(The Center Square) — A citizen effort to force a public vote on Spokane City Council salary increases has fallen well short of the signatures required, but Councilmember Michael Cathcart said he is exploring whether the council could pursue another way to put the issue before voters.
Referendum sponsor Doug Myers filed 24 pages containing 328 unverified signatures with the Spokane City Clerk on Sept. 28, according to a city report. The referendum needed 6,520 signatures — 10% of the votes cast in Spokane's 2025 general municipal election — to move forward to verification.
Because the petition fell short of that threshold, the city will not send it to county elections officials for verification and tabulation.
The salary increases were established by Spokane's independent Salary Review Commission, which is responsible for reviewing and setting compensation for the mayor, council president and council members. City code says the commission's salary decisions are final and become part of the city budget without further action by the council.
Cathcart said the failed referendum does not necessarily end the discussion.
“I think the voters should have a say in whether this is a full-time job or a part-time job,” Cathcart told The Center Square.
Cathcart said council members routinely work 40 to 60 hours a week and that the public may not fully understand the workload associated with the positions. He said he is not opposed to higher compensation but questioned whether the timing is appropriate while Spokane faces significant budget pressures.
“I think the referendum was important,” Cathcart said. “I think people should have the opportunity to vote on this.”
Cathcart said he is looking into whether the council could initiate a referendum or another process that would allow voters to weigh in, although he said the idea is not finalized and he does not know whether he could secure enough votes from his colleagues.
The council itself does not formally set the salaries under the current commission process.
Councilmember Kate Telis told The Center Square that the council “really didn’t contribute much” to the salary decision.
“As I understand it, as outlined in the city charter, there is an independent commission that is tasked with determining appropriate salaries based on comparable cities, etc.,” Telis said.
Telis said she understood that residents had an opportunity to challenge the commission's decision through a referendum but that the signatures collected fell short of the requirement.
“My understanding is the signatures collected fell short of that and so the salary increase will be made at the beginning of next year,” she said.
The Center Square contacted all seven Spokane City Council members Wednesday seeking their views on the salary increases and the referendum effort. Telis was the only council member to provide a direct response to the questions, along with Cathcart who spoke with The Center Square via zoom.
Sarah Sirott, legislative assistant to Councilmember Kitty Klitzke, referred The Center Square to the Salary Review Commission, saying it is an independent body and providing the commission's public email address for residents who want to submit feedback.
"The Salary Review Commission was created by a vote of the people ten years ago at the request of former Mayor Condon. They have been entrusted to objectively perform their duties with outside expertise," wrote Councilmember Paul Dillon via email.
Council President Betsy Wilkerson previously acknowledged residents' concerns about the timing of the increases while emphasizing that the council does not have final authority over the salaries. She said two council members testified before the commission about the demands of their jobs, but the commission retained sole responsibility for determining compensation.
“The commission’s resolution includes a dissent from Chair Reed Jessen, who called for greater clarity on Council Members’ duties and suggested that voters should have the chance to amend the City Charter and vote on future salary increases,” Wilkerson said in a Sept. 3 statement.
That concern was also raised during the commission's deliberations.
Jessen, the commission chair, previously questioned whether Spokane residents should have a greater role in determining elected officials' compensation. In earlier testimony surrounding the salary review, residents also raised concerns about increasing elected officials' pay while the city was dealing with budget deficits and reducing staff.
Mayor Lisa Brown took a different position on her own proposed increase earlier this year, asking the Salary Review Commission not to raise her salary.
“I request the Salary Review Commission not to increase the current salary for the position of mayor,” Brown wrote in a July letter to the commission, citing the city's financial challenges.
The debate over council compensation has centered in part on whether Spokane's council positions are effectively full-time jobs despite being classified as part-time.
The city commissioned a report earlier this year that detailed the council's workload.
"Council Members consistently carry workloads that are substantially greater than those traditionally associated with part-time legislative service models, with most members reporting at least 40 hours per week on Council responsibilities, and the Council President frequently contributing additional time beyond that threshold," the report states.
"Work activities are heavily concentrated in constituent engagement, meetings, agenda and packet review, policy research, stakeholder coordination, regional and intergovernmental participation, and ongoing community engagement obligations."
Supporters of higher compensation have also argued that increasing salaries could make elected office more accessible to people who cannot afford to leave another job to serve on the council.
The salary increases are scheduled to take effect with the first pay period of 2027.
Cathcart said he wants to continue examining whether Spokane voters can have a direct say in how the city's elected officials are compensated.
