Committee advances initiative and referendum changes, including a 10% threshold for initiatives and updated process language

The charter review committee voted to advance a package of changes to Everett’s initiative and referendum provisions on April 9, agreeing on a 10% signature threshold for initiatives (measured against the last mayoral election) and a suite of procedural updates.

Committee members reviewed proposed language drafted by staff and the city attorney, and several members asked for additional procedural clarifications to be placed in an implementing ordinance or the draft report. Proposed procedural items discussed and included in committee direction were: a petitioners’ committee designation, a 180‑day signature collection period, allowance for digital signatures consistent with state law and voter verification, a written pre‑ballot inconsistency review by the city attorney, and a nonpartisan fiscal‑impact statement to appear with ballot measures.

Members debated how much procedural detail should be placed in the charter versus in council‑adopted ordinance language. One member urged keeping operational specifics in ordinance form but agreed the charter should be self‑executing on core thresholds. The committee amended wording to change a provision authorizing the council to adopt procedures into a requirement (changing “authorized” to “shall”) and voted to include several of the petition‑process improvements in the committee’s final packet.

Concerns were raised about digital signature verification, and members noted the secretary of state and county processes used elsewhere for verifying signers. Staff will draft implementing ordinance language and include Liz Stenhouse’s suggested procedural items in the committee packet for the public hearing and final report.