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Lake Stevens attorneys brief council on ethics, open‑meetings, quasi‑judicial duties and public records
Summary
City attorneys led extended training for council on being a code city, the role of council members, RCW chapter 42.23 (ethics), quasi‑judicial hearings and the Open Public Meetings Act, and the scope of the Public Records Act — including guidance on councilmembers' social media posts and record retention.
Lake Stevens city attorneys Greg and Oscar Ray provided a focused training session to the council on Jan. 13 that covered optional municipal (code) city powers, the duties of elected council members, state ethics law, quasi‑judicial proceedings, the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) and the Public Records Act.
Greg and Oscar emphasized that Lake Stevens operates as a mayor‑council code city under state law and explained that, while code cities have broad powers, councilmembers have no individual authority to act outside council decisions. They urged councilmembers to treat their role as collective decision‑makers and…
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