Council members question meeting cancellations

Members of Pullman City Council have expressed frustration the city has not had a city council meeting since March 31.

Tuesday will mark the third consecutive week that a council meeting has been canceled. Councilman Brandon Chapman said he believes the city council should still meet, via Zoom, not only as a symbolic gesture but to discuss the city’s plan going forward during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chapman said the council should convene to assure the public that its representatives are doing everything expected of them during this difficult situation.

As for agenda items, Chapman said he would like the council to talk about fiscal issues since the council has authority over the city’s budget. He also wants to discuss what the COVID-19 recovery process should entail.

“All of this stuff at least could be discussed before we are at the recovery phase and we don’t have a plan,” he said.

Chapman said the city has informed him that Washington state, in response to COVID-19, is directing cities to limit public meetings unless they meet certain criteria.

Chapman shared with the Daily News an email to the council from City Administrator Adam Lincoln that stated cities are prohibited by the governor’s Open Public Meetings Act from “taking action at any meeting ‘unless those matters are necessary and routine matters or are matters necessary to respond’ to the COVID-19 public health emergency.”

That order may end on Thursday.

In an email to the Daily News, Pullman City Attorney Laura McAloon stated the reason why Tuesday’s meeting is canceled.

“Next week’s Council meeting was canceled because Pullman has no necessary business that it must take action on next week and I’m not aware of any request by Councilmember Chapman, or any other Councilmember, regarding an action item,” she wrote.

Chapman said another attorney indicated to him that Pullman may be interpreting the governor’s order too broadly and his research has shown that other Washington cities are still holding meetings.

“Why do we feel we’re right and everybody else is wrong?” Chapman said.

Councilwoman Eileen Macoll said she, too, would like the council to meet to provide reassurance to the public and so the council can talk with department heads. She has read the governor’s orders and she also believes Pullman is being too cautious by canceling meetings.

“I think there’s a real fine line here and we could be a little bit bolder,” she said.

Mayor Glenn Johnson said Friday he was planning to talk to the governor’s staff that afternoon to determine if the Public Meetings Act will expire on Thursday. Johnson said another reason the city canceled its council meeting is to allow more time to set up technology to take public comments online.

Johnson said a city council meeting is planned for April 28.

Because Pullman announced a Declaration of Emergency in March in response to COVID-19, the mayor has more authority to handle city financial issues himself. Johnson said he has signed off on construction projects.

Chapman said he is organizing his own town hall meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Zoom.

Anthony Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.