Spokane County

Supplies are still available at Northtown Mall for those impacted by recent wildfires.

Supplies are still available at Northtown Mall for those impacted by recent wildfires. See picture for details.

Spokane County will be flying a drone carrying a lidar (light detection and ranging) sensor over the Spokane River between Sullivan and Barker Roads. Lidar uses laser light to collect topographical information in high resolution.

Spokane County will be flying a drone carrying a lidar (light detection and ranging) sensor over the Spokane River between Sullivan and Barker Roads. Lidar uses laser light to collect topographical information in high resolution. This works by bouncing the laser off of the surface and timing how long it takes to be received by the sensor. This topographic information of the dry Spokane River bed will help provide more information for understanding the drivers behind the river running dry. One of the potential drivers is that the bed elevations may have changed or there is some elevational difference in the riverbed contributing to the loss of flow.

The Spokane RiverKeeper, Spokane Community College, the Spokane Aquifer Joint Board (SAJB), the Idaho Washington Aquifer Collaborative, and GSI Water Solutions, AVISTA, and others concerned about the Spokane River running dry are coordinating their various efforts to study this reach of the Spokane River. The County is contributing to these various efforts where possible, including this lidar data collection.

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Click on the link to see the where the drone will be flying 👇
fil:///C:/Users/eamurphy/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/HXXMKEYJ/GSI%20Suggested%20Reach%20for%20LiDAR%20Survey%20of%20Spokane%20River%20(Aug%202026).pdf

Spokane County Planning Commission Public Hearing:
Thursday, August 27th at 4:30 p.m.

📍Planning Commission Workshop in the County Commissioners’ Hearing Room (lower level of Public Works Building at 1026 W. Broadway Ave.)

Background: Spokane County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved imposing a pause on land use and permit applications for Data Centers until December 15, 2026. The pause provides time for the Planning Department to draft a zoning text amendment for review by the Planning Commission. The pause also provides opportunities to gather public input concerning both the pause and the draft zoning amendment.

Spokane County Commissioners and Planning Commission Announce Dates for Public Hearings on Data Centers

On August 18, 2026, the Spokane County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved imposing a pause on land use and permit applications for Data Centers until December 15, 2026. The pause provides time for the Planning Department to draft a zoning text amendment for review by the Planning Commission. The pause also provides opportunities to gather public input concerning both the pause and the draft zoning amendment.

📅Public Meeting/Hearing Schedule
Thursday, August 27th at 4:30 p.m.
Planning Commission Workshop in the County Commissioners’ Hearing Room (lower level of Public Works Building at 1026 W. Broadway Ave.)

📅Tuesday, September 15th at 2:00 p.m.
County Commissioners’ Public Hearing concerning the pause in Data Center land use and permit applications in the County Commissioners’ Hearing Room.

🖊️Written testimony should be mailed to:
Spokane County Commissioners
1116 W. Broadway Avenue
Spokane, WA 99260

🗣️Those testifying will be allowed three minutes and be limited to addressing the pause in Data Center land use and permit applications.

📅Thursday, September 17th at 9:00 a.m.
Planning Commission work session on Data Center zoning code in the County Commissioners’ Hearing Room.

📅Thursday, October 15th at 4:30 p.m.
Planning Commission Public Hearing on proposed Data Center Zoning Code in the County Commissioners’ Hearing Room.

Spokane County is clarifying that the more than $44 million in federal wildfire recovery funding for the Oregon and Gray road fires is not money sitting in a county bank account—it works more like a line of credit, with eligible costs reimbursed as approved recovery work is completed.

Read more:

Spokane County clears up misconceptions, questions about $44 million federal wildfire assistance "We don't have $44 million of HUD money sitting in a bank account,” one county commissioner says.

Spokane County has confirmed that $44 million in federal wildfire recovery funding is now moving — but Commissioner Josh Kerns wants residents to know the money is not sitting in a county bank account, and fire survivors are still encouraged to apply for help three years after the 2023 Gray and Oregon Road fires

Contrary to a misleading story on last night’s evening news – Spokane County is NOT withholding millions of dollars from victims of the Gray and Oregon Road fires!

Spokane County was awarded $44 million by HUD as a Community Development Block Grant in January 2025. However, due to federal grant freezes and process requirements the contract between HUD and Spokane County was not signed until January of this year. The grant contract released ‘reimbursement funding’ for Spokane County up to $44 million.

Here’s how it works: As a contractor builds homes, they send their receipts to Spokane County. The County pays the contractor using County funds. Spokane County then sends the receipts to HUD…and HUD reimburses the County out of the $44 million grant.

One of the requirements of the grant contract is a ‘Request for Qualifications’ (RFQ) from interested contractors and agencies. The RFQs were issued in June 2026. DSW Homes was selected as the contractor and the Spokane Long Term Recovery Group was selected for their Service Navigators in July 2026.

We are moving forward with rebuilding!

More information is available on our website: www.spokanecounty.gov/5816/Disaster-Recovery-Home