Friday, Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. at Eastsound Fire Hall Canceled Due to Snow
— from Lindsay Schirmer —
A Special Meeting of the Orcas Fire and Rescue Commission will be held on Friday, Dec. 20.
The Fire Commissioners are Barbara Bedell, Chair; Clyde Duke and Jim Coffin.
Agenda:
Old Business: 2015 Proposed Levy
Public Comment
New Business: 2014 Budget Adjustment
The Secretary informed the Commission that the notice requirements of RCW 42.30.080 have been met by email transmission of a notice of this meeting to the Islands Sounder and Orcas Issues and the posting such notice in the lobby of Station 21. Such notice was transmitted and posted on December 19, 2013 at Eastsound Fire Hall on 45 Lavender Lane, Eastsound, WA 98245, and specified the time and place of this Special Meeting and the business to be transacted. Each Commissioner has either received or waived notice pursuant to such statute.
Announcements
- December 24, 2013 ~ Christmas Eve – Office open
- December 25, 2013 ~ Christmas Day – Office closed
- January 1, 2014 ~ New Year’s Day – Office closed
I think it’s a slippery slope when public notice requirements can be met with email.
E-mail is just a modern way of delivering notice to the commissioners and local news outlets, just like mail, walking in with a piece of paper, or faxing. The public notice part is through publication and posting the announcement on at the agency. Here’s the RCW:
RCW 42.30.080
Special meetings.
(1) A special meeting may be called at any time by the presiding officer of the governing body of a public agency or by a majority of the members of the governing body by delivering written notice personally, by mail, by fax, or by electronic mail to each member of the governing body. Written notice shall be deemed waived in the following circumstances:
(a) A member submits a written waiver of notice with the clerk or secretary of the governing body at or prior to the time the meeting convenes. A written waiver may be given by telegram, fax, or electronic mail; or
(b) A member is actually present at the time the meeting convenes.
(2) Notice of a special meeting called under subsection (1) of this section shall be:
(a) Delivered to each local newspaper of general circulation and local radio or television station that has on file with the governing body a written request to be notified of such special meeting or of all special meetings;
(b) Posted on the agency’s web site. An agency is not required to post a special meeting notice on its web site if it (i) does not have a web site; (ii) employs fewer than ten full-time equivalent employees; or (iii) does not employ personnel whose duty, as defined by a job description or existing contract, is to maintain or update the web site; and
(c) Prominently displayed at the main entrance of the agency’s principal location and the meeting site if it is not held at the agency’s principal location.
Such notice must be delivered or posted, as applicable, at least twenty-four hours before the time of such meeting as specified in the notice.
(3) The call and notices required under subsections (1) and (2) of this section shall specify the time and place of the special meeting and the business to be transacted. Final disposition shall not be taken on any other matter at such meetings by the governing body.
(4) The notices provided in this section may be dispensed with in the event a special meeting is called to deal with an emergency involving injury or damage to persons or property or the likelihood of such injury or damage, when time requirements of such notice would make notice impractical and increase the likelihood of such injury or damage.
You are correct in publishing RCW 42.30.080 to prove you have complied with the laws currently in force for calling and cancelling meetings whose activities are governed by RCW 42.30.080 but………. you are wrong in saying “E-mail is just a modern way of delivering notice to the commissioners and local news outlets, just like mail, walking in with a piece of paper, or faxing”. E-mail requires a computer, or a device that connects to The Internet which can only be obtained in certain locales, is costly when you can connect and is at it’s best cannot and does not guarantee delivery of a message. God help us when the government requires we have access to The Internet to know what is going on in our community! A Slippery Slope indeed!