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Spokane council approves salary changes, work plans and shelter contracting; kratom ban deferred to March 2
Summary
Spokane City Councilmember Michael Cathcart said the council approved an SBO adjusting some employee salary ranges, adopted work plans for two advisory bodies, authorized contracting extra inclement-weather shelter beds, and approved technical fire-code updates; consideration of a kratom sales ban was deferred to March 2.
Michael Cathcart, Spokane City Councilmember for District 1, said the council on its most recent meeting approved personnel and policy items including adjustments to employee salary ranges and work plans for two advisory bodies, authorized the city to contract for additional inclement-weather shelter beds and approved technical updates to the city’s fire code.
The actions, Cathcart said, included approval of “an SBO that authorizes changes to, salary ranges for some city employees,” and adoption of the work plans for the Climate and Resiliency and Sustainability Board and the Transportation Commission, measures he described as “authorizing and directing the work that they are to conduct for the following year.”
Cathcart said the council also “authorized through resolution the ability for the city to contract for additional inclement weather beds, during this, winter season.” The resolution gives the city authority to enter contracts for temporary shelter capacity tied to winter weather needs; Cathcart described the step as a near-term measure to help with shelter availability during colder months.
In a separate set of resolutions, the council approved technical updates to the city’s fire code. Cathcart characterized those updates as technical in nature; he did not provide ordinance numbers or detail specific code sections in this update.
On items set for future consideration, Cathcart said the council deferred a proposal to ban kratom sales in Spokane. “Consideration of the potential prohibition of kratom sales in the city of Spokane has been deferred, for final consideration to March 2,” he said, meaning the council will take that matter up again at its March 2 meeting.
Cathcart also said consideration of whether to change the day of the week the council holds its regular meetings — along with other proposed rules changes that could affect public speaking time — has been moved to Feb. 23. He encouraged residents with interest in those or other items to contact their council members and to testify in person if they wish to be heard.
The council’s next steps on the deferred kratom proposal and the meeting-day and rules items are the scheduled future meetings noted above; no vote tallies or mover/second details were provided in this summary.
