The City of Wenatchee's Vision Statement:

"To create community through responsive leadership and services for the citizens and visitors of the
Apple Capital of the World."

Regular meetings of the Wenatchee City Council are held the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month at 5:15 PM.  Work sessions (as needed) are held the 3rd Thursday of the month at 5:15 PM.  Meetings are held at the Wenatchee City Hall Council Chambers, 301 Yakima Street, Wenatchee, WA. Wenatchee City Council meetings are also broadcast live on the city's YouTube Channel.

The meetings are open to the public and the City Council encourages public participation. If you are not able to attend the meeting in person, arrangements can be made to participate remotely. Please contact the City Clerk at (509) 888-6204 to arrange remote participation.  In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk at (509) 888-6204 (TTY 711). Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 Code of Federal Regulations 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1).
 
The City Council takes action on items presented at regularly scheduled or special meetings. A public hearing may be scheduled as part of a regular or special Council meeting to allow members to hear background information or reports on a particular topic, receive public input and explore legal requirements. Council work sessions are scheduled to allow members to study an issue before taking action.

Agenda Items
Meeting agendas, packets, and minutes are posted on the city calendar. Regular Council meetings are held the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month, and work sessions (as needed) are held the 3rd Thursday of each month.  

Public Comments
Time is set aside at the beginning of each meeting for public comments. Citizens may use this time to express their opinions on any matter within the Council's authority. Comments should be limited to three minutes, and groups with several members or individuals communicating the same message should designate a spokesperson to speak on behalf of the group. All remarks should be addressed to the Council as a whole. Public comments can also be provided in advance of a meeting by sending an email to cityclerk@wenatcheewa.gov. Please clearly state the meeting date for which you would like your comment recorded. Emails must be received by 4:00pm of the meeting day. Written comments will be provided to the City Council and noted in the meeting minutes. 

General Rules of Conduct
The Mayor has the authority to preserve order at all meetings of the Council and order the removal of any person from any meeting for disorderly conduct. Any person making personal, impertinent, or slanderous remarks, or who becomes boisterous, threatening, or personally abusive while addressing the Council, may be requested to leave the meeting. The Mayor may command assistance of any peace officer of the City to enforce all lawful orders of the Mayor to restore order at any meeting.

Standard order of regular Council meetings:

• Call to Order
• Pledge of Allegiance
• Changes/Revisions to the Agenda
• Consideration of Consent Items
• Citizen Comments
• Presentations and Awards (including Proclamations)
• Official Agenda Items
• Adjournment

Sharing Information and Concerns with the Council
The Wenatchee City Council invites citizens to share information or concerns at a Council meeting. You may also contact Council members personally or directly (see "Meet the Council Members" webpage for contact information).

Certain issues, however, should be directed to City staff instead of the Council, outside of City Council meetings. These issues include: 

• Complaints about staff members - Responsibility for dealing with staff issues should be directed to a specific department manager first, then to the Executive Services Director. 
• Requests for information or services - If you don’t know which department to call, contact the Mayor’s Office at (509) 888-6204. 
• Complaints about services - If you don’t know which department to call, contact the Mayor’s Office  at (509) 888-6204. 
• Letters - Letters may be sent to Council members by hand-delivering or mailing them to City Hall, Mayor’s Office, PO Box 519, Wenatchee, WA 98807. Rarely is any action taken until after the issue has  been researched and reviewed by both Council and staff. 
• Policy issues - Policy or legislative issues may be brought before the Council at a regular Council meeting. If a law or policy change is needed, it will be placed on a future agenda for full discussion and consideration.

Quasi-Judicial Proceedings

A quasi-judicial proceeding is an action in which a public hearing is required by state statute or local ordinance. During this process, the decision maker will consider evidence for or against the proposal, and the decision will impact specific parties. Examples of quasi-judicial proceedings include applications for subdivisions, variances, conditional use permits, and small rezones.

If a quasi-judicial proceeding is required, certain "procedural due process" elements must be satisfied. For land use hearings, procedural due process includes appearance of fairness for decision makers, proper notice of the hearing, a proper hearing process, a complete record, and a decision based on the record. Ex parte contact with the decision maker, e.g. City Council members, affects the appearance of fairness of procedural due process. RCW 42.36 is the appearance of fairness statute that establishes guidelines for fairness at land use hearings.