Proposed Charter Amendments
Approved
Proposition 1 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 1)
Proposed by Joe Elenbaas
METHOD OF ELECTING COUNCIL MEMBERS
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter concerning the method of electing County Council members. This measure would amend Charter Section 2.13 to provide for election of County Council members by voters only from within the council district from which the candidate was nominated, except for the at-large position which would continue to be selected by voters from the entire county. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
Proposition 2 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 3)
Proposed by Ben Elenbaas
LIMITING POWER OF COUNCIL TO AMEND CHARTER
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter limiting the power of the Council to propose Charter amendments. This measure would amend Charter Section 8.23 to prohibit the County Council from proposing Charter amendments to previous Charter amendments that have been approved by a 2/3 majority of voters, except if the Council adopts a proposal for such amendment by a 7-0 vote. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
March 9, 2015: Approved 8-7 with Donovan, Mackiewicz, May, Mutchler, Ryan, Stuen, and Walker opposed
July 6, 2015: Amended 9-0-1 with Donovan abstaining and Mackiewicz, May, Ryan, Stuen, and Walker absent.
Approved 8-0-2 with Donovan and Mutchler abstaining and Mackiewicz, May, Ryan, Stuen, and Walker absent.
Proposition 3 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 10)
Proposed by Chet Dow
LIMITING POWER OF COUNCIL TO AMEND CHARTER’S ELECTION PROVISIONS
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter limiting the power of the Council to propose Charter amendments. This measure would amend Charter Section 8.23 to prohibit the County Council from proposing any Charter amendment to Charter Sections 2.12 or 2.13, which pertain to the method of nominating and electing County Council members, except if the Council adopts a proposal for such amendment by a 7-0 vote. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
March 23, 2015: Approved 9-2-3 with Stuen and Walker opposed, Donovan, Goldsmith, and May abstaining, Ryan absent
July 6, 2015: Amended 9-0-1 with Donovan abstaining and Mackiewicz, May, Ryan, Stuen, and Walker absent.
Approved as amended 8-0-2 with Donovan and Mutchler abstaining and Mackiewicz, May, Ryan, Stuen, and Walker absent.
Proposition 4 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 2)
Proposed by Joe Elenbaas
WORD LIMIT FOR BALLOT QUESTIONS
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter to provide greater consistency with state law regarding the wording of initiatives and referenda. This measure would amend Charter Sections 5.40 and 5.60 pertaining to initiatives and referenda and increase the word limit for ballot questions from 20 to 40 words. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
Proposition 5 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 5)
Proposed by Todd Donovan
LOWERING THRESHOLD FOR INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM SIGNATURES
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter lowering the number of signatures required to place initiatives and referendums on the ballot. This measure would amend Sections 5.40 and 5.60 to lower the threshold of signatures required to place an initiative or referendum on the ballot from 15% of the number of votes cast in the last general election to 8% of the number of votes cast in the last regular gubernatorial election. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
Proposition 6 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 14)
Proposed by Jon Mutchler and Todd Donovan
LOWERING THE NUMBER OF SIGNATURES REQUIRED FOR CITIZEN INITIATIVES TO AMEND CHARTER
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter reducing signatures required to place citizen-proposed Charter amendments on the ballot. This measure would amend Charter Section 8.22 to lower the number of signatures required for placement upon the ballot of proposed Whatcom County Charter changes by citizen initiative from 20% to 15% of the number of votes cast in the County in the last gubernatorial election. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
Proposition 7 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 6)
Proposed by Ken Bell
TERM LIMITS FOR COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND COUNCIL MEMBERS
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter to place term limits upon the County Executive and County Council members. This measure would amend Charter Sections 2.14 and 3.21 to apply a term limit of no more than three consecutive full terms to the County Executive and County Council members, to be applied prospectively only, beginning with the 2017 and 2019 elections. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
Proposition 8 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 13)
Proposed by Eli Mackiewicz
ALTERING COMPOSITION OF DISTRICTING COMMISSION
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter to alter the requirements for composition of the Districting Commission. This measure would amend Charter Section 4.41 to include representation on the districting committee from each political party with a candidate who receives at least 15% of the vote cast in the County in the last gubernatorial primary or presidential election, with a second representative on the committee assigned to each party of which a candidate for those same elections received at least 33% of the vote. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
Failed
Proposed Amendment 4
Proposed by Jon Mutchler
Shall the Charter Preamble be amended affirm the diversity of our citizens?
