Snoqualmie holds first reading to expand city hall hours

The Snoqualmie City Council held the first reading Feb. 10 of an ordinance (13-04) proposing to amend city code to expand in-person counter hours at City Hall.

Mayor Pro Tem Holloway read the ordinance introduction, which explains that pandemic-era amendments to the code were never formally updated and proposes changing published counter hours. The proposed change would set public counter hours to 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday, replacing the narrower hours in current code.

Why it matters: The proposed amendment is intended as a housekeeping change to reflect current city operations and to expand the set public counter hours. Staff told the council the change seeks to match actual service availability while preserving the ability for residents who cannot visit during posted hours to be served by appointment.

Discussion highlights: Councilmember Washington asked whether residents who work past 3 p.m. would still be able to access services. City Administrator Mike Chambliss said residents should continue to call or email to schedule appointments outside posted desk hours and that staff will provide assistance as they do now. "I would assume that they would do the same process that they're doing now and reach out to us via email, set up an appointment, and we handle that off of those desk hours," Chambliss said. The council also noted the website will be updated after the second reading.

Next steps: The ordinance received a first reading and the second reading was scheduled for Feb. 24. Staff indicated they will update online contact information when the ordinance advances.