(The Center Square) – The Spokane City Council is gearing up to adopt its annual rules of procedure for 2025, raising the threshold for advancing legislation while potentially limiting a minority member’s attendance.
The process is routine, but changes this time around could potentially limit District 1’s ability to represent its downtown constituents. Councilmembers Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart attempted to defer next week’s vote during Monday’s briefing session but to no avail.
If approved, the new rules would, among many things, limit public testimony to two minutes per speaker, require three sponsors to move an item out of committee and schedule all council briefing and legislative meetings on Tuesdays, disrupting a 65-year tradition.
“We are moving our Monday meetings after 65 years and five months to the one day of the week that one council member from District 1, not 2 or 3, cannot make the meetings,” Cathcart said. “Is that truly not intentional?”
While a date change might not seem like a big deal, Cathcart and Bingle have repeatedly criticized the progressive majority for limiting the minority’s impact. Both have proposed several items over the past months, only to have them deferred for what they perceive as ideological reasons.
Like every other council member, Bingle ran for office assuming he would attend meetings on Mondays. Tuesdays were the only days of the week that didn’t work for him due to scheduling conflicts, but despite this, the majority didn’t change the day to any other.
“I think the way that you’ve heard the rules wielded tonight are an indication of the way that the majority views the dissenting voice and the minority voice on this council,” Bingle said.
Councilmember Lili Navarette rejected claims that the majority is trying to silence District 1’s representative but did vote for the deferral. Like others, she also has a full-time job that would require her to shift parts of her schedule to accommodate this change.
Cathcart maintained that requiring three sponsors to advance legislation out of committee does effectively silence his district. The new rule would prevent any district from pushing an item through for a vote without the support of another district, which isn’t as common with him or Bingle on certain issues.
He and Bingle believe it prevents their ability to effectively represent District 1 constituents.
“I don’t know if there’s some expectation that a council member might resign as a result of this,” Cathcart said, “but I will just tell you we are going to be louder than ever if these are the rules that are imposed.”
Council President Betsy Wilkerson said it wasn’t her intent to silence District 1. She painted the change as a means to boost community engagement. However, she added that Bingle and the rest of the council signed up for this job, which, like other jobs, comes with scheduling changes.
“We are elected every four years, may not change this year, but should the whole city be held accountable for one person’s ability to serve or not to serve,” Wilkerson asked as Bingle’s term ends next year. “I would ask that of the citizens of Spokane: if we are meeting your needs, should the needs of one person usurp the needs of our city?”
The Spokane City Council will vote over adopting the revised rules during its next legislative meeting.
