Council members and staff said the city has hired a tribal attorney and is preparing a memorandum of understanding and cultural easement to discuss shoreline reconveyance; jurisdictions will meet before a scheduled tribal meeting Nov. 4 to align goals and language.

Washington State Department of Transportation officials presented a design for the I‑5/170 Ninth Street interchange that would replace signals with roundabouts, rebuild two bridges, add shared-use paths and a fish‑passage channel, and aims to advertise construction in 2028 with work beginning in 2029.

Council members raised urgent concerns Oct. 21 about potential interruptions to WIC and SNAP benefits and federal food purchases if a federal shutdown continues past Nov. 1, and asked city staff to coordinate with county and regional partners and public-health stakeholders to assess options.

Public Works presented a proposed 2026 ferry rate schedule tied to a 65% fare-box recovery target; residents and island groups urged the county to reconsider how external federal/state ferry funds are counted, to re-evaluate a new phone-based ticketing vendor, and to reduce steep increases for seniors and multi-ride discounts.

After months of the planning group moving ahead without the city, Spokane Valleys council agreed to rejoin the regional Safe and Healthy Spokane planning effort and authorized City Manager John Homan to appoint Deputy City Manager Eric Lam to participate on the task force planning team, with Mayor Haley and Council Member Patton also to continue /

At a second public hearing on the 2026 budget, city finance staff told the council the draft budget holds a balanced general fund and a reserve above the citys 50% target; council members and commenters pressed for clarity on recurring vs. one-time spending, use of fund balance, and several specific line items.

Spokane Valleys City Council voted unanimously to authorize use of Proposition 1 public-safety sales-tax revenue to fund 10 dedicated positions, one shared position, fully fund an existing behavioral-health deputy, and purchase vehicles and related items; hiring to begin in January as collections start.

Washington Department of Health officials told the advisory committee that state PRAMS data (phase 9) show roughly 20% of surveyed birthing people reported home visiting or doula support; 16% reported home visiting. The sample is population‑based but subject to self‑report and recall limitations.

The Washington State Department of Health told the Home Visiting Advisory Committee its five-year Maternal and Child Health (Title V) needs assessment found recurring themes — housing affordability, childcare, mental-health services and provider shortages — that will guide the agency’s priorities and performance measures.

Department of Children, Youth, and Families staff and local implementing agencies told the Home Visiting Advisory Committee that early rates‑based payments raised program revenue for many providers but exposed challenges: staffing turnover, contract inflexibility, regional rate differences and administrative burdens, especially for smaller and non‑

City staff recommended a spending plan for opioid settlement funds that would set aside $525,000 now for subcontracts and administration, create a task group to vet proposals and continue outreach. Councilmembers praised the approach and asked for ongoing oversight and options to sustain local social-work positions funded by the settlement.

City staff summarized internal department staffing reductions and other cuts to reach a 10% target, presented a third-quarter fiscal snapshot that tracks below the adopted 2025 budget, and proposed a one-time reduction of the general fund minimum fund balance policy from 2.5 months to two months to stay in compliance for 2025.

Senior planner Maya Tippel presented a proposed reorganization of Title 20 (the county’s rural zoning code) intended to reduce duplication and make the code easier to use; commissioners asked for clearer decision trees, discussed scope and potential docket items, and proposed adding a review of the county 'right‑to‑farm' language.

A county councilmember representing District 5 spoke to the West Highlands Neighborhood Association about several planning items: a six-month moratorium on new mobile home parks, a comprehensive-plan agricultural lands study with an Oct. 29 public meeting in Battleground, and ongoing city annexation discussions.

At its Oct. 15 meeting the Thurston County Planning Commission reviewed a staff timetable to update the county Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO), heard public comments urging wildlife‑corridor protections and climate‑aware monitoring, and discussed integration with the Shoreline Master Program and existing Habitat Conservation Plan work.

Clark County staff described the state-authorized senior/disabled property-tax exemption: eligibility rules, income tiers, documentation, program benefits (including levy exemptions and frozen assessed value), outreach steps and legislative authority.

The board accepted a request from Experience Olympia & Beyond and appointed Commissioner Fournier as the county’s primary representative to the tourism/economic development board and Commissioner Rachel Grant as alternate.

CPED presented a model Home Energy Score (HES) ordinance developed with regional partners; staff will conduct broader community outreach in early 2026 and return to the board with implementation details and timing for a possible public hearing.

County staff and councilors discussed sending a letter expressing Clark Countys interest in the state Department of Natural Resources Natural Conservation Swap program and identified a 612-acre parcel on Larch Mountain as a possible candidate. Council asked staff for more information and agreed to add the matter to next weeks council time for a.

Sheriff Terrence briefed the Thurston County commissioners on a surplus training helicopter offered through a federal surplus program and a proposed partnership with Northwest Helicopters to provide pilots, maintenance and equipment; the board directed county staff to research creating a donation fund to accept gifts for an aviation program.

Budget staff presented the preliminary biennial 2026–27 budget and a package of decision items; the board voted to suspend cost-of-living adjustments for nonrepresented employees for the 2026–27 cycle and directed specific distribution of the general‑fund savings to juvenile court, superior court and the clerk’s office, and instructed staff to seek

County staff outlined a two-part series of meetings with state legislators later this month to discuss Clark County priorities including indigent defense funding, corridor infrastructure, housing projects, jail remodel and other items. Staff will circulate a trimmed presentation and urged dialogue with the delegation.

Planning staff recommended using WSDOTendorsed Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) to set multimodal level-of-service standards in Clark Countys comprehensive plan update, proposing LTS 2 inside the Vancouver urban growth area and a relaxed standard for some rural regional routes. Staff warned the change will add projects and raise capital costs and,,

Staff proposed edits to Spokane's federal agenda, highlighting urgent need for fentanyl response funding, mental-health resources, the Spokane Aerospace Tech Hub, and potential federal solutions for the city's waste-energy challenges; council members asked about the agenda's breadth and how lobbyists and the legislative committee will prioritize it

Staff briefed measures to refinance upcoming debt maturities, increase internal loan cap in the investment policy from 15% to 20%, and refinance a group of balloon payments totaling $6,661,000 tied to prior capital projects.