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AN ORDINANCE relating to council rules and order of business; amending Ordinance 11683, Section 15, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.145, and declaring an emergency.
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BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. Section 220.40 of the King County Charter requires the council to adopt by ordinance rules of procedure governing the conduct of its meetings.
B. Consistent with the county charter, the council adopted by ordinance rules of procedure, which are codified in K.C.C. chapter 1.24, and passed motions related to the organization and administration of the council.
C. The rules ordinance and the organizational motion have been amended from time to time to reflect desired changes in the council's rules of procedure and organization.
D. Because the council is reorganizing the council and its committees by motion effective today, including membership in the employment and administration committee, this ordinance must be enacted as an emergency ordinance in order to be effective immediately to ensure that the regular meeting times of the council's committees are enacted and effective contemporaneously with the reorganization of the council.
SECTION 2. Ordinance 11683, Section 15, as amended, and K.C.C. 1.24.145 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
A. The requirements for a quorum of a standing committee are prescribed in Rule 6A, K.C.C. 1.24.055.A. The requirements for a quorum of a regional committee are prescribed in Rule 7, K.C.C. 1.24.065. ((Two)) Three members constitute a quorum of the employment and administration committee.
B.1. Five members constitute a quorum of the county council, except as provided in subsection B.2. of this section. If there is a lack of a quorum, the chair shall request the clerk of the council to call members so as to constitute a quorum. Unless otherwise required by the King County Charter, a vote of the majority of those present is necessary for the conduct of council business.
2. In the event that an emergency, as defined in K.C.C. 12.52.010, reduces the number of councilmembers, then those councilmembers available and present for duty have full authority to act in all matters as the county council. Quorum requirements for the council shall be suspended for the period of the emergency, and where the affirmative vote of a specified proportion of the council is required for approval of an ordinance or other action, the same proportion of those councilmembers available shall be sufficient. As soon as practicable thereafter, the available councilmembers shall act in accordance with the charter and state law to fill existing vacancies on the council.
3. Members participating by telephone or other electronic means as allowed under subsection B.4. of this section are present for quorum purposes. The clerk of the council, in consultation with the chair, shall establish authentication and operating procedures, which must comply with all state and county laws regarding open public meetings. It shall be noted in the minutes when members participate by telephone or other electronic means.
4. Members may participate and vote in council meetings by telephone or other electronic means under the following circumstances:
a. in the event of an emergency, as defined in K.C.C. 12.52.010;
b. special meetings convened during the council's summer or winter recess; or
c. if a member declares orally or in writing to the chair of the council before or during a meeting that he or she is unable to attend in person because of urgent circumstances as defined in this subsection. A declaration of urgent circumstances may not be made more than three times within a calendar year. For the purpose of this subsection B.4.c., "urgent circumstances" means when a councilmember experiences one or more of the following:
(1) inclement weather that poses an immediate life, health or safety risk to the member if the member were to travel to the meeting, such as a flood alert in the member's district or snow in the member's district or in an area through which the member must travel to get to the meeting; and
(2) the member or an immediate family member, including spouse or domestic partner, child, child of spouse or domestic partner, parent, parent of spouse or domestic partner, grandparent or grandparent of spouse or domestic partner, has a medically related emergency or urgent need for assistance that makes the member unable to attend the meeting.
C. There may not be voting by proxy on a question before the council. A member who is in the council chambers or present via telephone or other electronic means when the question is put shall vote unless excused by the council for special reasons. A motion to excuse a member must be made before the call for "ayes" and "nos" is commenced.
D. A vote before the council must be recorded as to the "ayes" and "nos." Upon the final passage of legislation before the council, the vote must be taken by oral roll call. On any other matter, the vote must be taken by oral roll call if requested by at least one member. When once begun, the roll call may not be interrupted. The order of names on the roll call must be alphabetical by last name except for the chair, who votes last when the "ayes" and "nos" are called
SECTION 3. The county council finds as a fact and declares that an emergency exists and that this ordinance is necessary for the immediate preservation of public peace,
health or safety or for the support of county government and its existing public institutions.