The Snoqualmie City Council on a unanimous vote approved an interim police services agreement with the City of North Bend and authorized the mayor to sign, ensuring North Bend will continue to receive policing from the Snoqualmie Police Department while remaining disputes are resolved.

The interim agreement keeps identified police-service provisions from a February 2019 renewal in effect while deleting or excluding other sections of that renewal; the document also allows either party to reserve rights to enforce provisions of the 2019 agreement in the future. Council members said the agreement preserves officer authority and indemnification while leaving compensation disputes open to negotiation or litigation.

Council member Benson asked a pointed operational question before the vote: “If we sign this, will our police have the authority and be protected and indemnified if they're being police officers in North Bend? And do we maintain our rights to take North Bend to court for proper compensation.” Mayor Pro Tem Tim Holloway responded in the affirmative that officers would have authority and protection under the interim arrangement.

Council member Kester Wotton summarized key financial terms discussed during the meeting: “the City of North Bend will pay the City of Snoqualmie the $21,000 each month to maintain the status quo,” while other council members and staff referenced larger, earlier figures that had been proposed by North Bend or discussed in prior meetings. Council member Washington repeatedly asked what happened to a previously floated $2,800,000 figure; council and staff said North Bend’s special meeting produced a revised figure roughly in the $2.6 million range and that the interim amount being paid during the agreement is lower than Snoqualmie’s earlier proposal.

David Linehan, identified as the city’s former attorney and appearing online for legal questions, explained the legal posture the agreement creates: “the general intent of all these provisions... is everyone is reserving their rights to make arguments about which portions of that 2019 agreement remain in effect and which portions are not in effect. This is sort of a... we're gonna agree to figure that out at a future date if by litigation if necessary. In the meantime, we're agreeing that we're gonna continue to provide the services listed in those, previous identified sections.”

Council discussion enumerated which parts of the 2019 renewal remain specified in the interim agreement and which were removed. Included in the interim agreement are the police-services descriptions, administration of personnel, independent-contractor language, notice provisions, partial-invalidity language and general provisions. Deleted or excluded provisions listed by council included the renewal-terms section, the termination section, the compensation section, the equipment replacement and repair fund, and dispute-resolution language. The interim agreement also sets that the arrangement will remain in effect until terminated with 60 days’ notice, according to council remarks.

Several council members pressed that while the interim document allows continued service, the compensation level is unresolved and Snoqualmie may pursue further negotiations or legal remedies. Council member Johnson said approving the interim agreement “and then pursuing whatever legal options are available to us seems like the best of the options that are on the table.” Council members also raised concerns about the process that produced North Bend’s revised proposal, including a North Bend executive session the previous evening and differing public statements about the agreed figures.

The motion on the agenda—“move to approve North Bend interim police services agreement and authorize the mayor to sign”—was moved by Mayor Pro Tem Tim Holloway and seconded by Council member Ezra Cotton. The council voted and the motion passed unanimously; the council instructed staff to have the mayor sign and deliver the agreement to North Bend prior to June 1.

The interim agreement preserves immediate police coverage for North Bend while leaving compensation and the legal effect of portions of the 2019 renewal to be resolved later by negotiation or litigation, per Linehan’s explanation and council discussion.