Protecting Your Right To Know
The right to know what the government is doing is integral to our democracy
WHY
Observers are the eyes and ears of the League. In addition, an observer’s presence at meetings demonstrates a citizen’s desire to be an informed and active participant in local government. League observers build good public relations as visible examples of citizens seeking to understand public policy issues, and the workings of our elected or appointed boards, commissions, and councils.
LATEST OBSERVER REPORT
PURPOSE
- Observing government in action makes a statement that the community is watching the process of governing. The League observer is the representative of the public at these meetings.
- Observing public meetings allows League volunteers to watch for issues on which the League has taken a position or has an interest. If an item that is being discussed is related to one of LWV’s positions, the observer’s report will alert the Board to the possibility the League should speak out or take action on the issue.
- Observers watch the general operations of public meetings. What issues are being discussed and how is the meeting being conducted? Does the Board, Council, or Commission comply with the open meeting laws?
RESOURCES FOR OBSERVERS
- Observing Your Government in Action
- Guidelines for Observers
- Observer Corps Report Form (this is a WORD document which will auto download)
- Requesting Copies of Public Records (Ballotpedia – overview)
- Open Public Meeting Act (OPMA) – the skinny
- Take the OPMA Training (elected and appointed officials do, so should you!)
OBSERVER CALENDAR
The League does not currently have enough volunteers to cover all the meetings shown below. If you are interested in becoming a League observer (and you don’t have to be a member to an observer), please contact us at KittitasInfo@gmail.com.
COUNTY Kittitas County Commissioners - 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 10am Kittitas County Planning Commission - 2nd & 4th Tuesday, 6pm Kittitas County Housing Commission - Last Friday of month, 10am CITIES Cle Elum City Council - 2nd & 4th Monday, 7pm Ellensburg City Council - 1st & 3rd Monday, 7pm Ellensburg Planning Commission - 2nd Thursday, 5:45pm Ellensburg Affordable Housing Commission - 1st Wednesday, 4:30pm Kittitas City Council - 2nd & 4th Tuesday, 7pm Roslyn City Council - 2nd & 4th Tuesday, 4:30pm SCHOOLS Ellensburg School Board - 2nd & 4th Wednesday, 6pm Kittitas School Board - 3rd Wednesday, 7pm Cle Elum-Roslyn School Board - 2nd & 4th Monday, 6pm Thorp School Board - 4th Tuesday, 6pm