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Nothing new from closed-door meeting Board takes time to discuss personell issues By Patrick McDonough pmcdonough@soundpublishing.com
A last minute June 27 special meeting of the Central Kitsap School Board to address budget issues previously discussed in public, ended without an outcome. The meeting’s full agenda called for a “Recess into Executive Session Pursuant to RCW 42.30.110 to Discuss with District Legal Counsel Pending Litigation and Potential Litigation; and Review Complaints Against One or More Public Employees, and to Review their Performance. Return to Special Session. The Board May Take Action Following the Executive Session Concerning the Complaint Against District Employees(s).” Scheduled the day before the meeting, the special session was posted to the district’s website within a 24 hour time frame school officials
said was allowed by law. Boa rd members Christy Cathcart and Mark Gaines were absent from the proceedings and the board agreed early on that the absences would shutter the possibility of action or explanation after the special session. Cathcart said she was unable to attend the ses-
The next board meeting, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, will be open to the public. An agenda for the meeting has not yet been posted by school officials. sion due to a prior personal engagement, but added she and Gaines would be updated on the proceedings in a meeting with Lynch and an attorney on July 2. Cathcart said the board did not need to withhold taking action in her absence because enough members were present to make a quorum. It was Cathcart who posed a question about Superintendent Greg Lynch’s handling of information on grant
money during the June 20 board meeting that originally led to a closed door session. “Because the entire board is not here, I don’t feel it would be appropriate to make any comments or take any action after the meeting,” Board President Chris Stokke said. Stokke made a motion to modify the June 27 special meeting agenda to return to special session and adjourn afterwards which went unopposed by members present at the meeting. The board and District Superintendent Greg Lynch recessed into special session after the motion, and Stokke returned at just after 10 p.m. to extend the closed session for another 15 minutes and at 10:20 the board returned and adjourned. After the meeting, board members and Lynch declined to comment on any facet of the meeting or how the results might affect the 2012-2013 budget preparations. Patti Roessner, a parent See MEETING, A8
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City council cancels business meeting By KEVAN MOORE kmoore@soundpublishing.com
The Bremerton City Council’s regular business meeting this week was pushed back a day and then canceled altogether. Due to the Independence Day holiday on Wednesday, the meeting was bumped to Thursday. Council President Jim McDonald then decided to cancel the meeting due to a lack of action items. “If it wasn’t for the holiday, we probably would have held a meeting,” said Legislative Assistant Lori Smith. “There just wouldn’t have been any action items. So, the president made a decision to cancel.” According to state law, “… If at any time any regular meeting falls on a holiday, such regular meeting shall be held on the next business day…” Smith noted, though, that the city charter only requires that the, “Council shall meet regularly, at least once a month, at such times and locations as designated by the Council.” “They choose to meet four times a month and have two study sessions and then vote on business items at the next meeting,” Smith said. It’s during those every-other-week business meetings, that members of the public get a chance to testify publicly before the council.
McDonald was out of town this week, but City Council Vice President Greg Wheeler said that the decision to cancel the meeting was the right thing to do. “If we had any sort of pressing issue at all, I would have talked to Jim about it,” Wheeler said. “But since we didn’t, he made the call and I didn’t bring any pressing issues forward, so I’m fine with it.” Wheeler also said that canceling one of two of this month’s meetings that allow for public comment wasn’t a big concern. “It wasn’t,” he said. “Only because there was no issue on our agenda as far as public input on anything. The public still has the freedom to ask a question at any time. All of us have an open-door policy and you can call us and email us at any time. Our doors are always open for items not on the agenda. So, we never stop working.” The city council’s most recent meeting cancellation fell on a fifth Tuesday on May 30. That session was also cancelled “due to a lack of items.” More recently, the council’s June 20 business meeting very nearly was canceled due to a lack of a quorum. Three councilors were at an annual Association of Washington Cities conference in Vancouver and a fourth council member was out of town on business. In addition, Smith See COUNCIL, A8
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