The Snohomish County Council on Monday took a final step to shape its boundaries for the next decade, picking a plan that puts Everett, Mukilteo and the Tulalip area in the same council district.
That pulls the Tulalip area out of the northern County Council district that still includes Marysville, Arlington and Stanwood. Other boundary shifts occur near Everett’s Silver Lake as well as areas to the north and east of Lake Stevens.
“It gives me some rural areas,” said Brian Sullivan, the councilman for District 2, which stands to gain Tulalip.
The five County Council members passed the changes unanimously. Next, the plan goes to County Executive Aaron Reardon for a signature. Barring an unexpected change, the new district lines are likely to take effect Jan. 1.
The county charter requires redrawing boundaries for the council’s five districts after every 10-year U.S. census. The goal is to keep the populations in each as similar in number as possible. Given the county’s current population of about 713,000, the target for each district was just over 142,000 people.
Sullivan’s district needed to add people. The addition approximately doubles the land area he represents, but only adds about 10,000 new people, he said. It includes the Tulalip Reservation and adjacent unincorporated county land.
Tulalip tribal leaders this summer sent a letter to the county expressing support for being in either the same district as Marysville, where they are now, or being linked to Everett.
Councilman Dave Gossett’s District 4, covering the county’s south-central suburbs, and District 1, represented by Councilman John Koster, needed to shrink in population. The other three districts needed to gain people. Districts 2 and 5 are taking in parts of Silver Lake, currently in District 4.
Monday’s vote followed months of meetings by a districting committee with both Democratic and Republican appointees. The County Council opted for a different plan than what the commission recommended.
The new boundaries are supposed to be in place until after the next 10-year U.S. census.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
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