Council to begin review of proposed amendments to the King County Charter

Charter Review Commission to deliver report on year-long review of County’s “constitution”

The Metropolitan King County Council will begin its consideration of proposed amendments to the King County Charter next Monday when it hears the recommendations of the 2007-2008 King County Charter Review Commission.

Commission members, led by co-chairs Mike Lowry and Lois North, will brief the Council’s Committee of the Whole: 
 

Monday, June 2
9:30 a.m.
King County Council Chambers
King County Courthouse, 10th floor
516 Third Ave, Seattle  

Lowry and North, who both served on the King County Council, will brief Councilmembers on the results of the Charter Review Commission’s year-long review of King County’s “constitution.” When county voters adopted the County Charter in 1968, they provided for a citizen commission to be assembled every 10 years to review and propose charter updates to the County Council. The Council will decide which proposed amendments to put before voters on the November ballot.

Among the substantive amendments proposed by the Charter Review 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 Committee of the Whole is the only standing committee on which all nine Councilmembers serve. It considers legislation and policy issues of interest to the entire Council.