(Click here to link to the transcription of this meeting)

This "special" council meeting is highly irregular -- although not, unfortunately, unprecedented -- and seems to represent -- in microcosm -- precisely what's wrong with the leadership of this administration.

Based on information given by the City yesterday, this action is being implemented not only with the city attorney's counsel, but (apparently) with his/their concurrence as well. There is nothing in the code that either condones or authorizes this action.

First, If I'm reading our code correctly, it states that any revision to our code requires public input and Planning Commission review. Once presented to the council, they review it, and either accepts it or makes comments and recommendations and send it back to the Planning Commission for further work.

Second, our code does not even contain a definition for the word, "interim." There is, however, a definition for "emergency," and it follows: "Emergency means an unexpected situation that poses an immediate danger to life, health, or property and demands immediate action to prevent or mitigate loss or damage to life, health, property, or essential public services [emphasis added]."

In speaking with the City yesterday, they indicated that this issue should have been discussed during the last council session, but was not. When I asked why this action was being performed in such a rush, Chris Schumacher responded that it was her understanding that the property owner's "window of opportunity" was closing with PUD, i.e., they have a chance to sell electricity to PUD through this power generation plant.

Third, if this is being done to "accommodate" a property owner's wishes or needs, I do not believe anyone -- not even the city attorney -- would argue on behalf of precipitate actions which might abuse the city code or, at the least, make hasty and potentially harmful long-term changes to our codes simply for the purposes of accommodation.

Fourth, even in this day of escalating power-generation problems and concerns, while this power generating plant may be a good thing long term, why is there such a "hurry up and rush" procedure being initiated?

Fifth, this code revision will substantially change our code. It will decrease the minimum lot size of 25 acres required for this land use action down to a single acre. This begs the question of why a minimum lot size of 25 acres -- a fairly large piece of land -- was originally mandated. Have those reasons changed so significantly since our last code revision just a few months ago?

Sixth, according to the RCW's, I believe the "notice" given by the City falls shy of what is required by state statute (see end of this editorial). To their benefit, the city did advise G.R.I.T., but we are only one of several "…newspaper of general circulation…local radio or television stations…" which would normally receive notification.

It will be interesting to attend the meeting and hear the City's justification for this rather hasty action.

RCW 42.30.080
Special meetings. 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 personally or by mail written
notice to each member of the governing body; and to each local newspaper of general circulation and to each local radio or television station which has on file with the governing body a written request to be notified of such special meeting or of all special meetings. Such notice must be delivered personally or by mail at least twenty-four hours before the time of such meeting as specified in the notice.