Approved by the Council. These are the official minutes of record.
January 15, 2026 | Latah Bistro Wine & Taps | 6:00–7:30 p.m.
Attendance
Voting Members Present: Charlene Faoro, Lee Poquette, Becky Dickerhoof, Ron Dickerhoof, Duane Huesers, Edward Bruya, Stephanie Watson, Celeste Shaw, Pat Nault
Voting Members Absent: Jordan Bilodeaux, Bonnie Asien, Conifer Defour, Jim Schrock
Additional Attendees: Eme Ray, Lori Bertis, Elizabeth Goldsmith (Comstock NC), Erik Lowe
(Bolded names in the original are eligible to vote at the next meeting; email LatahValleyNC@gmail.com to correct attendance.)
Call to Order
Chair Stephanie Watson called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m.
Consent Agenda
Approval of November Minutes and January Agenda. Motion to approve by Ed Bruya, seconded by Charlene Faoro. Motion passes unanimously.
Updates — Guest Presentations + Reports
Neighborhood Resource Officer Micah Prim — Spokane Police Department
Spokane Police Department recently hired an additional neighborhood resource officer for the downtown area based out of Wall Precinct. SPD Neighborhood Resource Officer: Dylan Pavlischak, dpavlischak@spokanepolice.org
7th and Inland Empire Way has experienced increased outreach and enforcement related to homeless outreach and clean-up recently. There are a lot of camps on the hillside below 7th and IEW. Service providers are very responsive to calls for homeless issues. Residents should report traffic concerns to SPD so they can be tracked.
Shared crime report, “Latah-Hangman Neighborhood Council Meeting 1-15-26,” crime trend hot spots on Inland Empire Way and near US Highway 195. This month Fire or Fireworks, Shots Fired, Suspicious Activity, and Domestic Dispute were top reported incidents. Three illegally parked vehicles were reported. Encouraged to continue to make 311 reports via call/webform for traffic calming/speeding and suggestions (even if you already reported it weeks/months ago).
Crime Check: 509-456-2233. Officer Prim can be reached at mprim@spokanecity.org.
City Legislative Update — District 2: Council Member Paul Dillon & Council Member Kate Telis
- City Council had a special meeting on January 15 to approve liaisons to boards and commissions. Council President Wilkerson will chair the Budget. CM Klitzke is Pro Tem, CM Telis will chair Public Safety, CM Paul Dillon will be Parks Board of Directors Liaison and Budget VP.
- Traffic Calming — CP Wilkerson will attend a walking tour of Inland Empire Way. February and March are the rollout period for comments to escalate project concerns through the City’s 311; residents should call about potholes, graffiti, and traffic calming needs.
- Traffic monitors placed at IEW showed an average daily speed of 10 mph over the posted speed limit. Latah-Hangman Neighborhood Council may prioritize two locations for speed tracking trailers again in 2026.
- CM Dillon recommends Latah-Hangman Neighborhood Council have a non-voting representative attend the City’s Transportation Commission — meetings are held the third Wednesday of the month at 4 p.m. in Council Chambers and videoconference.
- Sub Area Plan — looking at designating a possible “Center” (as in Centers and Corridors planning paradigm) in Vinegar Flats on a few blocks of Inland Empire Way. There will be a Town Hall.
- The City will manage its own 911 dispatch center going forward. Changes to the prior interlocal agreement with Spokane Regional Emergency Center (SREC) within a 2-year period will be completely internal at City with no interruptions to call-in services.
- Fire Station — CM Dillon is looking to fund with impact fees. The goal is to complete construction in less than two years, by early 2028.
- The Parks department will lease a parcel of land in High Bridge Park near the confluence of the Latah (Hangman) Creek and the Spokane River to the American Indian Center. The AIC is fundraising for a capital project to build a permanent gathering place and service hub for the Native population of Spokane.
- Washington State Legislature — City of Spokane is fighting the $8M fine for Waste to Energy emissions from last session. City staff are supporting lobbying efforts to reduce/remove these fines. Contact: CM Dillon, pdillon@spokanecity.org; CM Telis, ktelis@spokanecity.org
City — Sarah Nuss, Director of Emergency Management
The City will support a wildfire evacuation exercise in the Latah-Hangman neighborhoods to be scheduled in 2026 — likely spring, April or May TBD. This will require many volunteers from our neighborhoods as the city’s Office of Emergency Management has limited staffing capacity.
