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Council asks city attorney to review PDC liability after debate over broadcast and public-comment rules

Finance & Administration Committee (Snoqualmie) · July 22, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Council members debated whether changing broadcast or mic rules could increase liability under Public Disclosure Commission guidance and asked the city attorney to investigate whether PDC interpretations have changed since 2018; the mayor warned that sudden mic cuts could disrupt meetings.

During the July 21 Finance & Administration Committee meeting, council members debated whether the city should change broadcast and public-comment rules after a contested past incident involving campaign video use "near Snoqualmie." The mayor said altering rules to give the chair authority to cut a microphone mid-comment could force on-the-spot decisions he would rather avoid. "I don't I almost didn't mention it...I don't want to be in that position where in the middle of someone's public comment, I have to make a snap decision to cut a mic," the mayor said.

Council member Holloway argued that failing to follow legal guidance could leave individual council members legally responsible. "You've been told that an action would be illegal," Holloway said, urging caution and legal clarity. Other members noted the Public Disclosure Commission typically acts in response to complaints and that PDC determinations are highly fact-specific.

Council agreed to request the city attorney investigate whether PDC policy or its interpretation has changed since 2018/2019 and to return a report in roughly two weeks. The mayor cautioned that the city currently has a single city attorney and that obtaining a thorough legal opinion could require external counsel, which would use the external counsel budget.

Next steps: city attorney will research the PDC question and report back to the committee in approximately two weeks; council may reconvene FNA or place the item on the full-council agenda depending on findings.

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