Bike to Work Week

May 20-26th is Bike to Work Week, so get out your bicycle and save some gas.  If you need some guidance for bike commuting, the City is offering Bicycle Traffic Skills classes this summer - www.virtualroster.com; choose Spokane Bicycle from the Races menu to register.  Spokane County Commute Trip Reduction also has a list of events and links to other useful resources, including Spokane Transit's Bikes on Buses program. You can also find bicycle maps for Spokane and surrounding areas at the Spokane Regional Transportation Council's page. - Spokane Government Librarian

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River & Lake Safety

With heavy spring rain and runoff, emergency officials are warning people to stay out of the Spokane River.  If water emergencies arise, various local agencies have special marine rescue units to help, including the Spokane Fire Department, Spokane Valley Fire Department, and Spokane Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office shows the Boating Safety Ordinance for the county and descriptions of various lakes if you plan on venturing out once the water calms down. - Spokane Government Librarian

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Spokane Area Workforce Development

The Spokane Area Workforce Development Council is a combination of local government, organization, and business leaders who work to increase job creation, workforce skills, and increasing wages and productivity.  Along with education - from K-12 to on-the-job training - the council also helps businesses with relocations, training, and layoff assistance. Job seekers can find a list of local services that can help with your search. Read their newsletters for other programs and news. - Spokane Government Librarian

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Neighborhood Services

The city's Neighborhood Services department works with the local neighborhood councils to "foster a sense of community" in Spokane. You can find out what neighborhood council you live in by looking at the map, find where to get help with issues that may affect your neighborhood (like crime or nuisances), and how to form a neighborhood council. - Spokane Government Librarian

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Spring Flooding

This is the time of year when Spokane experiences the most flooding.  Prepare yourself by looking at the city's Floodplain Management section of the Municipal Code or call 625-7733 when you notice street flooding. You can also read more about stormwater management and pollution.  If you live in the unincorporated parts of the county, the Engineering Department has information about floodplain management and stormwater. - Spokane Government Librarian

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Government Speaker's Bureaus

Do you need someone to talk to your organization, school, or business? There are several government agencies in the Inland Northwest that have official speaker's bureaus.

• If you live in or near the Spokane Valley, check out the city's official bureau.
• Interested in reproductive health issues? The Spokane Regional Health District can help.
• For background on tax issues, the Washington State Department of Revenue can enlighten you.
• Washington State judges will also come and speak to your group about the justice system.
• The history of the local nuclear industry and current efforts at cleanup are topics featured by the Hanford Speakers Bureau.

If you are interested in other government topics such as economic development, historic preservation, library services, or land use planning, other local agencies will often have employees willing to talk to groups about their services. - Spokane Government Librarian

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The State of the County

Spokane County has released a new State of the County 2010-2011 report that covers basic financial information for the county and includes short reports from many county departments, including Engineering and Roads, Community Services, SCRAPS, the Sheriff's Department, and the courts. There's even a video version. For more financial details, you can look at the County's financial information site. Check out how your tax dollars are being spent. - Spokane Government Librarian

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Mayor Condon's Inauguration Address

Spokane Mayor David Condon will give his Inauguration Address live on February 10th at the 7:30 a.m. meeting of Greater Spokane Inc. The speech will be streamed live on KHQ’s web site and KQNT 590 AM radio for those who would like to watch or listen. Also, after the event, CityCable 5 will replay the program and add the presentation to its video archive on the web, which also includes city council meetings, Spokane Insight, and other special programs.  - Spokane Government Librarian

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New Local Government Officials

Discover more about the newly-elected city officials by checking out their officials web sites, which are now up and running. Mayor David Condon, Council President Ben Stuckart, and new Council Members Mike Allen and Steve Salvatori have pages, while contact information for the rest of the Council can be found here.  Newly-elected officials can be found online for Spokane Valley, Airway Heights, Cheney, Deer Park, Liberty Lake, Medical Lake, and Millwood as well.  You can also find the detailed election results from the County Elections Office. - Spokane Government Librarian

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Build Regional Spokane

Spokane County, working with other local governments, has a new online service - Build Regional Spokane - a convenient way to discover what public services are available and who offers them.  Just enter your address anywhere in Spokane County, and you can find what agencies provide building and planning services, such as permits. The database also includes other services, such as who provides law enforcement or what is your local library, and even lists schools, zoning status, and elected officials from federal down to your local school board representative. - Spokane Government Librarian

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