A powerful Spokane business group Tuesday endorsed a proposal to combine the city and county into a single supergovernment.

Momentum ‘95, a 600-member economic development organization, threw its weight behind the proposal known as the unified city-county charter.

Voters will go to the polls on Nov. 7 to consider merging the two governments.

The proposal was offered earlier this year by a voluntary group of elected freeholders, many of whom now are working for passage of the charter.

“This gives the unified charter a push,” said Steve Worthington, director of community development for Cheney and a former freeholder. “This recognizes the benefits of the charter.”

It also could mean a bigger war chest for We the People, the organization heading the unified charter campaign.

Supporters have asked Momentum to match contributions toward the campaign. A decision is expected in two weeks.

Opponents were disappointed by Momentum’s decision, but doubted that the endorsement would be enough to persuade voters to embrace the unified charter.

“Voters are smarter than that,” said Sue Kaun, a former freeholder who opposes a city-county merger. “I don’t see too many people begging the city for annexation. This literally would move the city boundaries to the edges of the county.”

Momentum is batting .500 on its endorsements. The organization in the past successfully backed the arena bond funding and election of freeholders. But it lost in the vote for a single, city-county sewer system and a local gasoline tax to eliminate street dust and air pollution.

Momentum said the unified charter would create a more efficient government that would attract and retain businesses.

But opponents said a consolidated government would be too large, too powerful and too expensive.

, DataTimes