rules, up to 10 percent of the parking spaces required for new buildings could be swapped for bike parking at a rate of five bike parking spots per car parking spot. The new rules allow up to 25 percent of parking spaces to be substituted with bike parking. Developers can now swap out one auto parking spot with four short-term bike parking spots, like simple bike racks, or exchange a car parking space with one long-term bike parking space, which are more secure and can include indoor spaces, lockers or gated rooms. Existing car parking spots can also be converted under the new rules. In a recent survey of current or potential bike parking users, 72 percent of respondents said they agreed or strongly agreed with the changes. (NATE SANFORD)
