As the shouting match at the end of Tuesday’s city council meeting indicated, it’ll be up to the courts to put an end to the ongoing public records dispute within Spokane Valley’s city hall.

The Spokane Valley City Council voted 6-0 Tuesday to decline a settlement offer proffered by Councilman Al Merkel that would have ended the lawsuit the city filed against him earlier this year as an effort to get the councilman to comply with state and city records-keeping rules.

Merkel was not allowed to vote due to the conflict of interest, and refused to leave the meeting for the discussion of the settlement.

The lawsuit stems from last year’s investigation into Merkel’s activity on the social media platform NextDoor launched last June following a complaint from Councilwoman Jessica Yaeger th

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