On Monday, February 1, two regions encompassing seven counties moved to Phase 2 of Governor Inslee’s Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery Plan.
Cities in Phase 2 regions can begin holding limited, in-person meetings again.
Under the Governor’s updated reopening plan, meetings subject to the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) will follow the same guidelines as business meetings in the miscellaneous venue guidance document.
Cities in Phase 1 are not permitted to hold in-person public meetings and must continue to conduct meetings virtually. Cities in Phase 2 are permitted to hold in-person public meetings in addition to virtual options; however, the capacity of these meetings
is limited to 25% of the posted room capacity or 200 individuals – whichever is fewer. Cities in Phase 2 must also provide the public virtual access to meetings, at a minimum, via telephone.
As regions move through the different reopening phases, local governments should have a reopening operations plan in place based on public health guidance and guidance provided to state agencies under the Roadmap to Recovery Plan.
The counties currently in Phase 2 are:
- Grays Harbor
- King
- Lewis
- Pacific
- Pierce
- Snohomish
- Thurston
Updates to the OPMA continue to progress through the legislature. HB 1056 passed through the
House and now awaits action in the Senate State Government & Elections Committee. AWC supports this bill as it provides local governments with the flexibility to hold virtual public meetings during a declared emergency.