Maple Valley council keeps three-member interview team, asks staff to formalize procedures

The Maple Valley City Council on Feb. 2 debated whether to move interviews for board and commission applicants from a three-member subcommittee into full-council interviews. After more than an hour of discussion the council directed staff to retain a three-member interview team assigned for a one-year term and to draft a formal interview-procedures document for future approval.

City staff had opened the Title 11 discussion by asking for high-level direction. "The 4 items that we feel as staff are a high priority this evening" included clarification of who will conduct interviews, staff told the council (City Manager, S6). Councilor Scharoff, who has served on the subcommittee, said the current panel gave interviewees a less intimidating setting and recommended making the subcommittee annual rather than rotating quarterly. "My first inclinations are keep it as the committee and, make it annual," Scharoff said (S5).

Several councilors pushed back, saying full-council interviews could improve transparency and allow immediate deliberations. One councilor proposed a hybrid: hold interviews in a conference room (still a public meeting) with the full council but limit audience participation and interview one candidate at a time so applicants would not gain an advantage by listening to earlier interviews. City Attorney Patricia Terade cautioned about Open Public Meetings Act constraints if the process were treated as a public meeting (Patricia Terade, S2).

The council's action was procedural direction to staff rather than an ordinance change: staff will draft a written interview-procedures manual that will define whether interviews are by subcommittee, full council, or a hybrid, address when alternates step in, and formalize notification steps for applicants. Staff said they will return with the draft for council consideration.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 205, topfinish SEG 1440.