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Residents press council on EV pickups, traffic safety, and homelessness during open forum
Summary
During open forum, residents criticized a proposed EV pickup purchase, urged traffic calming on the Maple Street Bridge citing 90 collisions since 2021, and described gaps in Navigation Center shelter services; speakers also raised international humanitarian concerns and demanded accountability.
Spokane — During open forum at the Spokane City Council's legislative session, several residents addressed the council with concerns ranging from city vehicle procurement to neighborhood safety and homelessness services.
Will Huling, who identified himself as a downtown Spokane resident, urged the council to oppose a proposed purchase of Chevrolet Silverado EV pickup trucks, calling the cost "outrageous" and saying taxpayers should not pay for "overpriced vehicles." Huling cited comparative base prices during his comments and said the city "cannot afford wasteful spending." The council proceeded with consent-agenda voting; one consent item was recorded as passing 6-1.
Breean Megi, speaking on behalf of West Central and other neighborhood councils, presented a joint resolution asking the city to reduce the posted speed limit on the Maple Street Bridge from 40 to 30 mph, deploy automated speed enforcement and pursue infrastructure fixes for the northbound Sprague on-ramp. "There have been 90 collisions on that bridge since 2021," she said, and the neighborhood coalition said it will circulate the resolution to councilors for consideration.
Multiple residents described challenges with homeless services. Monica Muller said she was removed from a shelter run by Helping Hands and described sleeping on a church doorway, waiting in freezing temperatures and lacking resources to obtain stable housing. "The Navigation Center's doing nothing to help anyone at all," she said. Will Healing's, another downtown resident, praised daytime police presence but said nighttime conditions remain poor and asked for more officers; he also criticized local practices he said enable drug use near his building.
A separate commenter, Crystal Yasko (self-identified as a District Three resident and mother), spoke about humanitarian suffering in Gaza and urged elected officials to consider how tax dollars factor into international humanitarian outcomes.
James Earl raised concerns about security at recent demonstrations, referenced previous arrests and said he has called for council resignations since June 11.
The council ended public testimony and adjourned. Members reminded the public there will be no meeting on April 6 and invited community participation at Spokane Community Days on April 13.
Next steps: The neighborhood traffic-calming resolution will be circulated to council members for consideration; council staff and relevant departments would be the proper channels for follow-up on shelter complaints and procurement questions.
