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Commission delays adopting bylaws, asks staff for CPI and city-comparison salary data
Summary
The commission deferred adopting draft bylaws after its parliamentarian advised more review, and requested staff provide CPI comparisons, city salary benchmarks, hours-worked estimates and the Matrix Consulting Group organizational analysis to inform salary recommendations due by Aug. 30.
The Spokane Salary Review Commission declined to adopt draft bylaws at its special meeting after Chris Wright, the council policy adviser and registered parliamentarian, recommended commissioners take more time to review and consider changes. "I recommend that you not actually adopt them today, that you adopt them at your next meeting," Wright said, citing the need to reconcile quorum and voting provisions in the draft and to ensure consistency with the city charter and municipal code (SMC 0 2 0 5).
Commissioners raised several specific research requests for staff. They asked for staff calculations showing how previous salary adjustments tracked with inflation since 2020 and for guidance on which consumer price index to use (CPI-U versus CPI-W). Commissioners also requested comparable salary figures from peer cities (cited examples included Kent, Renton, Seattle and Tacoma), estimates of typical hours worked for mayor and council positions, the share of total payroll those positions represent, and a population/context comparison for Spokane as the region's largest city on the state's east side. Adam McDaniel said staff will add CPI descriptions to the living information document and provide the requested benchmarks and computations.
Staff also reminded commissioners about public-records obligations. "The notes that you take would be subject to the Public Records Act," Adam McDaniel said, and he said staff will circulate links for required public-records and OPMA training. The commission noted a city council ordinance change that extended the commission's timeline; staff said the new statutory deadline for recommendations is August 30 (changed from the former May deadline), providing additional time for research and deliberation.
Wright said he found two items in the draft bylaws that merit attention—consistent quorum language and definitions around hearings—and that he will work with counsel (Piccolo) and staff to propose clarifications for the next meeting. Commissioners agreed to place bylaws and rules-of-procedure on the agenda for the next meeting where the commission would revisit and vote on any adopted text.
Next steps: staff will update the living document with CPI explanations, comparable-city salary data, hours-worked estimates, payroll-share calculations and the Matrix Consulting Group organizational analysis when it is available; the commission will consider adopting bylaws at the next scheduled meeting.
