The Washington State Auditor’s Office will examine the Port of Vancouver’s decision to bar the public from a discussion of a controversial oil terminal as part of its next regular review of the port in April 2014. Meanwhile, the port says it has employed a new procedure to ensure it complies with the state’s open public meetings law.
The review by the auditor’s office — the official watchdog of state and local governments — is in response to a citizen hotline complaint filed on Aug. 8. That complaint — based on a July 31 story in The Columbian that revealed apparent violations of open public meetings law by port commissioners — concerns the questionable use of executive session by Commissioners Jerry Oliver, Brian Wolfe and Nancy Baker. The July 22 executive session occurred during a special public meeting to discuss a lease with Tesoro Corp. and Savage Companies.