Everett mayor asks legal staff to draft ordinance charging offenders for graffiti cleanup

Mayor Franklin said the city will ask legal staff to draft an ordinance that would require people responsible for graffiti damage to pay cleanup costs and help deter gang-related tagging.

The proposal, introduced during the July 2 Everett City Council meeting, would shift some cleanup costs from taxpayers and city resources to those found responsible for the damage. "This ordinance should help reduce the burden of city resources and taxpayers requiring offenders to pay for damages, sends a clear message that graffiti isn't a harmless prank," Mayor Franklin said. He added the measure is intended in part to deter gang-related graffiti and that staff are currently drafting the ordinance "and I look forward to bringing it to you in the next few weeks."

Council did not take formal action on the ordinance during the meeting; Franklin framed the item as a staff-drafted ordinance to return to council for consideration. The transcript does not include proposed ordinance text, a draft schedule for introduction, or details on enforcement mechanisms (for example, whether the city would pursue civil restitution, criminal fines, or a combination). No resolution, motion, or vote accompanies the mayor's remarks in the meeting record.

If returned to the council, the ordinance would proceed through the city’s regular legislative process; the mayor said only that legal staff were drafting the measure and did not provide a timetable beyond "the next few weeks."