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Planning director: new FOIA rule means items added at meeting can't be decided same day
Summary
The planning director told commissioners a recently passed FOIA-related bill prevents final actions on items added to an agenda during a meeting unless the item is explicitly time-sensitive; staff recommended caution and suggested using written findings when acting for time-sensitive matters.
At the meeting the planning director briefed the commission on a recently passed FOIA-related measure and its effect on local meeting procedure, advising caution when adding items to an agenda after a meeting has begun.
The director said the bill changes the process so that "items that are introduced, once the meeting has started... if you are to add an item to the agenda at that time, you are not able to take final action on that item at that meeting unless it is deemed to be time sensitive." The director added that "time sensitive is not defined within this" and recommended that if the commission intends to act on an item added mid-meeting they should document findings explaining why the item was time-sensitive.
Commissioners acknowledged the constraint and noted the rule's purpose: ensuring adequate public notice. The director said staff will try to avoid situations where last-minute items would require immediate action and will advise the commission on drafting findings if a time-sensitive exception is used.
