Sammamish clerk trains planning commissioners on public-records and open-meetings rules

City Clerk Krista Kilsmeier told the Sammamish Planning Commission on June 5 that commissioners’ communications and notes about city business are public records and described how the city handles requests under the Washington Public Records Act.

Kilsmeier said commissioners and the public should understand that “the definition of a public record is up there. The main thing to remember is it's regardless of physical form or characteristics,” and that records can include “handwritten note[s] … voice mails, Zoom recordings” and email. She told commissioners the city must respond to a public-records request within five business days: “We get a request. We have to respond within 5 business days.”

The clerk’s office walked through common scenarios commissioners face: requests for meeting minutes, emails and copies of letters read during public comment (she noted a request given the identifier 6377 as an example), searches that date back to 2020 and the city’s ability to provide records in…