(The Center Square) – The Spokane Valley City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday not to provide Councilmember Al Merkel with legal representation amid his appeal to an investigation brought on by his peers.
The city announced earlier this month that a third-party investigation found Merkel violated the council’s Governance Manual and potentially state law. The situation ensued following a complaint from fellow Councilmember Jessica Yaeger over his use of the social media platform Nextdoor.
Merkel attests that he uses the platform to engage with his constituency, but on a personal level, not for city business; however, the investigator disputes this, concluding that Merkel violated the Governance Manual’s social media policy and “more likely than not” the Public Records Act.
“I want to set the record straight,” Merkel wrote in a press release, “I did not ask the city to pay for my attorney’s fees.”
According to Tuesday’s agenda , if the Valley did provide Merkel with city-funded representation, it could’ve cost approximately $5,000 to $10,000. Merkel already faced another investigation , which, according to records obtained by The Center Square, cost the Valley at least $28,000.