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Lewis County commissioners authorize settlement talks in Gather Church case as public comment divides over needle-exchange ordinance
Summary
After an executive session on litigation, the Lewis County Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 to authorize settlement discussions in litigation involving Gather Church and to add a hearing for a related ordinance. Public comment that followed sharply split residents over ordinance 13-54, which restricts mobile needle exchanges.
Presiding Commissioner opened the Jan. 20 meeting of the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners and confirmed the board had met in executive session to discuss litigation involving Gather Church, litigation with Fire Districts 5 and 6, and levy-certification legal risks.
Following the closed session, the board approved, by a 3-0 vote, a motion to grant settlement authority in the Gather Church ACLU litigation and separately voted 3-0 to engage in settlement discussions and/or mediation in the fire district cases. An unidentified commissioner also moved and the board approved a request to add a notice of hearing for proposed ordinance 13-72 — described by commissioners as related to the Gather Church matter — to the Jan. 21 director’s meeting.
Why it matters: Gather Church has challenged county restrictions on mobile syringe services, and the ordinance at the center of public debate — county…
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