March 23, 2015: Failed 5-9 with Donovan, Mackiewicz, May, Mutchler, and Walker in favor, Ryan absent
Proposed Amendment 7
Proposed by Yvonne Goldsmith
Shall the County Charter prohibit grants and expenditures to non-profit organizations unless the County is reimbursed by another organization or jurisdiction?
March 9, 2015: Failed 2-12-1 with Kentch and Langley in favor. Joe Elenbaas abstained.
Proposed Amendment 8
Proposed by Jon Mutchler
Shall the Charter be amended to provide voter education concerning county officials' election titles by requiring ballots to refer to the Assessor as the "Property Assessor" and the Auditor as the "Auditor and Elections Officer"?
April 13, 2015 Failed 6-9 with Donovan, Mutchler, May, Walker, Mackiewicz, and Ryan in favor
Proposed Amendment 9
Proposed by Todd Donovan
Shall the Charter be amended to provide for the election of Council Members countywide and by districts from which the candidate was nominated?
April 27, 2015: Failed 4-11 with Donovan, Mackiewicz, May, and Stuen in favor
Proposed Amendment 11
Proposed by Cliff Langley
Shall the Charter be amended to require that the Councilmember At-Large reside in unincorporated Whatcom County?
March 23, 2015: Withdrawn by general consent
Proposed Amendment 12
Proposed by Jon Mutchler
Shall the Charter be amended to include a new section to require compliance with the Washington State Open Public Meetings Act and impose a civil penalty on violations of the Act?
April 27, 2015: Failed 5-8-2 with Donovan, Joe Elenbaas, Kentch, Mackiewicz, and Mutchler in favor; Langley and May abstained.
Proposed Amendment 15
Proposed by Jon Mutchler
County Auditor duties and responsibilities amendment
May 18, 2015: Failed 0-13-1, May abstained. Mutchler absent.
Proposed Amendment 16
Proposed by Wes Kentch
Shall the Charter be amended to increase transparency in funding between Whatcom County and nonprofit non-governmental organizations (NGOs)?
May 18, 2015: Failed 0-13-1, Kentch abstained. Mutchler absent.
Proposed Amendment 17
Proposed by Richard May
Shall the Charter be amended to include a section on districting restrictions?
May 18, 2015: Failed 6-8, Donovan, Joe Elenbaas, Mackiewicz, May, Stuen, and Walker in favor. Mutchler absent.
Proposed Amendment 18
Proposed by Ken Bell
Shall Charter Section 3.21 be amended to apply term limits to the County Executive?
June 22, 2015: Approved to join with Proposed Amendment 6 as one ballot item, 10-3-1 with Ryan, Stuen, and Walker opposed; May abstained; Langley absent.
Proposed Amendment 19
Proposed by Todd Donovan, Ken Bell, and Eli Mackiewicz
Shall the Charter be amended to change the election system to a system of preferential voting?
June 22, 2015: Failed 7-6-1 with Bell, Donovan, Mackiewicz, May, Ryan, Stuen, and Walker in favor; Goldsmith abstained; Langley absent.
Proposed Amendment 20
Proposed by Jon Mutchler
Shall the County Executive have the authority to veto one or more individual items of appropriation within a budget passed by the County Council, while still approving the remainder of the budget? And shall the County Council have the authority to override the County Executive’s veto by a two-thirds majority vote of the entire Council?
June 22, 2015: Withdrawn by general consent.
Proposed Amendment 21
Proposed by Eli Mackiewicz
Shall the Charter be amended to dissolve the Charter Review Commission?
June 22, 2015: Failed 3-11 with Mackiewicz, May, and Ryan in favor. Langley absent.
