§22.4 Procedural Requirements for Meetings

• Jurisdiction: Washington

§22.4 PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MEETINGS

Procedural requirement for conducting meetings under the OPMA are discussed below.

(1) Regular meetings

The Act requires agencies to identify the time and place they will hold their regular meetings, which are "recurring meetings held in accordance with a periodic schedule declared by statute or rule." RCW 42.30.075. State agencies must publish their schedules in the Washington State Register, while local agencies, such as cities and counties, must adopt the schedule "by ordinance, resolution, bylaws, or by whatever other rule is required for the conduct of business by that body" RCW 42.30.070. Regular meetings that fall on a holiday are to be held on the next business day. See id.

Public agencies are required to make the agendas of regular meetings of their governing bodies available online at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. Laws of 2014, ch. 61, §2 (codified in RCW 42.30.077). This requirement does not apply if an agency does not have a website or if it employs fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees. However, this requirement does not mean that an agency cannot modify the agenda after it is posted online. A failure to comply with this requirement with respect to a meeting will not invalidate an otherwise legal action taken at the meeting.

(2) Special meetings

The Act imposes certain notice...