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Spokane council defers vote on ordinance altering council hiring and separation authority
Summary
Council member Cathcart said she was not ready to vote on ordinance C36774, which would update sections of the Spokane Municipal Code related to city council employees. After public comment expressing concern about concentration of authority and risks of cronyism, the council voted to defer consideration for one week.
The Spokane City Council voted to defer action for one week on emergency ordinance C36774, a proposed change to Spokane Municipal Code sections governing council employees that would alter the council’s hiring and separation procedures.
Council member Cathcart told colleagues she remained "not ready to vote" and had broad outstanding questions about the ordinance’s scope. She offered a one‑week deferral, which received a second and then discussion among members about confidentiality and scope. Council president Wilkerson and other members described the measure as a language update to provide "flexibility" for central council staff and noted the central staff size as seven people.
Public testimony included sharp criticism. Will Hewlings said the proposal would hand "total control" to the council president and risked cronyism based on past hiring decisions; Larry Andrews also criticized expanding council staff and urged fiscal restraint. Supporters of deferral said the extra week would allow staff to answer outstanding questions.
After debate, the council voted to defer the ordinance for one week. Members requested that outstanding questions about authority, confidentiality, and process be answered during the deferral period.
