Liberty Lake council edits governance manual language on meeting roles, presentations and communications

The Liberty Lake City Council met in a special session Oct. 14 to continue a chapter-by-chapter review of a proposed governance manual, focusing on meeting roles and procedures, rules for outside presentations and media and communications policies.

Council members spent most of the workshop debating wording and practical application rather than adopting a final, comprehensive document. The council adopted one explicit change by vote: replacing language about who may grant extra time for presentations with wording requiring council approval when extensions are granted. Council members also reached consensus on several edits to be incorporated by staff for a future redline draft.

The council front-loaded a few specific changes. On presentations and related materials, members agreed to shorten the suggested lead time for written and media materials from 10 days to seven and to change the requirement that materials “must” be submitted to a weaker recommendation that they “should” be submitted in advance. “We will strike both tens and replace them with sevens,” Mayor Pro Tem said as the council reached consensus on that change. The council also agreed to remove a sentence that had required…