Meeting Held In Secret

Spokane County commissioners and three of their top employees went behind closed doors Tuesday, announcing they were going to talk about personnel issues.

Instead, they discussed a fairgrounds contract officials say ran afoul of the law.

The meeting itself may have been illegal.

Under state law, the public must be invited when two or more commissioners discuss county business.

Exceptions, called “executive sessions,” are commonly allowed to discuss pending lawsuits, certain real estate transactions or job applicants. “Complaints or charges” against county employees or elected officials also are valid topics.

Commissioners contend Tuesday’s meeting was legal because they were discussing whether certain fairgrounds employees may have acted improperly by hiring a contractor for a $134,000 electrical project without putting the work out to bid.

“We were advised on the part of our attorneys that this was a legal meeting,” said Commissioner Kate McCaslin. “It was a personnel matter.”

Commissioner Phil Harris acknowledged that the meeting dealt with the fairgrounds contract, but also employees. Commissioners concluded that employees acted properly, he said.

“It dealt with personnel and the fairgrounds. If it deals with the fairgrounds, it deals with employees,” said Harris, who promised during his 1994 campaign to hold executive sessions only when absolutely necessary.

Duane Swinton, an attorney for The Spokesman-Review, said the commissioners’ action violates the intent of the law. It could lead to closed meetings for a variety of business that should be conducted in public, he said.

“Anytime the county does anything, it’s going to involve some action by some county employee,” Swinton said.

, DataTimes