In January 2026, the Mayor and City Council designated 14 members of the decennial 2026 Charter Review Committee. A fifteenth member was chosen by the Committee at their first meeting. Their task, which only occurs every ten years, was to come up with potential changes to the city’s charter.
The Charter is the City’s constitution; it defines how the City’s legislative, executive and judicial branches operate and was originally adopted in 1968. Any recommended Charter amendment recommended by the committee is forwarded to the City Council to vote if they appear on the November ballot.
The following amendments will be on the ballot for Everett residents to vote on:
Eligibility – clearing up the language on how long someone needs to be a resident of Everett (1-year) and of the district (1-year) they are running for. This language is important and was put to the test in the last election with the ineligible candidate MyEverettNews exposed.
The Everett City Council voted to alter the language to be 1-year prior to the end of filing week, which occurs in May, which means potential electees have been residents for at least 18 months by the time they are elected.
The proposition also includes new language preventing the mayor or city council members from holding any other elected government office.
Minimum Council Meeting Per Year – The second proposition would change the charter to require a minimum from 48 council meetings a year down to 36. The council would meet at least twice a month with at least one meeting starting no later than 6:30 PM.
It also clarifies who chairs the meeting in the absence of both the president and vice president (designated rather than majority vote).
Hiring – Current language requires a commission to oversee hiring and promotions of all employees listed in the charter. This proposal requires the civil service commission (a three-person body that ensures that hiring promotions and firings based on merit) to approve hiring of only police and firefighters, which aligns with state law.
Initiatives – Changing rules surrounding the voter initiative process, requiring initiative petitions to receive more signatures to qualify for the ballot.
The new rule requires 10% of the total votes cast during the last mayoral election, double the previous requirement of 5% of the total votes cast in the last general election. The proposal builds in a 10-day period for committees to gather more signatures and resubmit them if the city clerk finds too many invalid signatures.
Public Notices – this one is probably the most controversal. It allows for public notices to be published on the city’s website, instead of newspapers. Many states, including Washington State, require government and legal announcements to be published in independent, non-city-owned newspapers to ensure transparency, independence, and verified public access. This practice prevents governments from hiding controversial information on their own platforms and guarantees that notices are archived by a neutral third party. Federally, this practice has been in place since 1789.
Modernizing to allow for digital equivelents would have made sense. For example, MyEverettNews has more than 5 times the readers of every print circulation combined in Snohomish County. Half the “approved papers” don’t even exist anymore. Many lawmakers have been approving digital notices across the country, but allowing for posts only a city website is not the norm.
Under RCW 35A.65.020, code cities (Everett is one) are explicitly required to publish all legal notices demanded by general law or city ordinance in a qualified newspaper of general circulation. If a city fails to publish notice in an approved printed newspaper, any subsequent actions taken, such as passing a zoning ordinance, adopting a budget, or awarding a public contract, could be invalidated in court for lack of proper due process and public notice.
The 2026 charter review committe members consisted of:
- Brady Begin
- Randy Bolerjack
- Leland Dart
- Grant Harrington
- Emily Hoke
- Shari Ireton
- Tom Norcott
- Zsofia Pasztor
- Alan Rubio
- Mason Rutledge
- Rod Sniffen
- Elizabeth Stenhouse
- John Traynor
- Eli Vasquez
- Deb Williams
July 19, 2026
Everett Government