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Port Angeles councilors receive training on open meetings, ethics and public records
Summary
At its March 17 session the Port Angeles City Council received required instruction on the Open Public Meetings Act, ethics and the Public Records Act from senior legal assistant Jane Roberts, who stressed that a meeting requires both quorum and "action," and reviewed records-response obligations and conflict-of-interest rules.
Port Angeles — At a special pre-meeting training on March 17, senior legal assistant Jane Roberts led council members through Washington's Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA), state ethics expectations and the Public Records Act, stressing practical steps elected officials must take to avoid inadvertent violations.
Roberts began by reminding council members that her presentation was informational, not legal advice, and that the city attorney remains the authoritative resource. "I am not an attorney," she said; "this is informational only." She summarized the OPMA test in plain terms: a meeting generally exists where a quorum is present and action of some kind occurs. "Action plus quorum," Roberts told the council, "is the equation that you need to watch out for." She warned that…
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