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Council schedules deeper review of proposed governance manual, eyeing year-end adoption
Summary
Council members agreed to schedule special sessions to review a proposed governance manual that updates rules of procedure. They highlighted specific chapters for focused discussion and discussed whether to finalize changes before new council members take office.
The Liberty Lake City Council agreed Aug. 19 to organize special meetings in September and October to review a draft governance manual intended to replace and expand the city’s existing rules of procedure.
City Administrator Mark McAvoy and the review committee — council members Kurtz, Kennedy and Spencer — outlined the manual’s goals: clarify council/staff roles, strengthen transparency and establish consistent procedures for communications, meetings and advisory bodies. McAvoy asked for “clarity and unambiguous direction so that I can ensure that the staff understands the policy.”
Council members identified several chapters that need full-council attention: chapter 3 (communications), chapter 4 (interaction with city staff), chapter 5 (council meetings), chapter 9 (the “three-touch” rule), chapter 17 (legislative priorities and taxes) and chapter 21 (advisory boards and commissions). Several councilors said the committee had already worked through many line-level edits but recommended a higher-level, chapter-by-chapter discussion rather than word-by-word changes in public sessions.
Timing and approach: Council members proposed a series of focused workshops (tentatively scheduled for multiple Tuesdays in September) to review major issues first; a final adoption target discussed in the workshop was the end of 2025 so the document is in place before new council members are seated in January. Council member Kennedy favored finalizing the manual by December to avoid restarting the process with newly elected members; others suggested offering an early review to incoming members in 2026.
Several councilors asked staff to prepare materials that explain intent behind contested language (for example, distinctions among may/must/shall/should, and the proposed “three-touch” communications rule). Council member Ball also flagged references to “disaster preparedness” in the draft and noted the city does not currently have a standalone local disaster plan; she urged staff to correct template language copied from other cities.
Ending: Council asked staff to circulate a Doodle poll to set special meeting dates and to prepare a concise list of the chapters and specific items the full council will consider at the first workshop. The manual remains at the draft stage; staff and the committee said they will prioritize transparency and clarity as they move toward a possible adoption vote.
