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Bill to clarify emergency meeting authority for counties draws support from Skagit and counties' association, critics want tighter definitions

State Government & Tribal Relations Committee · January 27, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Representative Lekanoff said HB 2520 clarifies that county governing bodies may meet remotely or outside the county seat to take expedited action during emergencies; Skagit County and the Washington State Association of Counties supported clarifying authority while open-government advocates asked for a strict statutory definition of 'emergency.'

Representative Deborah Lekanoff introduced House Bill 2520 as a clarification to the Open Public Meetings Act after recent flooding in Skagit County forced county leaders to meet outside normal locations. "This bill offers that simple clarification to the open public meeting site, authorizing counties to hold special meetings outside of the county seat or…

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