Federal agencies, Spokane County offices to close Thursday for National Day of Mourning

Most Spokane County offices will be closed Thursday to coincide with a declared National Day of Mourning in honor of former President Jimmy Carter.

The closures are necessitated by the bargaining agreements in place with large swathes of county employees that specify union members are to receive all federal holidays, including one-time occasions, said Spokane County Commission Chair Mary Kuney.

Nonrepresented employees will also receive a paid day off, according to county documents.

Earlier this week, President Joe Biden issued an executive order that designated Jan. 9 a day of remembrance for the country’s 39th president, while ordering the closure of federal agencies and departments. Carter died Dec. 29 at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was 100.

Thursday marks the first National Day of Mourning since the death of former President George H.W. Bush in 2018, as well as the scheduled date for Carter’s state funeral in Washington, D.C.

Biden’s executive order applies to the United States Postal Office, which will suspend regular mail delivery, retail services and office activity Thursday. Some package deliveries will still be made despite the closure, the agency said in a news release. Routine operations will continue Friday.

The cities of Spokane and Spokane Valley will remain open on Thursday.

Since the day of mourning is not an officially recognized federal holiday, most banks and public schools in the area will remain open Thursday.

The county’s closures will not affect the Spokane County Regional Solid Waste System and transfer stations, or scheduled court dates in Spokane County Superior and District Courts, according to a release from the county.

Federal offices and the county’s departments will resume normal operations Friday.