Sunnyside Council Holds Executive Session on Personnel, Takes No Action

Sunnyside City Council met in a special executive session on July 18, 2025, citing RCW 42.30.110(1)(g) and RCW 42.30.140(4) to evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for public employment or to review the performance of a public employee, and the council announced that no action resulted from the session.

The presiding official of the council opened the meeting and said the executive session was requested for about 15 minutes but could run longer. “This evening's meeting will be an executive session, so, we're gonna start right away with the executive session,” the presiding official said. The same speaker later confirmed, “There is no action based on the executive session.”

The council cited the Revised Code of Washington provisions that allow governing bodies to meet in private to evaluate applicants or review employee performance while noting that discussions of salaries, wages or final hiring decisions must occur in public when the body takes final action. The presiding official also noted a short recording issue when the council returned to open session and said the body wanted to ensure the public record was complete.

For the record, the presiding official stated that all members of the council were present and that necessary staff were in attendance. No motions, votes, appointments, salary settings or disciplinary actions were announced at the meeting; the presiding official closed by saying the meeting was adjourned.

Because Washington law requires any final hiring, salary-setting for an individual or discipline to occur in an open meeting, the council's announcement that no action was taken means there was no public decision at this session that would trigger that requirement.