Council hears right‑of‑way delivery challenges; staff proposes in‑house acquisition agent

Public Works Director Robert Blagan and City Services Administrator Gloria Manz briefed the Spokane Valley City Council on right‑of‑way (ROW) acquisition challenges tied to federal obligation requirements and growing consultant costs, then proposed creating an in‑house right‑of‑way agent by upgrading a vacant budgeted position.

Blagan told council the ROW phase is a frequent project bottleneck because federal grants require specific design and NEPA milestones before funds can be obligated. He said appraisal work (required for parcels valued over $25,000), negotiation periods with property owners and possible eminent‑domain proceedings lengthen schedules and increase cost risk. “We rely on consultants for this; we don't have qualified staff in‑house,” Blagan said, describing frequent consultant turnover and travel‑driven delays when out‑of‑town teams must negotiate with local owners.

Staff noted the consultant cost to manage ROW for projects has risen: cited averages moved from about $150,000 (2018 baseline) to around $317,000 in recent years for comparable delivery services. To reduce schedule risk and preserve federal obligations, staff recommended reclassifying a funded but vacant grade‑15 position to a grade‑18 ROW agent. That position would be principally funded from CIP grants and stormwater funds, with minimal net impact on the general fund.

Council members responding to the proposal praised the customer‑service and delivery benefits of an in‑house agent and asked for performance metrics and a plan to augment staff with consultants during peak workloads. Council signaled consensus to return the proposal in ordinance/classification form for final action in the budget/position control process.