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White Salmon councilor proposes standing 'Council Business' item to boost transparency
Summary
Councilor Patty Fink proposed adding a recurring “Council Business” item to White Salmon’s agenda so members can bring topics or reports directly to the council and the public; councilors discussed integrating the item with existing agenda procedures and Robert’s Rules of Order and agreed to trial the approach before formalizing it.
Councilor Patty Fink proposed adding a standing "Council Business" agenda item during the White Salmon City Council meeting on Oct. 15, 2025, saying it would let council members introduce topics, reports, proclamations or ideas without routing them through the mayor and would give the public earlier access to information.
Fink told colleagues the change would improve transparency and allow the public to view council materials in advance. Councilors discussed practical implementation, including whether the item should be formalized by resolution or tested under existing agenda rules.
City Attorney Kelly Hickok and Councilor Ben Giant clarified how Robert’s Rules of Order would apply: adding or removing items requires a majority vote before an agenda is adopted and a two-thirds vote after adoption. Councilors generally favored trying the approach within existing procedural rules rather than immediately pursuing a formal resolution, with the understanding that agenda order and distribution should be managed to maximize public participation.
Mayor Pro Tem David Lindley suggested mapping council initiatives and policy priorities to committees within the budget narrative to provide committees clearer directives and better enable follow-through. The council encouraged staff to test the Council Business item using current rules and bring back any recommended adjustments if the trial indicates formalization is needed.
The council did not adopt a formal change at the Oct. 15 meeting; members agreed to pilot the item and monitor effects on transparency and staff workload.
