Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy has vetoed a County Council ordinance that required private companies that do business with the county to ensure their employees can legally work in the United States.

McCarthy told the council Tuesday she does not oppose the program. But she wants changes that she says will ensure it works well.

The council’s plan requires companies with county contracts to enroll in and use the federal E-Verify program, which checks an employee’s identity against several federal databases. It also requires the county to use the E-Verify program to check the status of its own workers.

The Pierce County initiative is modeled after a similar program adopted by the Lakewood City Council in June. It passed the County Council by a unanimous vote last month.

Since then, questions have arisen about how the program would work in practice, McCarthy told council members at a study session Tuesday.

McCarthy said the $10,000 contract threshold for the new requirements would be too low to be practical. And she said requiring employee checks within three days may not be possible for some employers.

McCarthy also is concerned that the ordinance doesn’t include exemptions for vendors of “off the shelf” products or companies that are the only source of products like software or chemicals.

As a result, McCarthy vetoed the ordinance and asked the council to address some of the problems before passing another one. She called it a “friendly veto.”

“I’m not against E-Verify,” McCarthy told the council. “But to make it successful, some things need to be addressed.”

Council members wondered why McCarthy didn’t raise the issues before they passed the ordinance. McCarthy said she didn’t know it was coming, though council members noted that her budget and contracting staff were informed and commented on the proposal.

McCarthy agreed to submit a written report detailing her concerns. The council will try to redraft the ordinance in the next few weeks.

“If she has questions, we want to see specifics. Then we’ll start over again,” said Councilman Dick Muri, R-Steilacoom.

David Wickert: 253-274-7341

david.wickert@thenewstribune.com