The Battle Ground City Council voted 5-1 on Monday, Aug. 3, to establish a formal policy allowing public invocations to be delivered before regular council meetings. Resolution 26-04 creates a process for religious or nonreligious speakers to provide a brief opening reflection or prayer.

The resolution establishes the following requirements and procedures:

• Invocations are limited to a maximum of three minutes.
• A moment of silence is permitted as an alternative to a spoken invocation.
• The opportunity is open to all faiths or a "lack thereof."
• Participation is managed on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Individuals are limited to delivering one invocation per year.

Councilor Jeanie Kuypers cast the only vote against the measure, while Councilor Shane Bowman was absent. According to reporting by The Reflector, Kuypers expressed concern that the practice could become a "lightning rod for more controversy and for social media distractions," despite her personal support for prayer.

Supporters of the resolution cited the historical precedent of congressional invocations, which began in 1774. Locally, the Clark County Council and the City of Washougal already maintain similar practices. The Clark County Council currently allows both religious and nonreligious speakers to participate in its Tuesday meetings.

Mayor Eric Overholser stated that the application process is intended to be transparent and handled by city staff rather than elected officials. According to Overholser, the goal is to provide an open platform with no barriers to entry for those who wish to offer a moment of reflection or encouragement before city business begins. Overholser noted that the city’s annual council meetings could be filled on a first-come, first-served basis if there are enough applicants.

Opponents of the measure argued that public invocations could alienate residents with different beliefs and weaken the separation between church and state. The completed text of Resolution 26-04 was not yet available on the city’s website at the time of the report.

The Reflector contributed to this report.

Source: Battle Ground City Council approves public invocations at future meetings