SANDPOINT — A dispute over a change in legal counsel is behind the decision by four Sandpoint councilors to walk out of Wednesday’s meeting. 

“I was not made aware of any legal analysis as to why our council-appointed attorneys would not be present, and as such, did not believe we could hold a meeting without our appointed counsel present,” Justin Dick, one of the four councilors who left, said in a statement. “We were going to be discussing and potentially making changes to city ordinances which may have required appointed legal counsel’s input and direction.” 

The walkout followed a concern raised by Councilor Joel Aispuro after William Harrington was introduced as the city’s temporary legal representative. Aispuro said that he did not feel comfortable proceeding with the meeting because Harrington’s appointment had not been confirmed by a council vote.  

Under Sandpoint City Code, the position of city attorney is an appointed position, which can be appointed by the mayor; however, it requires council confirmation. Currently, the appointed city attorney is Fonda Jovick, an attorney at Lake City Law. 

In addition to Dick, also walking out were councilors Kyle Schreiber, Deb Ruehle and Aispuro. The walkout left the council without a quorum, shutting down the meeting. In a statement to the Daily Bee, Dick said that several councilors, including himself, were made aware of the change “mere minutes” before the start of the meeting. 

Aispuro asked that the city provide a link for Jovick to join the meeting, saying he would proceed with the meeting if the appointed attorney was present. However, Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm responded that the city’s contract with Lake City Law had expired at midnight on Sept. 30.  

“City policy says that legal services must be provided under a valid written agreement,” Grimm wrote in a statement to the Daily Bee. “To ensure everything continues running smoothly, I’ve brought in temporary legal counsel. This means the city will still have access to the professional support they need.” 

Grimm said at the meeting that the discussion around legal counsel would take place at the scheduled executive session after the rest of the agenda was covered. The walkout broke the council’s quorum and as such that executive session was not held. 

At the meeting, there was an action item surrounding changes to the city’s open container code.  

In his statement, Dick said that he looks forward to resolving the issue and getting back to working on issues that matter to the Sandpoint community. 

“Several councilors and myself, the mayor and city staff are working diligently to find a resolution,” Dick said in a statement. “I hope we are able to resolve this matter expeditiously and get back to city and community matters. I appreciate the community’s understanding and patience as we work to resolve this.” 

Like Dick, Grimm said that he is committed to resolving the issues in a respectful and transparent manner. 

“Sandpoint is fortunate to have dedicated public servants who want what’s best for this city,” Grimm said in his statement. “I’m confident we’ll move through this quickly — and keep moving forward on the priorities that matter to the people of Sandpoint.” 

The City Council is scheduled for a special meeting Friday at 12:15 p.m. The only item on the agenda is the consent calendar from the Oct. 1 meeting.