Blaine City Council unanimously voted to return to hybrid council meetings, allowing the public to attend council meetings at city hall as well as online. The next city council meeting will be held Monday, March 28.
Councilmembers voted March 14 to combine in-person meetings to the online meetings currently held on Zoom. The decision came after governor Jay Inslee lifted the indoor mask mandate requirement March 12.
Masks will not be required at the meeting, city clerk Sam Crawford said.
Council meetings went virtual in spring 2020 and then briefly became hybrid in August 2021 while masks were optional for those vaccinated. Council returned to remote-only meetings when Inslee required masks indoors again in late August. The new council voted during the first meeting of the year to continue virtual meetings.
Councilmember Garth Baldwin said he believed it was council’s responsibility to the public to resume in-person meetings.
“I rather prefer virtual meetings. However, I think it’s the city council’s responsibility to answer our citizens and part of that is being present at the meetings as arranged,” Baldwin said. “I think it’s the most responsible thing we should do.”
Under city ordinance, city boards, commissions and committees vote separately to decide to return to in-person meetings.
More information about the March 28 council meeting will be made available at bit.ly/3Dhn6KZ. City hall is located at 435 Martin Street.
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