The Longview City Council is holding off on taking action on a proposed change to the city’s residential zoning code, after it was pointed out that there may have been a violation of the Open Meetings Law to get the issue on last night’s agenda. Council member Dennis Weber brought the issue up, noting that a majority of the Council had signed off on Ken Botero’s proposal to revise the zoning code to allow off-site produce sales. City Attorney Marilyn Haan says that there did appear to have been a possible violation; Botero had brought the issue forward, and three other Council members signed on in support. Haan says that there didn’t have to be a physical meeting of all four Council members at once, but getting to a point where a majority of the Council signed on prior to a public meeting shows that a decision was made outside of a public meeting. She also says that someone would have to file a complaint in Superior Court, and that if a judge determined that there was a violation, then the Council members would be subject to a fine. Mayor Pro Tem Don Jensen, who was one of those who’d signed on, says that while there was no intent to conduct an improper meeting, it did appear that one had taken place. He took the matter off the agenda, to be re-submitted under proper channels. Jensen says that they want to maintain an appearance of fairness, so it made sense to remove the issue from last night’s agenda.
