City of Spokane v. Taxpayers of City of Spokane

Dolliver, J. —

The City of Spokane filed a class action against the City's taxpayers, ratepayers and electors, seeking a declaratory judgment that it had authority to proceed with the construction of a solid waste disposal facility. The trial court issued a partial summary judgment upholding Spokane's authority to proceed with the project without obtaining voter approval. We granted direct review.

*93The facts are largely undisputed. The City and County of Spokane recognized their four landfills were becoming insufficient to process their solid waste. In 1981, they began investigating the…