Two cities made an agreement more than 40 years ago that would set the stage to merge as one.

That agreement was between the cities of Houghton and Kirkland.

Now a Kirkland neighborhood, Houghton residents through a community council can approve or disapprove land-use decisions that affect them.

Local legislators say that 6,300 residents who have the power to veto decisions that affect the city’s soon-to-be population of more than 80,000 is a moot point.

We do not argue whether or not the Houghton Community Council should still exist. We do, however, question the legislative process of getting House Bill 1812 before the Legislature without public awareness.

Rep. Larry Springer said the bill is “as transparent as any other bill.” Sure, voters can retrieve a bill status report and scan the list of all the bills before the Legislature and their current status. But with 2,167 bills currently on that list, most voters do not have the time to read through each bill and find out which ones may impact them.

This is why many voters track bills by sponsor on the Washington State Legislature Web site. But it muddles the process when representatives sponsor bills that do not affect their constituents.

Voters scanning through bills could easily overlook HB 1812. The bill is sponsored by representatives who live in Tacoma, Vancouver and Lake Forest Park. But the bill directly impacts residents in Kirkland and Bellevue.

Kirkland voters also turn to the Kirkland City Council’s legislative agenda to keep them informed of measures that impact our city. However, HB 1812 is not on the council’s agenda. In fact, council members say they only learned of the bill last week – about four weeks after the bill was introduced on Feb. 3.

When a bill gets past even city officials, lobbyists and local media, this is hardly a transparent process. Councilmember Dave Asher even said the bill’s language, mainly the term “municipal corporations” when referring to community councils, is obscure.

This does not excuse city officials who should have followed up with local legislators to check their legislative list – and check it twice. But legislators should  do a better job of communicating with people they represent.

This process is not over. The bill still has to run through the state Senate. Our hope is that our senators will solicit and listen to the opinions of those they represent and not blindly vote for a bill with confusing language.

Regardless of what you think of the Houghton Community Council, legislative transparency is paramount to a functional democracy.