SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Spokane Valley is reallocating part of its public safety budget to pay for legal costs in a lawsuit against one of its own city councilmembers.
In February, Spokane Valley City Council voted to adjust the budget to fund an investigation and lawsuit against councilmember Al Merkel.
Together, the lawsuit and investigation could cost the city more than $300,000.
The lawsuit accuses Merkel of altering or deleting public records related to his social media posts about city business. Merkel was the only council member to vote against the budget change, arguing that the move amounts to defunding the police.
“We are not defunding the police. The police budget has grown exponentially over the last few years,” council member Laura Padden said.
City officials say the cuts will not affect police staffing. Some of the funds used were originally intended to replace 14 police cars, but in the end, only 12 needed replacing, leaving the remaining funds available. The city will also defer filling a newly established analyst position and
“We have never had a layoff as far as the city goes,” council member Ben Wick said. “We looked for areas where we had vacancies or openings.”
The city’s insurance policy does not cover lawsuits it initiates, only those in which it is the defendant. Padden said she hopes the lawsuit will hold Merkel accountable for not following council rules.
City officials say such budget adjustments occur once or twice a year and do not expect this one to impact public safety services.
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