Cancelled City Council meeting turns to gathering and informal meeting
Aberdeen, WA – Numerous people gathered outside and inside Aberdeen City Hall on Wednesday, even after the regular City Council meeting was cancelled.
Wednesday morning, the City of Aberdeen announced that they were unable to hold their regular meeting of the City Council after it was discovered that the agenda for the meeting had not been posted on the city website at least 24 hours ahead of time.
The Open Public Meetings Act and state law dictate that public agencies that have a website and meet size requirements must make the agenda of each regular meeting available online “no later than twenty-four hours in advance of the published start time of the meeting.”
According to Corporation Counsel Patrice Kent, the agenda was not posted onto the website within the allotted time, although it had been sent to council, the media, and those who were on a notification list.
The City website is hosted by LB Web Pro, and the agenda had been sent to an email for that company on September 20.
The City had previously cancelled a meeting in January due to the same issue.
Scheduled on the agenda for the meeting was a number of items, including a proposal to permit a Temporary Use at a S. Michigan Street property for a longer-term homeless encampment.
On Wednesday night, a number of people gathered outside City Hall to speak regarding issues surrounding the efforts the city was doing to mitigate the local homeless population.
KXRO was told that Mayor Erik Larson, Council President Tawni Andrews, and Kent also arrived at the gathering and eventually brought members of the public upstairs to discuss their concerns.
The next regular meeting is scheduled for Wednesday October 9, 2019 at 7:15 pm at Council Chambers on the third floor of City Hall (200 East Market), and it is assumed that the same items will return to that agenda. A special meeting may be called prior to that date if time-sensitive approvals are needed.
If a special meeting were called, the City would be required to provide notice to the public.
