By Ayeda Masood – WNPA News Service

OLYMPIA – Washington state lawmakers are pushing for public agencies to be able to hold emergency meetings that would not be open to the public and expedited action could be taken if needed.

HB 2520 would allow county legislative bodies to hold emergency meetings outside of their usual location (the county seat) or remotely when immediate action is needed due to an emergency, as long as transparency rules under the Open Public Meetings Act are met.

While most of the bill’s sponsors say they believe there is a balance between efficiency and transparency, some organizations seeking public records have concerns about the openness of these emergency meetings.

Expedited action regarding an emergency can be taken at these meetings, even if physical public attendance is limited or the public was not given the option to attend.

“This bill before you comes as a result of the historic flooding our state saw last month,” Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Bow, said.

The flooding destroyed homes, businesses and farms across Skagit Valley and the surrounding areas, and almost 100,000 Skagit County residents were evacuated. Due to the evacuations and emergency situation, the Skagit County Council had to meet outside their standard county seat, according to Lekanoff.

While current Washington state law does allow emergency meetings for circumstances like natural disasters, it does not explicitly authorize bodies like county councils to meet at a new location to handle affairs. HB 2520 would ensure that local governing bodies have the flexibility to meet remotely or at new locations to handle emergencies quickly.

“We need to ensure our local government bodies are situated well to respond in the best interest of the community,” Lekanoff said.

One of the bill’s co-sponsors, Rep. Gerry Pollet, D- Seattle, said he believes changes should be made to HB 2520.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pollet chaired the House Local Government Committee and worked with former Gov. Jay Inslee, counties, and cities to authorize emergency public meetings. He said HB 2520 modifies those rules.

While reviewing the bill, Pollet, who is a WashCOG board member, said he was concerned that it exempts agencies from providing a public call-in line or other methods the public can use to listen. WashCOG stands for Washington Coalition for Open Government and is a non-governmental agency that aims to advocate for government transparency.

While one of the bill’s provisions requires meeting minutes and a recording of the meeting to be publicly accessible, Pollet says he believes this is not enough.

“That is disturbing to me, because I don’t think it’s appropriate for government officials, elected officials in particular, here, to be meeting and taking action where no one can observe them,” Pollet said. “[Meeting] notice is meaningless if you don’t allow people to observe.”

However, Pollet hopes he can work with the bill’s co-sponsors to remove or alter the provision.

Executive action was taken in the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations, and it is now moved to the Rules Committee for review.

The Washington State Journal is a nonprofit news website operated by the WNPA Foundation. To learn more, go to wastatejournal.org.