EVERETT — A dozen ideas for reworking Snohomish County’s government blueprint have emerged from an elected commission that’s been meeting all year.
People have a chance Wednesday night to share opinions about proposals such as creating two new county council positions and making the prosecuting attorney’s job nonpartisan.
“We believe it is important to hear from the public about the structure of their government,” Mukilteo Mayor Jennifer Gregerson, the chairwoman of the county Charter Review Commission, said in a press release.
The commission has convened every 10 years since 1986 to amend the charter the county adopted in 1980. Voters elected 15 commissioners last fall.
Commissioners considered 42 suggestions. To make it to this stage, a proposal had to receive support from at least eight commissioners. The 12 that did are:
Enlarging the County Council from five positions to seven.
Making the county prosecutor’s office nonpartisan.
Holding elections for county office holders, such as the auditor, assessor and executive, during even-numbered years instead of odd-numbered years.
Adding an Office of Public Advocate to the charter. Currently known as the Office of the Ombudsman, the position was created in 2014.
Updating the process for redrawing county council districts.
Changing the appointment procedures for county department heads.
Giving the county executive an earlier deadline for recommending a budget to the County Council.
Updating nondiscrimination language in the county charter and removing gender-specific wording.
Adding the county’s Human Rights Commission to the charter.
Adding a Paine Field Airport Commission to the charter.
Removing the County Council from its quasi-judicial role in appeals of hearing examiner decisions that involve land use, environmental permits or licenses.
Requiring council meetings outside the county seat and evening meetings for certain public hearings.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
Charter review meeting
Snohomish County’s Charter Review Commission has scheduled a hearing for 6 p.m. Wednesday to consider 12 potential changes to the structure of county government. The location is the county council chambers on the eighth floor of the Robert Drewel Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett.
Commissioners plan to take a final vote at a meeting scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. June 29 at the same place. People will have a chance to comment at that meeting as well.
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