Mayor Jeremy Grama introduced an ordinance to repeal and replace Sandpoint City Code 5-2-10, the city's nondiscrimination ordinance, saying the existing rule "has created confusion, uncertainty, and concern" after a recent YMCA incident (SEG 064-074). Grama framed his proposal as a narrowly focused change to "mirror state and federal civil rights law" and remove local interpretations that, he said, had created legal and operational uncertainty for private businesses and city staff.

The council allowed an extended public-comment period limited to two minutes per speaker; more than 100 in-person speakers plus online commenters addressed the panel. Speakers in favor of keeping the ordinance as written told the council the NDO supplies protections not covered by state law and urged the council to "not dismantle the law" (Sean Lawrence, Bonner County Human Rights Task Force, SEG 950-966). Speakers calling for a change stressed safety and privacy, pointing to the YMCA incident as evidence that the ordinance could be read to require access to multi-user women's facilities by biological males; Bonner County Sheriff Darryl Wheeler told the council the "best course of action within this body is to entirely repeal city code 5-2-10" and urged the council to act to protect public safety (SEG 2232-2240, 2252-2254).

Council members pressed legal staff on how the city's complaint process would work if the local tribunal language remained. Legal counsel described the human relations review board process: a complaint, jurisdictional review, a mandated mediation phase, investigation and a board finding that could be referred to the city attorney for equitable or criminal remedies; a conviction under the ordinance would be a general misdemeanor (maximum six months jail and $1,000) (SEG 4490-4560).

Council debate included repeated procedural motions. A motion to postpone consideration to a later date or refer the question to voters was offered and failed after several roll-call attempts. The clerk read the new ordinance's title, and the council conducted a first reading by title only and approved the summary. The council then agreed to suspend the rule requiring three separate readings and vote to adopt the ordinance in full. The roll call resulted in a tie among councilors, and Mayor Grama cast the tie-breaking vote in favor; the ordinance repealing and replacing City Code 5-2-10 was adopted under suspension of the rules (SEG 5889-5904).

What the change does: the adopted replacement text adopts and incorporates applicable federal and Idaho civil-rights law, and removes or narrows provisions that had been interpreted by some as creating expanded local duties beyond state or federal standards. Council members and staff said the change is intended to reduce litigation risk and clarify which protections are enforced locally versus at the state or federal level; opponents said the local ordinance provided meaningful gap protections for small employers and marginalized residents and urged the council not to remove those local safeguards (multiple speakers, public comments during SEG 770-4430).

Next steps and context: Councilors indicated procedural and policy options remain available; several councilors said they would pursue future amendments to restore specific protections or to craft language addressing intimate-space accommodations without the tribunal process. The council also added a separate discussion of the city administrator to the agenda and later tabled that discussion to the first meeting in December (SEG 5939-5991). The city attorney said state and federal law would continue to protect individuals even if the city's local ordinance is repealed, but that the local code had provided an extra municipal-level enforcement process (SEG 4770-4780).

Quotes that framed the debate included Mayor Grama's statement that "Our ordinance has created confusion, uncertainty, and concern" (SEG 074) and Sean Lawrence of the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force that the organization "opposes any efforts to weaken or eliminate the NDO" (SEG 955). Bonner County Sheriff Darryl Wheeler told the council he believed repeal would be appropriate and urged immediate action (SEG 2232-2235).

The council resolution took effect on adoption; the ordinance was passed under suspension of the rules after the mayor broke a council tie. The council did not vote on narrower amendments at the meeting; members said additional drafting, public input and legal review could follow. The council adjourned at 10:13 p.m.

Ending note: Councilors and residents on both sides urged civility and further public engagement going forward; several council members signaled a willingness to consider subsequent, more narrowly tailored language addressing locker-room access, single-user facilities and contract language for city partners.