County extends contract with negotiating team

Even as they struggle to meet the terms of a contract negotiated with the Whitman County Deputies Association, county commissioners Monday renewed their relationship with G. Andrew Hunt and Associates, a Spokane firm the county employs in contract negotiations.

The one-year deal pays the Hunt firm $70 per hour for the first 145 hours of negotiating, research and travel and $75 per hour beyond the 1imit.

“I think they’ve done an excellent job,” Commissioner Greg Partch commented on the firm’s previous work.

The Hunt firm is currently bargaining with unions representing employees in the county’s...