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Hideout council reviews ordinance on council member briefings after complaints about late packets
Summary
Council discussed a recently adopted amendment to town code (1.10.60) that authorizes limited briefings for council members; council members and staff debated resource strain, scope and whether a resolution is required within seven days.
Councilmembers and staff debated the scope and effect of a recently enacted amendment to Hideout town code (section 1.10.60) that formalizes the process for council member briefings and requires staff to provide briefings within seven calendar days of a request.
Background: The amendment — proposed by a council member and adopted at a prior meeting — permits a council member to request briefings through the town administrator; staff must provide the briefing within seven days, subject to legal limits and open‑meeting rules. At the Oct. 9 meeting councilmembers and staff said the measure was intended to ensure officials could receive confidential briefings on critical town matters when necessary.
Points of contention: Several council members and staff said the language raised operational concerns: briefings could be voluminous, requests could arrive close to scheduled vacations or meetings, and multiple requests could strain limited staff capacity. Planning staff said one early request was particularly time‑consuming and occurred right before a planned staff absence, and the planning commission’s new three‑day submittal rule was cited as a model the council might adopt for packet timing.
Public and legal clarity: Speakers argued both that the ordinance merely requires a briefing — not a resolution — within seven days, and that the council’s adoption complied with the Open Meetings Act. The ordinance’s sponsor said it was adopted to ensure council members had access to critical information and that it preserved confidentiality when appropriate. Several councilmembers asked staff to monitor the ordinance’s practical effects and consider refinements in coming months.
Next steps: The council asked staff to monitor workload impacts, to consider whether administrative rules or a formal policy (for example, a three‑day packet rule) would reduce last‑minute requests, and to prepare any recommended clarifying amendments or procedures for a future meeting.
Ending: No formal change to section 1.10.60 was adopted at this meeting; the discussion produced direction to staff to return with implementation notes and possible adjustments to prevent undue operational strain.
