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Council votes 5-1 to move AWC membership to North King County (District 7)
Summary
The Newcastle City Council voted 5-1 to change its Association of Washington Cities (AWC) district membership from District 13 to District 7, aligning the city’s AWC district with its Sound Cities Association (SCA) affiliation, councilors said.
The Newcastle City Council voted 5-1 on Feb. 4 to move the city’s Association of Washington Cities (AWC) district membership from District 13 (South King County) to District 7 (North King County). The council discussed geographic alignment, representative responsiveness and the mix of city government forms before taking the vote.
Why it matters: AWC district alignment determines which district representatives speak for Newcastle in AWC business and can affect regional coordination and networking with cities of similar size and governance type.
Council member Charbonneau opposed the change, saying she valued the responsiveness of the current District 13 representative, citing Mayor Nancy Bacchus of Auburn as “very responsive” and experienced in regional work. Charbonneau said she favored staying in the current district because of that representative relationship.
Supporters argued for consistency between the city’s membership in the Sound Cities Association (SCA) — where Newcastle participates with North King County cities — and its AWC district. Mayor Clark said, “I do feel though, however, we should realign and be with the same group of cities in both situations.”
The council took a voice/raise-hand vote; Mayor Clark reported the result as 5 in favor and 1 opposed. Staff said they would notify AWC of the council’s decision.
Ending: City manager and staff will follow up with AWC and report any procedural steps required to formalize the district change.
