Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Local Government Committee

HB 1666

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Combines a resolution proposing abandonment of a code city's plan of government and a resolution proposing to designate a person elected to the city council, position one as the chair, as a single proposition placed before the voters of the city.

Background:

Cities and towns are classified when they incorporate or are reorganized. Four classes of municipal government exist under Washington law: (1) first-class cities; (2) second-class cities; (3) towns; and (4) optional municipal code cities.

Code cities may operate with one of three different plans of government: council-manager, mayor-council, or commission. The council-manager plan consists of an elected city council serving as the legislative body and an appointed city manager responsible for city administration. The mayor-council plan includes an elected mayor serving as the city’s chief administrative officer and an elected council acting as the legislative body. Under the commission plan, elected commissioners serve as the legislative authority and as city department directors.

Abandonment of the city's current plan of government in order to adopt a new plan, requires an election after a resolution from the legislative body or a petition signed by a number of registered voters not less than ten percent of the votes cast at the last general municipal election. If the resolution or petition proposes a plan of government other than a mayor-council or council-manager, the petition must specify the class the city will be classified as upon adoption.

Summary of Bill:

The resolution or petition must include the proposed new plan of government's effective date.

A resolution proposing abandonment of a code city's plan of government and a resolution proposing to designate a person elected to they city council, position one as the chair, may be combined for purposes of placing the matters before the voters of the city as a single proposition.