Proposition 1 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 1)
Proposed by Joe Elenbaas
METHOD OF ELECTING COUNCIL MEMBERS
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter concerning the method of electing County Council members. This measure would amend Charter Section 2.13 to provide for election of County Council members by voters only from within the council district from which the candidate was nominated, except for the at-large position which would continue to be selected by voters from the entire county. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
February 23, 2015: Approved 8-6 with Donovan, Mackiewicz, May, Ryan, Stuen, and Walker opposed; Ben Elenbaas absent
Proposition 2 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 3)
Proposed by Ben Elenbaas
LIMITING POWER OF COUNCIL TO AMEND CHARTER
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter limiting the power of the Council to propose Charter amendments. This measure would amend Charter Section 8.23 to prohibit the County Council from proposing Charter amendments to previous Charter amendments that have been approved by a 2/3 majority of voters, except if the Council adopts a proposal for such amendment by a 7-0 vote. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
March 9, 2015: Approved 8-7 with Donovan, Mackiewicz, May, Mutchler, Ryan, Stuen, and Walker opposed
July 6, 2015: Amended 9-0-1 with Donovan abstaining and Mackiewicz, May, Ryan, Stuen, and Walker absent.
Approved 8-0-2 with Donovan and Mutchler abstaining and Mackiewicz, May, Ryan, Stuen, and Walker absent.
Proposed by Chet Dow
LIMITING POWER OF COUNCIL TO AMEND CHARTER’S ELECTION PROVISIONS
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter limiting the power of the Council to propose Charter amendments. This measure would amend Charter Section 8.23 to prohibit the County Council from proposing any Charter amendment to Charter Sections 2.12 or 2.13, which pertain to the method of nominating and electing County Council members, except if the Council adopts a proposal for such amendment by a 7-0 vote. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
March 23, 2015: Approved 9-2-3 with Stuen and Walker opposed, Donovan, Goldsmith, and May abstaining, Ryan absent
July 6, 2015: Amended 9-0-1 with Donovan abstaining and Mackiewicz, May, Ryan, Stuen, and Walker absent.
Approved as amended 8-0-2 with Donovan and Mutchler abstaining and Mackiewicz, May, Ryan, Stuen, and Walker absent.
Proposition 4 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 2)
Proposed by Joe Elenbaas
WORD LIMIT FOR BALLOT QUESTIONS
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter to provide greater consistency with state law regarding the wording of initiatives and referenda. This measure would amend Charter Sections 5.40 and 5.60 pertaining to initiatives and referenda and increase the word limit for ballot questions from 20 to 40 words. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
March 9, 2015: Amended and Approved 15-0
Proposition 5 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 5)
Proposed by Todd Donovan
LOWERING THRESHOLD FOR INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM SIGNATURES
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter lowering the number of signatures required to place initiatives and referendums on the ballot. This measure would amend Sections 5.40 and 5.60 to lower the threshold of signatures required to place an initiative or referendum on the ballot from 15% of the number of votes cast in the last general election to 8% of the number of votes cast in the last regular gubernatorial election. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
February 23, 2015: Approved 12-2 with Dow and Ryan opposed; Ben Elenbaas absent
June 22, 2015: Reconsidered and Amended 12-2 with Ryan and Bell opposed; Langley absentProposition 6 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 14)
Proposed by Jon Mutchler and Todd Donovan
LOWERING THE NUMBER OF SIGNATURES REQUIRED FOR CITIZEN INITIATIVES TO AMEND CHARTER
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter reducing signatures required to place citizen-proposed Charter amendments on the ballot. This measure would amend Charter Section 8.22 to lower the number of signatures required for placement upon the ballot of proposed Whatcom County Charter changes by citizen initiative from 20% to 15% of the number of votes cast in the County in the last gubernatorial election. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
May 11, 2015: Approved 9-5, Bell, Dow, Goldsmith, Mackiewicz, and Sobjack opposed. Mutchler absent
Proposition 7 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 6)
Proposed by Ken Bell
TERM LIMITS FOR COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND COUNCIL MEMBERS
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter to place term limits upon the County Executive and County Council members. This measure would amend Charter Sections 2.14 and 3.21 to apply a term limit of no more than three consecutive full terms to the County Executive and County Council members, to be applied prospectively only, beginning with the 2017 and 2019 elections. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
March 9, 2015: Amended and Approved 9-5-1 with Joe Elenbaas, May, Ryan, Stuen, and Walker opposed. Mutchler abstained.
