SANDPOINT — Only three city councilors were in attendance for a special meeting Friday, resulting in a lack of a quorum, canceling the meeting. 

Councilors Justin Dick, Pam Duquette and Rick Howarth were the three members present at meeting’s scheduled time. Hayley Keys, Sandpoint’s deputy city clerk said that councilors Joel Aispuro and Kyle Schreiber informed the city prior to the meeting that they would not be in attendance. 

The meeting was scheduled on short notice after the council’s meeting on Oct. 1 ended abruptly following a walkout of all six councilors in a dispute over a change in the city’s legal counsel. The only items on the agenda were the consent calendar from the Oct. 1 meeting, which would approve the city to pay its bills, and a discussion of the city’s legal services. 

The councilors walkout was sparked after Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm announced William Harrington as the city’s temporary legal counsel. Aispuro questioned the move, saying Harrington was not the council’s appointed city attorney, a position that must be confirmed by a council vote, as stated in Sandpoint city code. 

Grimm said that the city’s contract with the current appointed city attorney, Fonda Jovick of Lake City Law, expired Sept. 30 at midnight. In a statement to the Daily Bee, Grimm said Thursday that the city is required to have legal representation, prompting his decision to bring on Harrington. 

“To ensure everything continues running smoothly, I’ve brought in temporary legal counsel,” Grimm said in his statement. “This means the city will still have access to the professional support they need.”   

In a statement to the Daily Bee, Dick said Thursday he was informed of the change “mere minutes” before the start of Wednesday’s meeting. 

On Friday, Dick said that he’s hopeful the issue will be resolved soon, so the city can get back to focusing on issues that matter the community. This echoes a similar sentiment to his and Grimm’s statement from Thursday. 

“I hope we are able to resolve this matter expeditiously and get back to city and community matters,” Dick said. “I appreciate the community’s understanding and patience as we work to resolve this.”