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Council amends invocation policy to allow faith‑based nonprofits in Kootenai County
Summary
Council voted to amend invocation guidelines to permit faith‑based nonprofit organizations located in Kootenai County to give invocations at council meetings; members agreed to review the policy in one year.
The council debated and approved a change to the city’s invocation guidelines on Dec. 2 to allow faith‑based nonprofit organizations located within Kootenai County to provide the invocation at city council meetings.
Staff explained the current practice limits invocations to city‑based faith‑based nonprofits and that staff had to run lotteries this year because of low signups. Councilmember English moved to expand the roster to faith‑based nonprofits anywhere in Kootenai County; council amended the motion to explicitly require the groups be "faith based." Several council members said they supported the tradition but were open to alternatives such as a moment of silence if signups remain sparse. Council asked staff to review the policy in one year to assess whether expansion improved signup levels and reduced staff burden.
The motion passed on a voice/roll call vote; during the discussion one member expressed discomfort about voting 'no' on prayer but noted they would not oppose reviewing the policy again in a year. No ordinance or code change was required — council amended its practice via guidelines and directed staff to revisit the issue.
