An Orting City Council ad hoc committee on Sept. 24 presented a draft statement asking Mayor Josh Penner to restore city staff to council meetings and for both branches to recommit to the council code of conduct. The committee’s draft said withholding staff “creates unnecessary legal and financial risks to the city,” and asked that staff be temporarily restored while other steps are considered.

Deputy Mayor Melody Koenig opened the item by reading the committee’s draft into the record and asked the council for direction. In public comment earlier in the meeting several residents had voiced concern about staff absence; Pastor Brad Grasley of Abundant Life Church said the lack of staff at the dais “feels very odd and unprofessional, and I think it’s a bad look for the city.” Amy Glandon, another commenter, told the council that major agenda items such as budget amendments should not be decided without a finance director or city attorney present to advise.

Council members debated whether the council or the mayor has the right under city rules to excuse staff attendance. Council Member Sprow repeatedly cited the council’s rules of procedure deadlines and said “the rules need to apply to everybody,” arguing that last‑minute agenda additions had violated the council’s posting procedures. Several other members said the mayor had authority to direct his executive staff and that the mayor had cited a “toxic work environment” as his reason for pulling staff.

A motion to approve the ad hoc committee’s council statement and circulate it for signatures failed after debate. The council instead voted to return the draft to the ad hoc committee for revision and asked that council members be given the draft in hard copy for review before resubmission. During the discussion, members raised whether the letter should be signed only by council members or include executive leadership; a motion to add executive leadership to the signatory block was considered and failed.

The draft letter said the council “joins you in affirming that attacks on city staff are unacceptable,” called for both branches to “recommit to the code of conduct,” and requested that staff be temporarily restored so the city’s business could continue. Council members who supported the letter said it was a constructive step toward deescalation; others said signing any letter that could be read as an admission of past abusive conduct by council members was problematic without clearer facts.

Outcome: the council did not approve the statement on Sept. 24. The ad hoc committee was instructed to revise the draft and share a copy with all council members for comment before the next circulation.