Over the past two months, the Vashon-Maury Island Comm-unity Council board has often found itself in a bad spot, mired in personality clashes, petty vendettas and procedural rules. This week, there were signs this chapter may be drawing to a close.

The first such sign: Sen. Sharon Nelson’s straightforward bill that makes clear what many already know. The VMICC, like the other Unincorporated Area Councils, is not a government agency, according to Senate Bill 5677. Like it or not, King County governs Vashon. It operates our criminal justice system; it oversees our roads; it determines land-use policy.

The community council can use its clout to influence county government — and, over the years, it has sometimes done so successfully. But it cannot legislate, execute or adjudicate. At best, it’s advisory. And advisory does not a government agency create.

Nelson’s bill, should it be passed into law, would put to rest those illusions that the VMICC is anything more than an advisory body made up of volunteers. It would also make clear that as a result, the council’s board and members are exempted from the Public Disclosure Act, a law that carries hefty fines if an official fails to comply.

The second positive sign occurred at Monday night’s board meeting, where a couple of successful motions suggest that the nine-member body is hearing Islanders’ frustrations and trying to respond.

One motion would add a new process to the agenda for the council’s general membership meetings, whereby public comment could be taken at length and in a town-hall style, rather than under a set of rules that can be intimidating and limiting.

Another would open the door to a discussion many have been desperate to have — a 30-minute look at the controversy swirling around the council and the Public Disclosure Act, the elephant in the room, some have said, that the council’s board has yet to acknowledge.

Interestingly, the impetus for both came from someone not only new to the council but to Vashon — Tim Johnson, a former organic food executive who moved to the Island a year or so ago. At Monday’s meeting, he was elected as the new president, taking the helm from Carl Sells, who served ably as an interim president for six weeks.

After his election, Johnson ran the board meeting efficiently and well, keeping his colleagues on track. When one board member, for instance began to complain about something another board member did a couple of weeks ago, he noted crisply, “We can’t unring the bell,” and then moved the board along to the next issue.

King County is currently examining the UAC structure; it’s possible it may seek a different kind of set-up in its relationship with its unincorporated areas. As a result, county officials are paying more attention than usual to what’s happening on Vashon. And thus it’s particularly important — if we want the VMICC to survive — that we get our act together.

After a bumpy transition, it appears Vashon’s community council may be on its way.