Proposed amendments to King County Charter to be examined at Council Town Hall in Federal Way on June 16

Input sought on which of 12 recommendations from citizen commission to place on November ballot

The public will have a chance to comment on 12 amendments to the “constitution” of King County that have been proposed by a

Related information: Read the final report and recommendations of the Charter Review Commission (PDF, 6 MB)

citizen commission, when the King County Council comes to Federal Way on June 16 for a special Town Hall meeting.

The Town Hall, a special meeting of the Council’s Committee of the Whole, will examine the final recommendations of the 2007-2008 King County Charter Review Commission, a citizen panel that has met 55 times over the past year and has proposed updates to the county charter for consideration for the November ballot.

The Town Hall will be held at the Federal Way Community Center in the Community Room, 876 S. 333rd Street, Federal Way. The public is invited to meet face-to-face with King County Councilmembers at an informal reception starting at 6:00 p.m. The Town Hall will begin at 6:30 p.m.

“The Charter Review Commission has put a great deal of hard work and careful study into this set of proposed changes to our county’s governing document,” said Councilmember Dow Constantine, chair of the Committee of the Whole. “This meeting will give the public a chance to weigh in as the Council considers which proposals should be placed on the ballot.”

“Town Hall meetings provide an opportunity for the public to come face to face with their elected County Councilmembers outside the courthouse and inside the neighborhoods which they represent,” said Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer, whose district is hosting the Town Hall. “I hope that the residents of South King County take this opportunity to attend the upcoming Town Hall meeting in Federal Way and let their voices be heard on this important charter review process.”

At the Town Hall, the public and Councilmembers will hear from Commission co-chair Mike Lowry on the final report and recommendations from the Charter Review Commission. The ten substantive amendments proposed by the Commission are, in alphabetical order:

• Anti-Discrimination: Prohibit discrimination based on disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression in county employment and contracting.

• Budget Timeline: Provide the County Council with an additional 20 days to review the Executive's proposed budget, providing a total of 65 days for review.

• Charter Amendment by Citizen Initiative: Clarify the process by which citizens may amend the charter through initiative, and increase the signature threshold to 20 percent.

• Commission Procedures: Clarify the Commission appointment and confirmation process, and require the County Council to review all charter review commission recommendations and decide at an open public meeting how to proceed on each recommendation.

• Elections Deadlines: Authorize the county to establish deadlines by ordinance for submitting local ballot measures to the Elections Division.

• Elected Officials and Collective Bargaining: Require the Executive to provide for increased involvement of separately elected county officials, including the Sheriff, in collective bargaining.

• Open Space Protection: Establish additional protection for over 100,000 acres of open space properties in which the county owns an interest.

• Qualifications: Permit the council to establish additional qualifications for separately elected officials who head charter-based departments.

• Regional Committees: Reduce the number of County Councilmembers on regional committees, establish a vice-chair position to be filled by a non-Council member; and increase the authority of committees to initiate legislation and, in the case of the Regional Policy Committee, to adopt its own work program, including new subject matter which involves regional policies or plans.

• Unincorporated Areas Representation: Designate a high-level position within the Office of the Executive to represent the interests of rural and urban unincorporated area residents, and amend the Charter Preamble to reflect the county's commitment to unincorporated areas.

The Commission also recommended two non-substantive, technical charter amendments:

• Budget Allotments: Remove the outdated requirement that county agencies submit estimates of spending to the Executive.

• Transitory Provisions: Remove obsolete charter language pertaining to the County’s transition to a home rule charter government and consolidation with Metro.

Presenters will take questions from the audience and the Council will take open public testimony on any issue at the end of the program.

The County Council has until September 19 to decide which of the Commission’s proposed amendments, if any, to place on the November ballot. The Council may choose to take no action or defer action on any amendment until a future general election, and in fact the Commission proposed a schedule for phasing in its proposed amendments over the next three general elections.

The King County Charter is the foundation of county government and serves a role similar to that played by the U.S. Constitution. Voters who adopted the County Charter in 1968 provided for a citizen commission to be assembled every 10 years to review and propose charter updates to the County Council. The Commission delivered its proposals to the Council on May 30.

Town Hall Meetings are part of Councilmembers’ initiative to “get out of the courthouse” and into the communities they serve. In 2008, the Council has held Town Hall meetings in Kent to discuss the Equity and Social Justice Initiative, Burien to listen to the public on reshaping how the county cares for animals, and Shoreline to discuss public financing of King County elections.

Each Town Hall is a special meeting of the Council’s Committee of the Whole, the only standing committee on which all nine members serve. It considers legislation and policy issues of interest to the entire Council.