Anacortes council debates committee-of-the-whole, remote attendance and public-comment rules

Anacortes City Council members spent a Sept. 8 workshop debating whether to move from small standing committees to a more open “committee of the whole” approach, and discussing related changes to meeting conduct, remote attendance and public-comment rules. Council members and department heads agreed staff should compile tonight’s feedback and return a formal draft of revised council procedures for future action.

The council’s discussion focused on two competing priorities: expanding equitable, direct access for all seven council members to the same information early in a topic’s development, and preserving the informal, in-depth review that smaller committees provide. Mayor Miller opened the workshop by summarizing the packet of council suggestions and staff materials and said the format was intended to spur conversation that staff would later capture and turn into proposed language.

Supporters of a broader structure — including some council members who described the value of face-to-face, early conversations — argued a committee-of-the-whole can improve shared understanding. Opponents said smaller committees allow department directors to hold candid, technical conversations and give council members a sounding board before matters reach the full council. Several council members proposed a hybrid approach: regular full-council informal sessions (a rotating or quarterly “committee of the whole”) plus smaller standing committees or ad hoc committees for detailed work.

Council members and staff also discussed procedural items including whether to adopt Robert’s Rules of Order, codify the mayor pro tem succession when the mayor is absent, and limit the number of council meetings a member may attend remotely. Several council members said a cap on remote attendance (examples discussed ranged around about 12 remote meetings per year) would be reasonable, while allowing exceptions for military leave, medical necessity or other extraordinary circumstances.

Public-comment rules and remote testimony were a substantial portion of the workshop. Staff and council members reviewed options including requiring remote speakers to enable their video feed, preregistration for remote testimony to reduce abuse, guidance on when the council may provide follow-up after public comment, and limits on presenting slides or other visual materials during the public-comment period. Several council members urged care to avoid creating barriers that would deter residents from speaking; others emphasized protections against deliberate disruptions and the experience of a past “Zoom bombing.”

On consent-agenda changes, staff proposed widening items eligible for consent to include certain public-works and routine interlocal agreements (for example, small no-cost time extensions and lower-dollar, routine interlocal agreements), and asked council for direction on thresholds and which contract types should be presented for full discussion versus on consent. Staff said they will return suggested thresholds and draft language.

No procedural changes were enacted tonight. Instead, staff were asked to compile the feedback captured in the workshop and prepare a written draft of revised procedures and specific language for council review and a future formal vote. Mayor Miller said staff would produce a draft and that the procedures document can be revised later if changes prove unworkable.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article include council members and staff who led the workshop or spoke during it. The discussion included department directors who sat at the table and offered operational perspectives on how proposals would affect staff workload and public access.

The council planned further follow-up; staff will present draft procedural language for formal consideration at a later meeting.