Everett City Council Retreat Friday – Public Can Watch But Not Participate

It has been a historic time for the City Council in Everett, Washington as representation by District gets underway. It’s also the first time in recent memory four new councilmembers have joined at the same time.

On Friday (Jan 28th) the Council will hold its annual retreat. It’s designed for Councilmembers to have an extended chance to speak, learn roles and share ideas and set priorities for the year ahead.

It’s also a chance to work on the collaborative leadership approach established by the Council in 2021. The meeting will take place remotely and is scheduled to begin at 4:00 PM and last several hours. You can watch the meeting live on the City’s YouTube channel or call in and listen by phone at 425.616.3920, conference ID: 724 887 726#.

Here’s an excerpt from a letter sent out from City Council President Brenda Stonecipher to all councilmembers on a new approach being taken this year:

Attached please find the liaison and committee appointments for the upcoming calendar year. I have used input from all new and returning Council members and the feedback on the collaborative leadership approach from the 2021 Council members, to work with Mayor Franklin to design a slightly different leadership structure. A few comments and notes:

The overarching goal for the Council assignments is to ensure that the Council performs its key functions:
• Review and approve the annual budget
• Establish policy objectives and priorities
• Enact ordinances and resolutions
• Oversee the effectiveness of the municipal government corporation
• Communicate and respond to requests of City residents, businesses, and visitors
• Represent the City to other levels of government
 
In light of the number of new members, it is in the best interest of the City to expand the number of Council members who are exposed to the work of the departments, to increase the number of members who are ‘up to speed’ on the needs and priorities. At the same time, the Mayor and her administration would like to ensure the amount of committee work does not exceed what is possible, given the current staffing levels.

The result is that we will have eight “Assignment Areas,” which will focus on functional work within and across City departments. The Areas will be familiar to those who have observed the Council’s work over the past year. However, we have a slightly new approach:

• There will be three Council members assigned to each of the Assignment Areas – one of which will be the Chair of the team.
• The role of the Chair will be to be the main contact point for the City Department Director in this area.
• The Chair will also ensure that all boards, commissions, etc. in their assigned area are attended by someone from their team.
• The Chair may also call meetings of their team to discuss priorities, workplan, gather feedback, and discuss policy research, etc.
• Homelessness and Housing has been added as a new focus area to consolidate the work that is occurring. There is also a new Mayoral Homelessness Advisory Committee, to support and oversee the City’s efforts to alleviate the challenges that the unhoused population are having on our community.
• Two of the focus areas will hold regularly scheduled meetings – the Budget Committee, which is constituted by order of the City Charter, will meet at regular intervals to oversee the current 2022 budget and prepare the budget for 2023; the Homelessness Advisory Committee will also meet at regular intervals, with the schedule to be determined.
• The other assignments will meet on an ad hoc basis, driven by the workplan and needs of the department(s) assigned, and scheduled by the Chair.
 
With regard to Neighborhood Association assignments, these will no longer be assigned to specific Council members. As a District representative, it is expected that you will attend the neighborhoods that lie within your Council District. At-Large Council members will be expected to attend all neighborhoods on a rotating basis. Deb Williams can provide you with a calendar of your relevant neighborhoods on a request basis.

This new method and structure of Council assignments will be a work in progress. I don’t have all the answers for how it will work, and we may need to tinker with the model as we go. The Mayor and I are committed to ensuring that the Council and City administration work cooperatively and with full transparency as we navigate the important work we do on behalf of our constituents. If at any time you have questions or concerns about this model and our work, please don’t hesitate to talk with me.
 
Here’s the link to the full memo and tables with council assignments and appointments.

Here’s the link to the Everett City Council rules and procedures.

The City Council Committee Assignments are as follows:

2022 Council Liaison Assignments and Mayoral Appointments, by Member
Brenda Stonecipher- At Large (President)
Chair: Budget and Finance
LTAC Chair
Police Pension Board
Fire Pension Board
Joint CT/ET Exploratory Committee

Mary Fosse – District 1
Chair: Planning
Alternate for Snohomish County Tomorrow
PSRC Growth Management Board
Cultural Arts Commission
Historical Commission

Paula Rhyne – District 2
Chair: Economic and Culture Vitality
Parks Board
Library Board
Council of Neighborhoods
Homelessness Advisory Committee

Don Schwab – District 3
Chair: Intergovernmental Relations
Snohomish County Cities
Alternate for PSRC Executive Board
RFA Committee

Judy Tuohy – At Large
Chair: Public Safety
Chair: Homelessness and Housing
Sno911 Board
RFA Committee
Homelessness Advisory Committee

Liz Vogeli – District 4
Chair: Parks and Quality of Life
Alliance for Housing Affordability
Animal Shelter Advisory Board
Transportation Advisory Committee

Ben Zarlingo – District 5
Chair: Infrastructure and Transportation
Snohomish Health District
PSRC Transportation Board
Joint CT/ET Exploratory Committee

If you’d like to talk with your representative on the Everett City Council here’s a link to the Council webpage with contact information for each council member.