Post Falls Council Delays Mayor’s Plan to Allow More Controversial Proclamations

The Post Falls City Council on Feb. 3 put on hold Mayor Randy Westlund’s proposal to repeal a 2001 policy that bars mayoral proclamations “attempting to influence government policy and matters of a political or religious nature.” The council provided no reason for the delay and will take up the matter again on Feb. 17.

Westlund framed the proposal as a bid to restore mayoral discretion over largely ceremonial proclamations. He called the 2001 policy “a mindset of avoiding anything that could possibly be controversial” and said, “But I believe we should be bold and unafraid to proclaim and celebrate the values that make our community great.” He told reporters the policy’s original purpose was administrative: “The primary purpose of the old proclamation policy was to give staff guidance on how to handle proclamation requests from citizens so the mayor could avoid dealing with them,” and added, “But as part of my commitment to being open and available to our residents, I intend to handle these myself.” Westlund listed examples he would consider if the policy is repealed, including “celebrating the value of human life at all stages, the unique contributions of mothers and fathers when raising children, the legacies of our great American heroes and the unique history and cultural festivals.”

The 2001 policy was adopted following a request by then-mayor Ron Jacobson to give staff a standard for handling requests. City Attorney Field Harrington said the policy was “adopted to provide guidance to staff and promote consistency in how requests are reviewed,” and noted that “as a general matter, proclamations that are political or religious in nature would not qualify under the policy.” Harrington and Westlund both emphasized that state law does not prescribe a standard for mayoral proclamations, leaving the city policy as the controlling guidance.

The Feb. 3 meeting also produced other council actions that shaped the evening. The council denied the appointment of Brendon Anderson to the Planning and Zoning Commission on a 3-2 vote, with Councilors Aaron Plew and Jack Mosby in favor and Councilors Samantha Steigleder, Joe Malloy and Marc Lucca opposed; Councilor Nathan Ziegler was absent. Lucca said the appointment could be revisited later but cited readiness concerns for this candidate. After the Anderson vote, Westlund will need to nominate another candidate for the commission.

Council members unanimously approved a 4-ton asphalt hot box for the streets division. Ross Junkin, Public Works maintenance manager, said the city maintains “over 500 miles that we maintain of asphalt.” The piece of equipment was budgeted at $85,000 in the fiscal year 2026 budget, but the city will purchase it from KM International through a Sourcewell cooperative purchasing agreement for $63,488, leaving the acquisition under budget.

For residents, the proclamation debate matters because it touches how the city’s top elected official may use symbolic authority to signal positions on contested civic issues. Repealing the restriction would shift decisions from a staff-guidance model established in 2001 to mayoral discretion handled on a case-by-case basis, in Mayor Westlund’s words. The council’s hold gives residents more time to review the proposed change; the council will reconsider the repeal at its Feb. 17 meeting, where the public can monitor deliberations and any amendments to the proposal.