Ordinance 04-018 Establishes Salaries & Creates Salary Commission CITY OF SPOKANE VALLEY
SPOKANE COUNTY, WASHINGTON
ORDINANCE NO. 04-018
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SPOKANE VALLEY, SPOKANE COUNTY,
WASHINGTON SETTING THE SALARY OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS,
CREATING AN INDEPENDENT SALARY COMMISSION TO REVIEW AND SET THE
SALARIES OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS, PROVIDING FOR OTHER
MATTERS PROPERLY RELATED THERETO; AND REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 14.
WHEREAS, Ordinance No. 14 set the interim compensation allowed for the newly elected Mayor
and Councilmembers; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes it serves the interests of the City to have a separate,
independent commission establish the future salaries of the Mayor and City Council; and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Legislature through RCW Chapter 35.21 authorizes cities,
towns and counties to create an independent salary commission to set the salaries of elected officials; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to RCW 35.21.015, the action fixing the salary by a commission
supersedes any other provision of City ordinance related to the fixing of salaries for elected officials.
NOW THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Spokane Valley, Washington ordains as
follows:
Section 1. Salary Levels Established.
A. Councilmembers. Each City Councilmember shall be entitled to receive a salary of four
hundred dollars($400.00) per month, payable on the last day of each calendar month, unless said day is a
holiday or weekend, then said salary shall be paid the Friday before the last day of the month.
B. Mayor. The Mayor shall be entitled to a salary of five hundred dollars ($500.00) per
month, which is twenty-five percent (25.00%) greater than Councilmember salaries, payable on the last
day of each calendar month, unless said day is a holiday or weekend, then said salary shall be paid the
Friday before the last day of the month.
C. Adjustment by Independent Salary Commission. If the City's Independent Salary
Commission establishes a salary schedule for the Mayor and Councilmembers, those salaries will take
effect at the times, in the amounts, and under the conditions established in the schedule as provided by
law.
Section 2. Independent Salary Commission.
A. Creation of Independent Salary Commission. There is hereby established for the City of
Spokane Valley an Independent Salary Commission, for a period of one year.
B. Purpose. The purpose of the Independent Salary Commission shall be to review and
establish the salaries of the Mayor and the Councilmembers.
C. Composition. The Independent Salary Commission shall consist of five (5) members
appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council,
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ID. Compensation. The Independent Salary Commission shall serve without compensation.
E. Term. The term of appointment is one(1)year.
F. Qualifications.
1. Each person appointed to serve as a member of the Independent Salary
Commission shall be a citizen of the United States, a resident of the City of
Spokane Valley for at least one(1)year immediately preceding such appointment
and while serving on the Commission,and a registered voter in Spokane County.
2. No officer, official, or employee of the City or any of their immediate family
members may serve on the Commission. "Immediate family member" as used in
this section means the parents, spouse, siblings, children, or dependent relatives
of the officer,official, or employee, whether or not living in the household of the
officer,official,or employee.
0. Operation.
1. The Independent Salary Commission shall elect a Chair and Vice Chair from
among its members. The Independent Salary Commission may establish and
adopt rules of procedure for the efficient and fair conduct of its business.
2. The City Manager shall appoint staff and make available supplies and equipment
to assist the independent Salary Commission in preparation of its reports and
records.
3. Any communication from the Independent Salary Commission to any member of
the City Council while reviewing the schedule of salaries, shall be in writing and
made part of the record of the Commission's proceedings.
4. The Independent Salary Commission shall keep a written record of its
proceedings, which shall be a public record in accordance with state law, and
shall actively solicit public comment at all meetings which shall be subject to the
Open Public Meetings Act.
5. The first meeting of the independent Salary Commission shall occur no later than
June 23, 2004, and the Commission shall review and, if it so determines, amend
and file its schedule of salaries with the City Clerk no later than August 2, 2004.
6. Three (3) members of the Independent Salary Commission shall constitute a
quorum and the affirmative vote of three (3) members shall be sufficient for the
decision of all matters and the transaction of all business.
H. Responsibilities. To determine the appropriate rate of compensation, the independent
Salary Commission shall assess the market rate of compensation for elected city officials and study the
relationship of salaries to the duties of the Mayor and the City Councilmembers. Salaries shall be
established by an affirmative vote of not less than three(3) members.
I. Removal. A member of the Independent Salary Commission may only be removed
during the term of office for cause such as incapacity, incompetence, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in
office or for a disqualifying change of residence.
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J. Filing Date-Salary Schedule. The Independent Salary Commission shall file its salary
schedule with the City Clerk who will publish the schedule two (2) times, at least one week apart, in the
official newspaper of the City. The second date of publication shall be considered the official filing date
of the salary schedule.
K. Effective Date— Salaries . The Commission's salary schedule will become effective in
the amounts, at the times, and under the conditions established in the schedule unless a referendum has
been filed in accordance with Section 3 of this Ordinance. Once filed, the schedule shall be incorporated
into the City budget without further action of the City Council or Salary Commission. Salary adjustments
established by the Commission that result in a salary increase are effective immediately as to all
Councilmembers and/or the Mayor, regardless of their terms of office. If the salary adjustment
established by the Commission results in a salary decrease, the decreased salary shall be effective at the
commencement of the incumbent's next subsequent term of office.
Section 3. Referendum.
A. Salary Schedule subject to Referendum Petition
1. The Commission's adopted salary schedule shall be subject to referendum
petition by the people of the City. A petition must be filed with the City Clerk
within thirty (30) clays after the official filing date of the salary schedule. In the
event of the filing of a valid referendum petition, the salary increase or decrease
shall not go into effect until approved by a vote of the people.
2. Referendum measures under this section shall be submitted to the voters of the
City at the next following general or municipal election occurring thirty(30)days
or more after the petition is filed, and shall be otherwise governed by the
provisions of the State Constitution or other laws generally applicable to
referendum measures.
B. Referendum Statement. A referendum statement on a petition shall be phrased in the
following language:
Should the salary schedule filed with the City Clerk of the City of
Spokane Valley by the Independent Salary Commission on
be repealed in its entirety? Your signature on this petition indicates your
vote in favor of repeal of the attached salary schedule in its entirety.
A copy of the salary schedule or ordinance to such referendum petition shall be attached to
each referendum petition for the information of the parties requested to sign such petition.
C. Initiative provisions applied to referendum process. All state law provisions applicable
to the form of the petition and sufficiency of signatures required for an initiative petition as set forth
herein, and to the submission to the vote of the people as set forth herein, shall apply to a referendum
petition and to the salary schedule sought to be defeated thereby.
D. Referendum — Effective Date—Record. If a majority of the number of votes cast on the
referendum oppose the salary schedule or ordinance, such salary schedule or ordinance shall be deemed
repealed following the certification of the vote.
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Section 4. Repeal.
Ordinance No. 14 passed by the City Council January 7, 2003 relating to salaries of the Mayor
and Councilmembers is repealed in its entirety.
Section 5. Severability.
If any section, sentence, clause or phrase of this Ordinance should be held to be invalid or
unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity or unconstitutionality shall not affect
the validity or constitutionality of any other section, sentence, clause or phrase of this Ordinance.
Section 6. Effective Date.
This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect five(5) days after publication of this Ordinance or
a summary thereof in the official newspaper of the City as provided by law.
PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SPOKANE VALLEY WASHINGTON
this 25`h day of May, 2004.
CITY OF SPOKANE VALLEY, WASHINGTON.
By:
Michael DeVleming, May
AUE
-'pristine Bainbridge, ity Clerk
Approved as to form:
-y Sch IT Interim City Attorney
Date of Publication: e4—
Effective Date:
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