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The county legislative authority of each county may hold special meetings at the county seat or at a location designated in accordance with subsection (2) or (3) of this section to transact the business of the county. Notice of a special meeting shall be made as provided in RCW 42.30.080.
A special meeting may be held outside of the county seat at any location within the county if the agenda item or items are of unique interest or concern to the citizens of the portion of the county in which the special meeting is to be held.
Any two or more county legislative authorities may hold a joint special meeting at the county seat or other agreed upon location within the jurisdiction of a participating county if the agenda item or items relate to actions or considerations of mutual interest or concern to the participating legislative authorities.
The legislative authority of each county may hold a special meeting outside of the county seat, or remotely, when necessary to take expedited action needed to meet an emergency. Notice of such a meeting must be made as provided for in RCW 42.30.080, unless such notice is not required pursuant to RCW 42.30.070 and 42.30.080(4). The minutes of any such meeting must be recorded and open to public inspection as provided for in RCW 42.30.035.
Except when expedited action is necessary to meet an emergency and is taken in compliance with the requirements of this chapter, no governing body of a public agency shall adopt any ordinance, resolution, rule, regulation, order, or directive, except in a meeting open to the public and then only at a meeting, the date of which is fixed by law or rule, or at a meeting of which notice has been given according to the provisions of this chapter. Any action taken at meetings failing to comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be null and void.
No governing body of a public agency at any meeting required to be open to the public shall vote by secret ballot. Any vote taken in violation of this subsection shall be null and void, and shall be considered an "action" under this chapter.
If, after the declaration of an emergency by a local or state government or agency, or by the federal government, a public agency determines that it cannot hold a meeting of the governing body with members or public attendance in person with reasonable safety because of the emergency, the public agency may:
Hold a remote meeting of the governing body without a physical location; or
Hold a meeting of the governing body at which the physical attendance by some or all members of the public is limited due to a declared emergency.
During a remote meeting, members of the governing body may appear or attend by phone or by other electronic means that allows real-time verbal communication without being in the same physical location. For a remote meeting or a meeting at which the physical attendance by some or all members of the public is limited due to a declared emergency, the public agency must provide an option for the public to listen to the proceedings telephonically or by using a readily available alternative in real-time that does not require any additional cost for participation. Free readily available options include, but are not limited to, broadcast by the public agency on a locally available cable television station that is available throughout the jurisdiction or other electronic, internet, or other means of remote access that does not require any additional cost for access to the program. The public agency may also allow the other electronic means of remote access.
No action may be taken at a remote meeting or a meeting at which the physical attendance by some or all members of the public is limited due to a declared emergency if the public agency has not provided an option for the public to listen to proceedings pursuant to subsection (2) of this section, except for an executive session as authorized in this chapter and for action taken in order to meet an emergency as provided for in RCW 42.30.070.
Notice of a remote meeting without a physical location or a meeting at which the physical attendance by some or all members of the public is limited due to a declared emergency must be provided in accordance with this chapter and must include instructions on how the public may listen live to proceedings and on how the public may access any other electronic means of remote access offered by the public agency.
A remote meeting or a meeting at which the physical attendance by some or all members of the public is limited due to a declared emergency that is held under the provisions of this section shall be considered open and public in compliance with the requirements of this chapter. Nothing in this section alters the ability of public agencies to take action at a remote meeting or a meeting at which the physical attendance by some or all members of the public is limited in response to an emergency as provided for in RCW 42.30.070, or to have members of a governing body participate in a meeting remotely with no declared emergency.
Notwithstanding any other provision in this section, any governing body of a public agency which held some of its regular meetings remotely prior to March 1, 2020, may continue to hold some of its regular meetings remotely with no declared emergency so long as the public agency provides an option for the public to listen to the proceedings pursuant to subsection (2) of this section.