Citizens’ Initiative No. 2 Charter Amendment Change in the Form of Government
Questions and Answers:
1) When will the Charter amendments become effective?
Immediately upon certification of the election results. Pursuant to RCW 29A.60.190
election results must be certified by the County Auditor within 21 days following the
general election (November 25, 2015).
2) What happens to the offices/positions of Mayor and City Manager?
Pursuant to RCW 35.22.190 “[a]ll bodies or offices abolished or dispensed with by the
new, altered or revised charter…shall immediately cease to exist….” The current Mayor
and City Manager positions will be eliminated effective November 25, 2015. (sec. 2.1)
3) What happens to the size of the Council?
The Council will be immediately reduced to eight members, since the former office of
Mayor no longer exists. Following the 2017 general election, the Council will be
reduced to seven members. (sec. 2.1)
4) What happens to the office of the “strong mayor”?
This position will be vacant until a strong mayor is elected. A special election may be
called by the City Council to elect the strong mayor. A special election can occur as
early as February 9, 2016 (pursuant to RCW 29A.04.321).
5) Who runs the city before the “strong mayor” is elected?
The Charter Amendment requires the Council to appoint among its members a Mayor
Pro Tempore at its first meeting of the year. The Mayor Pro Tem will perform all of the
duties of the strong mayor (except the power to appoint or remove any officer or veto
any acts of the Council) until the election. (sec. 2.4). The Mayor Pro Tempore cannot
appoint a Chief Administrative Officer, only the strong mayor can appoint this position.
6) Does this mean that no one from the City can be fired before the strong mayor is
elected?
Positions at TPU are not affected by the Charter Amendment and can still be removed
by the Director of Utilities. (sec. 4.22) Positions in general government cannot be
removed until the strong mayor is elected and agrees with the removal. During the
interim the Municipal Code allows for an employee who poses a risk to the workplace
to be suspended without pay. (TMC 1.24.930)
7) What are the terms office for the Council positions and strong mayor?
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 Current Council members in positions 1 through 5 will serve out the term of the office
that existed when they were elected. Council position number 6 will be abolished
following the 2017 general election. For Council members elected during 2017 general
election and thereafter, the Charter amendment has eliminated a set term of office, so
there is no established term. The strong mayor position does not have a set term either.
The Council may be ordinance set the terms for these positions or it can be set by a
future Charter amendment at the 2017 general election.
8) When can a Charter amendment be brought forward by citizen petition?
Pursuant to RCW 35.22.120, Charter amendments brought forward through citizen
petition can only be heard at a regular general municipal election, which are authorized
only in odd-numbered years; however, if a freeholder board is elected and proposes
changes, such changes may be submitted at either a special or general election (see
RCW 35.22.180).
9) Can citizens by initiative petition ask the voters to approve or reject ordinances or
amendments to existing ordinances?
No, the citizen initiative and referendum powers will be abolished under the Charter
Amendment.
10) Does this mean that citizens cannot amend the City Charter through the initiative
process?
No, a separate state law still guarantees citizens the power to change the City Charter
through an initiative. (see RCW 35.22.120)
11) Is the Council required to commence a review of the City Charter every ten years?
No, the requirement that the City Charter be reviewed every ten years has been
removed under the Charter Amendment.
12) How often is the Council required to meet?
The requirement that the Council meet “not oftener than once a week and at least 46
times each calendar year” has been removed. There is no new provision regarding the
number of Council meetings.
13) Will department heads need to be appointed by the strong mayor and confirmed by
the Council?
Yes, the Charter Amendment makes such a change including appointments of the City
Attorney and City Clerk. (sec. 3.3, 3.4, 3.5)

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 14) What happens to the Planning Commission and Library Board?
The requirement that the City have a Planning Commission and Library Board are
removed from the Charter. This will have no immediate effect on these bodies, because
the Council has previously adopted ordinances creating and empowering the Planning
Commission and state law mandates that the City have a Library Board. By deleting
the requirement of a Planning Commission from the Charter, the Council could adopt an
ordinance abolishing the Planning Commission and take on its duties, but it cannot
abolish the Library Board (see RCW 27.12.190).

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