Two months after the state officially “reopened,” cities still must follow state and county requirements to hold public meetings.
Proclamation 20-28.15, issued by Governor Inslee in January 2021, is still in effect under Senate Concurrent Resolution 8402.
The proclamation requires that all public meetings be held remotely with the option of also having an in-person component of the meeting. Remote access to meetings must be provided at a minimum via telephonic access with all attendees able to hear
each other at the same time.
Cities wishing to have an in-person component of their public meetings must follow the miscellaneous venues COVID-19 requirements issued by the Governor’s
Office on June 30, 2021. The requirements remove capacity limits and physical distancing requirements. However, the requirements include a provision to follow all current applicable face-covering requirements. Under these state guidelines, cities
are not required to verify the vaccination status for in-person meeting attendees.
Additionally, cities must follow county and local health guidelines. Certain counties around the state have instituted masking requirements for indoor and outdoor events and meetings. Please check with your local health officials to determine if there
are additional guidelines to follow to hold in-person meetings.