HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 03/28/2017 CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
Port Angeles, Washington
March 28, 2017
CALL TO ORDER SPECIAL MEETING:
Mayor Downie called the special meeting of the Port Angeles City Council to order at 5:06 p.m.
ROLL CALL:
Members Present: Mayor Downie,Councilmembers Gase,Merideth,and Whetham.
Councilmembers Collins and Bruch joined the meeting at 5:14 p.m.
Members Absent:Deputy Mayor Kidd.
Staff Present: City Manager McKeen,Attorney Bloor,Clerk,Veneklasen.and B. Smith.
TRAINING:
City Attorney Bill Bloor provided Council its annual training on the responsibilities of public officials,which
included information on the Open Public Meetings Act,conflict of interesWfinancial interests,and public records.
WORIKSESSION:
Attorney Bloor and Manager McKeen conducted a presentation on the City's ethics ordinance. They spoke about the
history of the ordinance,the ethics complaints that were filed in 2016,and some possible options for altering the
current ordinance. Council discussion followed.
Manager McKeen outlined the 3 options Council indicated they would like to explore. Those options are to:
1. Use the WCIA(Washington Cities Insurance Authority)recommendation to follow State law on conflict of
interests,and require the City Council to receive ethics training once per year.
2. Retain the ethics ordinance,but remove Section J.
3. Keep the ethics ordinance as it is,but have an appointed board, not one that is picked from a 9-member
pool each time there is a complaint.
The Council requested that the City Manager seek comments/opinions about the three options from Ethics Board
members who were involved in the ethics complaint process. They further asked Manager McKeen to get feedback
from the board on the possibility of having a"gatekeeper,"perhaps the Hearings Examiner,as a first step in the
complaint process.Manager McKeen said he would also get feedback from the City's Hearings Examiner on the
"gatekeeper"option. Manager McKeen said he would bring the information gathered back to the Council in May.
ADJOURNMENT: Mayor Downie adjourned the meeting at 7:03 p.m.
Pat k Downie,Mayor"' AennifeiVeneklasen,City Clerk