Review Commission adopts narrow changes to rules of procedure, defines 'neglect of duty'

The Spokane Review Commission on June 26 adopted limited amendments to its rules of procedure, clarifying the chair’s role and a threshold for removal for neglect of duty.

Mr. Wright, who presented the draft language, told commissioners the change narrows what the commission may deem neglect of duty and places the determination with the chair. "The commission deems neglect of duty to mean absence from two consecutive meetings without adequate cause as determined by the chair, who should then notify the mayor," he said. Wright also recommended that the commission’s final report take the form of a resolution that includes the information necessary to show compliance with municipal code sections 205040 and 205050.

Commissioners moved and seconded a motion to adopt the changes to Rules 8 and 9 and to authorize Mr. Wright to make scrivener corrections to headings and pagination as needed. The motion was approved by unanimous consent.

The amendments leave the mayor with the authority to initiate removal, the commission noted, and do not create a separate statutory removal power. The commission recorded no roll-call vote in the transcript; the motion was carried by unanimous consent at the meeting.

The commission also approved the minutes and adjourned. Staff will publish the amended rules and the procedural resolution in the commission’s records and on the boards-and-commissions webpage, the commission said.

What happens next: the amended rules will be incorporated into the commission’s documents and posted publicly; Mr. Wright was authorized to make editorial corrections.