Inquiry of the Week (10/30/00)

Question:

May a councilmember join in calling for a special meeting by means of e-mail or fax?

Answer:

A majority of the city council, or the mayor, may call a special meeting. RCW 42.30.080. State law does not specify in what manner councilmembers must call for a special meeting, although it does specify that notice of a special meeting be written and delivered personally or by mail to the mayor, councilmembers, and the media who have on file with the city a request to be notified of special meetings.

In the absence of a statutorily-prescribed method, councilmembers calling for a special meeting may do so by any means that communicates their desire for a special meeting and that adequately conveys that it is actually a councilmember requesting the meeting. So, for example, councilmembers may call for a special meeting orally, in writing delivered in person, by telephone, by regular mail, by e-mail, or fax. If by e-mail, it should have been sent from the councilmember's e-mail address; a fax should be adequate if signed by the councilmember or sent from the councilmember's personal fax number.