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Spokane Conservation District urges county to raise parcel charge to $15 to leverage more grant funding
Summary
Vicki Carter, director of the Spokane Conservation District, told the Medical Lake City Council the district will ask Spokane County to raise its parcel 'rates and charges' from $10 to $15; she said the modest $5 increase helps the district leverage five-to-nine dollars in grant funding for restoration, wildfire mitigation and education programs.
Vicki Carter, director of the Spokane Conservation District, told the City of Medical Lake council the district will seek an increase in the county-authorized parcel charge that helps fund its work across Spokane County. "What we're asking for tonight... asking for this to be raised to $15," Carter said, noting the state cap is $25 per parcel.
The district relies heavily on grants, Carter said, and the parcel fee provides a steady local funding base that unlocks outside money. She told the council that about 76% of the district's revenue currently comes from grants, roughly 10% from earned activities and rental income, and the remaining roughly 15% from rates and charges. Carter said every dollar the district receives can be leveraged five to nine times through matching and grant programs.
The proposed $5 rise — she repeatedly framed it as 42 cents per month per parcel — is planned to support a range of programs that have served Medical Lake residents, including post-fire restoration after the Gray and Oregon Road fires, tree and riparian restoration, low-interest loans for conservation tillage equipment and a robust education program. Carter cited outcomes attributed to current funding: more than 100,000 seedlings distributed annually countywide, over $42 million loaned through a conservation-tillage program, and millions invested in riparian habitat projects.
Carter described upcoming public hearings the district will hold prior to the county commissioners' August public hearing and vote; the first hearing is scheduled for May 12 (board meeting at 4:00 p.m., hearing at 6:00 p.m.) at the Spokane Conservation District campus, with a second hearing June 16. She invited Medical Lake residents who received services to testify. The district also provided historical context, explaining that Spokane was the first Washington district authorized to charge an assessment, starting at $3 per parcel in 1991 and increased over time to the current $10.
Council members asked clarifying questions about how the revenue is used and whether the increase would be uniform across parcels. Carter said the rate is a flat charge per parcel and not a property tax; its primary purpose is to stabilize local funding to attract larger grant awards. She stressed the district's voluntary, nonregulatory approach to landowner assistance.
The district will bring public testimony from the May and June hearings to the Spokane County Board of Commissioners, which will hold its own public hearing and consider the rate change in August.
