Chapter 2.10
SALARIES AND POSITION CLASSIFICATION

Sections:

2.10.010  Salary levels established.

2.10.020  Independent salary commission.

2.10.010 Salary levels established.*

A. Council Members. Each city council member shall be entitled to receive a salary of $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 $500.00 per month, which is 25 percent greater than council member 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 council members, those salaries will take effect at the times, in the amounts, and under the conditions established in the schedule as provided by law. (Ord. 04-018 § 1, 2004).

* Code reviser’s note: Monthly salary adjustments of $975.00 for mayor and $750.00 for council members were effective January 17, 2007.

2.10.020 Independent salary commission.

A. Independent Salary Commission.

1. 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.*

2. Purpose. The purpose of the independent salary commission shall be to review and establish the salaries of the mayor and the council members.

3. Composition. The independent salary commission shall consist of five members appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council.

4. Compensation. The independent salary commission shall serve without compensation.

5. Term. The term of appointment is one year.

6. Qualifications.

a. 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 year immediately preceding such appointment and while serving on the commission, and a registered voter in Spokane County.

b. 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.

7. Operation.

a. 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.

b. 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.

c. 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.

d. 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.

e. The first meeting of the independent salary commission shall occur no later than October 23, 2006, and the commission shall review and, if it so determines, amend and file its schedule of salaries with the city clerk no later than December 4, 2006.

f. Three members of the independent salary commission shall constitute a quorum and the affirmative vote of three members shall be sufficient for the decision of all matters and the transaction of all business.

8. 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 council members. Salaries shall be established by an affirmative vote of not less than three members.

9. 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.

10. Filing Date – Salary Schedule. The independent salary commission shall file its salary schedule with the city clerk who will publish the schedule two 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.

11. 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 subsection B of this section. 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 council members 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.

B. Referendum.

1. Salary Schedule Subject to Referendum Petition.

a. 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 30 days 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.

b. Referendum measures under this section shall be submitted to the voters of the City at the next following general or municipal election occurring 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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. (Ord. 06-021 §§ 1, 2, 2006).

* Code reviser’s note: Ordinance 06-021 took effect October 22, 2006.