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Council ad hoc committee drafts letter asking mayor to restore staff to meetings; approval fails, sent back for revision

5868654 · September 24, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

An ad hoc council committee proposed a letter urging Mayor Penner to restore city staff to council meetings and recommit to the council code of conduct. The council debated whether staff attendance is within the mayor’s authority or the council’s rules; the motion to approve the draft letter failed and the council sent it back to the ad hoc group.

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…

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