Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Appointments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kenmore council opens mayoral salary‑commission appointments to a three‑week application process after split vote
Summary
Mayor Herbig announced three mayoral appointees to the 2026 salary commission, but the council voted 4–3 to require a three‑week public application process before finalizing appointments; staff will run the application and report back in August so results can inform the budget cycle.
Mayor Herbig presented three names for Kenmore's 2026 salary commission and described the mayoral picks as bringing varied perspectives to the work. Michelle King, interim assistant to the city manager, told the council the commission is set out in Kenmore Municipal Code and state law as an independent, three‑member body empowered to set salaries for the mayor and council and that the commission must hold public meetings and provide for public comment.
Several council members asked for a more open process. A motion to open the mayor's appointments to a public application period of three weeks was moved, seconded and adopted by a 4–3 vote. Council members who supported the amendment said the application window would increase community involvement and transparency; those opposed said the mayor's selections were thoughtful and that the code grants the mayor appointment authority.
After the amendment passed, the council took the roll on the main motion consistent with that amendment and recorded a unanimous vote to proceed with the process as directed. Staff said they would replicate the application used in 2021, run the window for three weeks (anticipated to fall in July and early August), and work with the clerk to schedule any short follow‑up meeting in August so commission recommendations can be available in time for budget considerations.
The agenda listed the mayor's appointees as Jeffrey Pooley, Derek Wyckoff and Deborah Shrubnick; King said those names were included in the agenda bill. King emphasized that the commission, once formed, operates independently and that the council has no authority to approve or disapprove the salaries the commission determines.
Next steps: staff will post and run the three‑week application process, deliver the applicant packet to council, and return with next steps and scheduling so the commission can meet within the statutory timeline and provide a statement of salaries for the council's information.
