Kira Erickson reports for the South Whidbey Record from the Langley City Council meeting of Mon., May 1, 2023.
Langley officials and staff have just under two months to relocate a plethora of city records that are currently being stored in the basement of the Langley Library, which will soon undergo a renovation.
The subject came up as a topic of discussion during this week’s city council meeting. City leaders, department heads, council members and representatives from the Sno-Isle Libraries spoke about the pressing issue for nearly an hour.
They Said It
Mayor Scott Chaplin is hoping to follow the lead of the town of La Conner, which has digitized a vast amount of its important documents. However, this process could take years, and in the meantime records need to be stored someplace safe where they can be easily accessed by city staff. The current location lacks smoke detectors, a sprinkler system and adequate temperature regulation.
In an email to The Record, Chaplin said he believes the city records were moved from the attic of the old city hall to the basement of the library during the late 1990s after a state audit required the city to improve its files management.
Councilmember Thomas Gill suggested moving the records to the council chambers in city hall. He said it may behoove the council, and other bodies who regularly meet in the chambers, to convene elsewhere, such as the meeting hall of one of the nearby churches. That may mean paying for faster internet or additional connections to ensure it is a sufficient place to meet.
“I’m hoping we can come up with some creative solutions, and I know that’s an overused phrase,” Councilmember Craig Cyr said. “I’m ready to surrender this whole downstairs. Let’s go find some other place to have council meetings if we have to.”
He added that this should be the top priority of the mayor, rather than water efficiency, which was a topic Chaplin brought up earlier in the meeting.
On the Ballot in November 2023
| CITY OF LANGLEY |
| City Council: Two of five council positions are on the ballot. Position 3: Thomas E. Gill The Whidbey News-Times reported on May 5, 2023 that Christopher Carlson, the chairperson of the Langley Finance and Personnel Commission, will run for this seat. On Tue., May 16, Kay Kenneweg filed to run for this seat as well. Position 4: Craig Cyr Councilman Cyr filed to run for re-election on Mon., May 15. Mayor Chaplin filed to run for this seat on Fri., May 19. |
| Mayor: Scott Chaplin. Mayor Chaplin was appointed after the resignation of Tim Callison. This election will be for the remainder of Chaplin’s term, which ends Dec. 31, 2023, and the succeeding four-year full term, which ends Dec. 31, 2027. In April 2023, Chaplin announced that he would not run to retain his seat. Councilman Thomas Gill filed his intention to run for mayor with the Public Disclosure Commission on May 6, 2023. Kennedy Horstman, a member of the city’s Dismantling Systemic Racism Advisory Group, announced her intention to run and filed with the PDC on May 12, 2023. |