Since Latah-Hangman neighborhood bounds are divided north and south by US Highway 195, two sections of the neighborhood will be organized along that separation to support planning. Locations TBD. Drill partnerships will include police, fire, state patrol, and WSDOT. With volunteer support, the number of vehicles will be counted with an app to check in. Last year, in April 2025, Grandview-Thorpe piloted a fire drill evacuation and noted their bottlenecks with neighbors, volunteers, and city support, and held an after-action to summarize their drill.
Residents who did not sign up in person at the January 15th meeting should email snuss@spokanecity.org to be added to the list (and attend the March 19th Latah-Hangman Neighborhood Council meeting). The Alert Spokane website has crashed due to issues with the contractor that provided the site to the city. The city is looking for a new vendor for local mass notification needs. Until there is a vendor, the city is relying on the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) provided through Spokane County Emergency Management.
Spokane County District Court Judge — Hon. Andrew Biviano: Criminal Justice Initiatives
Judge Biviano described Spokane County criminal justice initiatives emerging from a multi-year grant project funded by the MacArthur Foundation. The Community Engagement Leadership Team is doing a survey to educate residents about the various initiatives and get input on criminal justice needs to be funded in the future by tax revenue. This effort is not directly related to the replacement of the county jail. Take the survey to share input with the legal/safety community. Traffic court, small claims court, incarceration/jail, and community engagement for areas of community priority for Spokane, and a crisis stabilization center. A MacArthur grant is ending, so tax dollars and community input matter for future funding. (Judge Biviano is on the Safe + Healthy Spokane Task Force.)
Office of Neighborhood Services — Amber Groe
Amber encouraged the Latah-Hangman Neighborhood Council members to review and comment on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Comprehensive Plan update being finalized in 2026. This will have an impact on where the city will expand to accommodate growth over the next 20 years. Public workshops are scheduled; the last one is on February 12 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the South Hill Library.
2026 Spokane Safe Streets for All / Traffic Calming Updates
To streamline public feedback for the 2026 traffic calming program, City staff are accepting neighborhood council and resident feedback primarily via the City’s 3-1-1 Customer Service channels.
Beginning Feb. 2, 2026, the City’s 3-1-1 team will be collecting traffic calming concerns and feedback. Residents and Neighborhood Councils should submit comments by calling 3-1-1, or by visiting the City’s Customer Service Request webpage and submitting an online request (recommended method for uploading documents, photos, resolutions from NCs).
Concerns submitted via call or online request between Feb. 2, 2026 and March 31, 2026 will receive consideration for this upcoming funding cycle (consideration does not mean it will be funded). The 3-1-1 service staff and online portal will remain open after March 31 for ongoing collection of concerns. In addition to submitting comments about potential/new traffic calming projects, NCs and residents are encouraged to review the 2023 DOWL Proposed Project List. These projects were developed after traffic calming workshops with neighborhood councils in 2023. Note: some of the projects in the document have been completed.
Applications are due in April from the NC for 2026 speed monitors. Three locations can be requested; probably two will be approved.
New Business
Ron Dickerhoof moved to discuss New Business; Pat Nault seconded.
Meadowlane J Turn — A public meeting will be held by the City of Spokane Department of Engineering Services at the March 19 Latah-Hangman Neighborhood Council meeting to introduce the project to rebuild the US 195 and Meadowlane Road intersection. The meeting will take place at St. John’s Lutheran Church.
State DOT personnel will be on a panel. The project will begin in Spring 2026 and be completed in the summer or fall.
The Chair, Stephanie Watson, requested a volunteer to read and organize the email notices sent to Latah-Hangman Neighborhood Council about development projects potentially impacting the neighborhood.
General Announcements & Public Comment
Celeste Shaw announced plans to install a Vinegar Flats neon sign in front of the Lucky Goods shop at 1406 S Inland Empire Way (working with Baldwin Signs).
Adjournment
Becky Dickerhoof moved to adjourn; Duane Huesers seconded. The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.