The Open Public Meetings Act lawsuit involving three current and one former member of the Longview City Council is now officially over.

Plaintiffs Mike Wallin, Tom Samuels, and John Melink put out a release yesterday thanking their supporters who helped fund the two-year legal battle and confirmed the settlement has now been approved by both sides and signed by the judge.

As previously reported, the agreement will have the city consider reviewing its Public Records Act policies, potentially develop a cell phone policy for elected officials, and pay $80,000 toward the plaintiffs’ attorney fees and litigation costs.

The plaintiffs maintain the evidence gathered during the case supports their allegations that current council members Erik Halvorson, Kalei LaFave, Keith Young, and former council member Spencer Boudreau violated Washington’s Open Public Meetings Act, though they acknowledged no court ever ruled on the merits of those claims and the defendants did not admit wrongdoing.

The group says they chose to settle because continuing to trial would have significantly increased legal costs for both taxpayers and their supporters, while litigation always carries uncertainty. They also said the settlement allows them to recover most of the money donated to fund the lawsuit while securing what they describe as meaningful policy changes aimed at improving transparency.

The plaintiffs say they plan to release additional documents and communications uncovered during the lawsuit, saying taxpayers have a right to see the evidence after the city spent more than $250,000 litigating the case.