June 22, 2015: Reconsidered and Approved to join with Proposed Amendment 18 as one ballot item, 10-3-1 with Ryan, Stuen, and Walker opposed; May abstained; Langley absent.Proposition 8 (Charter Review Commission Proposed Amendment 13)
Proposed by Eli Mackiewicz
ALTERING COMPOSITION OF DISTRICTING COMMISSION
The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission has proposed an amendment to the Whatcom County Charter to alter the requirements for composition of the Districting Commission. This measure would amend Charter Section 4.41 to include representation on the districting committee from each political party with a candidate who receives at least 15% of the vote cast in the County in the last gubernatorial primary or presidential election, with a second representative on the committee assigned to each party of which a candidate for those same elections received at least 33% of the vote. Should this proposal be APPROVED or REJECTED?
May 11, 2015: Amended & approved 11-3, Dow, Ryan, and Sobjack opposed and Mutchler absent
Failed
Proposed by Jon Mutchler
Shall the Charter Preamble be amended affirm the diversity of our citizens?
March 23, 2015: Failed 5-9 with Donovan, Mackiewicz, May, Mutchler, and Walker in favor, Ryan absent
Proposed Amendment 7
Proposed by Yvonne Goldsmith
Shall the County Charter prohibit grants and expenditures to non-profit organizations unless the County is reimbursed by another organization or jurisdiction?
March 9, 2015: Failed 2-12-1 with Kentch and Langley in favor. Joe Elenbaas abstained.
Proposed Amendment 8
Proposed by Jon Mutchler
Shall the Charter be amended to provide voter education concerning county officials' election titles by requiring ballots to refer to the Assessor as the "Property Assessor" and the Auditor as the "Auditor and Elections Officer"?
April 13, 2015 Failed 6-9 with Donovan, Mutchler, May, Walker, Mackiewicz, and Ryan in favor
Proposed Amendment 9
Proposed by Todd Donovan
Shall the Charter be amended to provide for the election of Council Members countywide and by districts from which the candidate was nominated?
April 27, 2015: Failed 4-11 with Donovan, Mackiewicz, May, and Stuen in favor
Proposed Amendment 11
Proposed by Cliff Langley
Shall the Charter be amended to require that the Councilmember At-Large reside in unincorporated Whatcom County?
March 23, 2015: Withdrawn by general consent
Proposed Amendment 12
Proposed by Jon Mutchler
Shall the Charter be amended to include a new section to require compliance with the Washington State Open Public Meetings Act and impose a civil penalty on violations of the Act?
April 27, 2015: Failed 5-8-2 with Donovan, Joe Elenbaas, Kentch, Mackiewicz, and Mutchler in favor; Langley and May abstained.
Proposed Amendment 15
Proposed by Jon Mutchler
County Auditor duties and responsibilities amendment
May 18, 2015: Failed 0-13-1, May abstained. Mutchler absent.
Proposed Amendment 16
Proposed by Wes Kentch
Shall the Charter be amended to increase transparency in funding between Whatcom County and nonprofit non-governmental organizations (NGOs)?
May 18, 2015: Failed 0-13-1, Kentch abstained. Mutchler absent.
Proposed Amendment 17
Proposed by Richard May
Shall the Charter be amended to include a section on districting restrictions?
May 18, 2015: Failed 6-8, Donovan, Joe Elenbaas, Mackiewicz, May, Stuen, and Walker in favor. Mutchler absent.
Proposed Amendment 18
Proposed by Ken Bell
Shall Charter Section 3.21 be amended to apply term limits to the County Executive?
June 22, 2015: Approved to join with Proposed Amendment 6 as one ballot item, 10-3-1 with Ryan, Stuen, and Walker opposed; May abstained; Langley absent.
Proposed Amendment 19
Proposed by Todd Donovan, Ken Bell, and Eli Mackiewicz
Shall the Charter be amended to change the election system to a system of preferential voting?
June 22, 2015: Failed 7-6-1 with Bell, Donovan, Mackiewicz, May, Ryan, Stuen, and Walker in favor; Goldsmith abstained; Langley absent.
Proposed Amendment 20
Proposed by Jon Mutchler
Shall the County Executive have the authority to veto one or more individual items of appropriation within a budget passed by the County Council, while still approving the remainder of the budget? And shall the County Council have the authority to override the County Executive’s veto by a two-thirds majority vote of the entire Council?
June 22, 2015: Withdrawn by general consent.
Proposed Amendment 21
Proposed by Eli Mackiewicz
Shall the Charter be amended to dissolve the Charter Review Commission?
June 22, 2015: Failed 3-11 with Mackiewicz, May, and Ryan in favor. Langley absent.