Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Notice topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
East Sound planning panel hears public complaints about hard-to-find agendas and site notices
Summary
A public commenter told the East Sound Planning Review Committee that EPRC agendas and minutes were difficult to find via the county search engine; county staff demonstrated the correct navigation path and agreed to follow up with clearer web postings and possible reissued notice.
A member of the public told the East Sound Planning Review Committee that the county’s web search and calendar did not reliably surface EPRC agendas and minutes, making it hard for residents to determine meeting times and participate.
"I started out just trying to find out if this meeting was today… the search engine didn't take me anywhere,” the commenter, Bob (a member of the public), said, describing attempts to find EPRC materials via general search and community-development pages. Bob said he had landed on outdated agendas and could not find a centralized calendar entry for the committee.
Sofia, county staff, responded by sharing her screen and walking members through the steps: from the county home page select Government, then Commissions & Committees, then EPRC, and then Agendas & Minutes to reach the committee’s calendar and posted documents. Sofia said the site’s EPRC tag and agendas/minutes link are several clicks deep and committed to sending step-by-step directions to the committee for publication in the minutes.
Committee members acknowledged recurring confusion and discussed practical fixes: adding a clear calendar link on the EPRC page, sending a targeted county news release, and posting meeting location updates (Sofia confirmed she can edit the EPRC page). One member suggested distributing a short navigation guide that staff could circulate and place in the minutes.
Why it matters: reliable public notice and easily discoverable agendas are essential for transparent local government and for ensuring residents can attend and comment on land-use matters that affect neighborhoods.
What the committee will do next: staff agreed to correct the EPRC location on the webpage, provide a short navigation guide for publication in the minutes, and consider reissuing a notice to clarify meeting location and dates. The committee also encouraged options for broader outreach (Chamber of Commerce, local news outlets) to advertise vacancies and meetings.
