A new ordinance that was designed to allow the homeless a place to stay during the daytime in Spokane City Hall has been vetoed by Mayor David Condon.
The ordinance was introduced by Councilwoman Kate Burke in November after signs went up in City Hall placing limits on how long someone could stay in the lobby area. The law, which passed in a 5-2 vote last month, was designed to allow people to be in public areas such as the Chase Gallery and lobby during business hours.
The veto is likely to stand since City Council President Ben Stuckart said Tuesday he has changed his position on the issue and would not vote to override it.
Stuckart says he decided to change his position for two reasons, the opinions of city hall employees who were concerned the building was going to become a homeless shelter of sorts, which he adamnantly says it is not, and the fact the signs that placed a time limit on visits would not be put up again.
“And I really respect our city employees, and the hard work they do. There’s some misconceptions out there, so I'm OK not overriding the veto and listening to our employee. But also that the mayor said city hall will remain open and so he is committed to the ordinance,” Stuckart said.
Five votes are needed to override a mayoral veto.
In a statement Tuesday, Burke said she wasn’t surprised by Condon’s veto and still hopes to override it.
