Liberty Lake commission votes to ask council to remove geographic residency requirement for seats

The Liberty Lake Community Engagement Commission voted Dec. 17 to ask the city council to amend the municipal ordinance that requires certain commission seats to be filled by residents of specified zones.

Ralph Halberg moved "that we do away with the geographical positions" for the Community Engagement Commission, arguing the residency limits make it difficult to recruit and keep the panel full. The motion passed by voice vote; commissioners indicated support and the chair said Robin Bechdahl was the only apparent dissent.

City staff explained the change would be an amendment to Ordinance 277 (and follow-on amendments such as 277a/277b if needed). David, a city staff member who advised the commission on ordinance mechanics, said he would forward suggested language to the city administrator and that an amendment could be processed as an ordinance update. "I think I've got the language down," he said when discussing next steps.

Supporters said geographic constraints have kept qualified residents from serving and that the commission has struggled to reach a full membership under the zonal rules. Opponents cautioned that removing residency requirements could reduce geographic diversity on the panel and urged recruitment to ensure representation across the city.

Commissioners also discussed — but did not decide — whether to include term-limit changes with the ordinance amendment. The commission agreed to defer any change to term limits for a later meeting and to move forward only with the residency provision now.

The commission recommended the change to the city council by formal action; staff will provide proposed ordinance language to council staff for consideration at a future council meeting. The commission did not record a written roll-call tally in the transcript; the vote was taken by voice.