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Spokane Valley staff present 2026 TIP amendment, council weighs streamlined grant process
Summary
City staff updated the 2026 Transportation Improvement Program and the rolling six‑year TIP, reporting increased grant leverage and lower local share; council debated whether to streamline grant applications for projects already on the six‑year TIP while retaining transparency and public comment.
City planning and public works staff presented a technical amendment to the 2026 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and the proposed six‑year TIP May 26, asking council for input before bringing a public hearing and motion on June 16.
Adam Jackson, the city engineering planner, said the 2026 amendment updates which expenses are expected to be spent in calendar year 2026 and reflects newly secured grant funding. "This specific agenda item is an amendment to the 2026 year of the TIP that was adopted last year," Jackson said, explaining that the amendment adjusts 2026 line items so the city can spend REIT and grant dollars in 2026. Kristen Armstrong, senior engineer, walked council through grouping changes: projects that are in construction, updated projects that moved expense into 2026, removed projects with no 2026 expenses, and projects added because secured funds allowed them to be pulled forward.
Staff stressed the city had maximized outside grant funding in the amendment. "This amendment realizes that it's only 20% city funded," Jackson said, noting that additional grant funds increased the program total from earlier estimates. The presentation identified higher‑cost bridge and interchange projects (Sullivan/Trent, Argonne I‑90, Barker I‑90) and a set of preservation, reconstruction and multimodal projects that will be included in the six‑year list used for grant competitiveness.
Council discussion focused on two linked issues: transparency/public input and administrative efficiency. Council Member Yeager advocated allowing staff to pursue grant opportunities for projects already on the legislative agenda without repeated council motion steps, saying, "I'd like to see you guys just go for that money." Several other council members supported streamlining for long‑standing legislative projects provided council receives robust notification. Council Member Merkel expressed concern about grants that come with "strings attached," suggesting staff provide a rubric scoring grant opportunities against council priorities before approval.
Staff proposed options ranging from informational items followed by motion consideration to placing vetted grant applications on the consent agenda, with additional safeguards for projects with unusual community impacts. Council signaled conditional support for streamlining applications tied to the city's legislative agenda if staff maintains a strong notification process and allows full council discussion when projects require substantive changes.
Next steps: staff will return June 16 with a public hearing and recommended language for a resolution that will capture council preferences on notification and streamlining; TIP website content will be updated to reflect the amendment and project details.
