City attorney briefs Orting council on municipal powers and open‑meetings rules

City Attorney Dan Lloyd delivered a training to the Orting City Council on Jan. 28 that reviewed municipal powers, the division between legislative and administrative authority, and the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA).

Lloyd explained that municipal authority derives from state statute (citing RCW provisions) and outlined the practical split: the council sets policy through ordinances and budgets, while the mayor and staff administer and implement policy. He advised council members to rely on staff for execution and to use formal agenda processes and public comment rules to avoid inadvertent OPMA violations.

Using court examples, Lloyd reviewed circumstances that courts have treated as meetings under OPMA — including serial contacts that effectively produce a quorum decision — and contrasted those with permissible exchanges. He described reasons for executive sessions (personnel, potential litigation, real‑estate bargaining) and stressed that staff and council should stay in their respective roles.

Council members asked procedural questions about veto power, executive sessions, public records requests and creating positions; Lloyd answered and recommended the AGO OPMA training for newly elected officials. Lloyd said postponing a park design decision to Feb. 11 posed low grant risk but that council must weigh how much risk it wants to carry in timing decisions.

Why it matters: The training refreshed councilors on statutory limits and practical rules that govern public deliberation, recordkeeping and the use of executive sessions — matters that affect transparency and legal compliance.

What’s next: Lloyd offered to return periodically for additional trainings; council signaled interest in occasional refreshers.