EVERETT – The Snohomish County Council will wait until Wednesday to decide whether to attempt to override a veto from County Executive Aaron Reardon or start anew on the spending legislation he rejected.
The council decided Monday to ask for more information before making a decision.
Reardon vetoed the legislation late last week, saying it would eliminate long-standing checks and balances on government spending by removing his office from overseeing transfers from a county reserve account.
That is not the intention of what was considered a housekeeping measure, said John Koster, chairman of the county council.
However, on Monday, Sharie Freemantle, a legislative aide to the council’s finance committee, said the ordinance language in its current form could be open to legal interpretation.
The council passed the measure 5-0 Aug. 4.
Reardon objected to language that, he said, no longer required transfers from reserve accounts to be reviewed by him or his office. That language exists in the current county code.
Council member Kirk Sievers said he wanted more time for a legal interpretation to make sure the ordinance is clear.
Sievers said he wished Reardon’s concerns had been raised during earlier finance committee meetings before the council vote.
Koster said the council is likely to amend the ordinance.
“I think the language what the executive wants in this ordinance is redundant,” he said. “I think the intent is pretty clear, but apparently there is some disagreement among attorneys how it can be interpreted.
“In the end I think we will put some amendatory language into it to alleviate the concerns of the executive,” he said.
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
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