Tag Archives: Kitsap Caucus

Local governments have been listening to you at their pleasure

When I covered the city of Bremerton and watched the council ask for public comment before consent agenda items, I thought it was a good-will gesture. Turns out I was wrong, not that it wasn’t something councils did not have to do, but in thinking councils had to do that any time. They don’t. They can make whatever decision they want and don’t have to bother with the two or three minutes time they give you to testify.

The only exceptions are items dubbed “public hearings,” which happen mostly for land use issues, according to Roger Lubovich, Bremerton city attorney.

House Bill 1197 would change that by adding the following language:

Before taking final action on any ordinance, resolution, rule, regulation, order, or directive, a governing body of a public agency must allow for public comment regarding that ordinance, resolution, rule, regulation, order, or directive. The public comment may be taken at the beginning of a meeting at which final action is scheduled, or at a prior meeting for which notice of the comment period on proposed action has been provided.

The bill in the Washington State Legislature, sponsored by state Rep. Gerry Pollet, D-Seattle, would require local governments to allow for public comment before making any decision.

The legislation would also require that documents related to the agenda item be made available at least by the time the meeting begins. It was sent to the Government Operations & Elections Committee. No one from the Kitsap Caucus has signed on as a co-sponsor yet.

That local governments do offer time for public comment falls under the categories of smart political moves and good customer service. And more than once I have seen a governing body swayed by something said by a constituent.

UPDATE: I had placed a call to Tim Ford, the state’s Open Government Ombudsman in the Attorney General’s office. He told me, and provided the link to the state law, that council-manager city governments are required to provide public comment opportunities. No other local government is. Again, HB 1197 would change that.

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Your legislator voted

This week Washingtonvotes.org issued its “Missed Votes” report. In the past we’ve had legislators miss votes for health reasons. A few years back one legislator — state Rep. William Eickmeyer, D-Belfair — had back pain so bad he’d lie on his back in his office and wait to hear from House Speaker Frank Chopp if he needed a vote.

Most votes are not close, as illustrated here. When this report comes out each year we all look at the sheer numbers, but it’s also good to look at the margins on each vote. That’s why on the chart below you’ll see the closest vote each legislator missed.

Those with double-digit misses on the list of the 10 Kitsap legislators during the most recent session were because of multiple votes on single days the legislators missed. Many of Sherry Appleton’s misses were at a time when her mother died or she was attending her mother’s memorial services. Jan Angel only missed votes during a special session in May 2011. Kathy Haigh’s misses were in April 2011.

Not one missed vote would have changed the ultimate outcome. In some parts that’s because legislative leaders know better than to allow a vote when the outcome is in doubt.

Here is the graphic of Kitsap Legislators during the 2011-12 legislative session.

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