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Council delays action on joint regional letter to study criminal-justice and behavioral-health gaps
Summary
Spokane City Council voted to defer consideration of a proposed joint letter supporting a regional study of criminal-justice capacity and behavioral-health services to allow more outreach to municipal partners after some elected officials expressed concern that partner buy-in had weakened.
The Spokane City Council on Wednesday voted to defer for two weeks consideration of a proposed joint letter that would signal municipal support for a regional study of criminal-justice system gaps and behavioral-health capacity.
Maggie Yates, who presented the item, told the council the joint letter is a staff-drafted document intended to show municipal alignment in a privately shepherded regional effort to evaluate criminal-justice and behavioral-health needs. "This joint agreement is just us coming together trying to figure out our criminal justice in our jail system in this engagement," Council President Wilkerson said during discussion.
Several council members urged caution about moving forward without clear, sustained support from other municipal partners. Council member Abingale asked how community partners reacted; Council member Bingle and others said they had heard “not great things” from some Valley and county participants in the last two weeks. Council member Cathcart raised legal concerns the county had cited relating to open-meetings law, and Wilkerson said the county’s legal questions largely involved the Open Public Meetings Act and whether task-force subcommittees would need to meet publicly.
Yates said the joint letter does not require the city to provide funding: “The city's not putting in a dime. It doesn't require our signature, the Spokane Valley's not putting in a dime, nor is the county.” She said the process was being convened by business leaders, philanthropy and community groups who planned to shepherd outreach and engagement.
Council members agreed to delay formal action so staff and councilors could continue outreach to municipal partners and community stakeholders. Council member Bingle moved to defer for two weeks; the motion was seconded and the council approved the deferral.
What’s next: Council staff said the underlying regional study could proceed without council signatures, but that the deferral was intended to allow time for additional coordination so municipal leaders could present a more unified front when the letter returns for consideration.
