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Charter Review

The City Charter requires the City Council to commence a comprehensive review of the City Charter no less frequently than once every ten years by appointing citizens to a Charter Review Committee (Section 2.25)

 

The 2024 Charter Review process is currently underway. View details below.

* * * * * * * * *

November 5, 2024 - General Election

 

Newspaper Insert (Tacoma News Tribune)

Voters' Pamphlet
(external Link)

Pierce County Elections (external link)


 


 

Use the links above to read the full language of the proposed Charter amendments, 'for' and 'against' statements, and general election information.

 

Resolutions detailing the proposed Charter amendments were adopted at the July 16, 2024, City Council meeting, and a resolution transmitting the full ballot titles to the Pierce County Auditor was adopted at the City Council meeting on July 23, 2024. 

 

Recent News & Next Steps:

  • Proposed Charter Amendments Published in the Tacoma News Tribune
    The proposed 2024 City Charter amendments will be published in the Tacoma News Tribune once a week for four weeks, to comply with state law (RCW 35.22.170). The 6-page insert is available online (click here). You can also view the City Council resolutions in their entirety using the links on this page. If you have questions, please contact the City Clerk's Office.
  • At theJuly 30, 2024, City Council meeting, the Council adopted: 
    • Substitute Resolution No. 41496 - appointing individuals to "For" and "Against" Committees. 
    • Resolution No. 41497 - consolidating and clarifying recommendations for certain proposed City Charter and Municipal Code amendments not referred for placement on the ballot.
  •  Statements prepared by the "For" and "Against" Committees will appear in the Voters’ Pamphlet and are due to the Pierce County Auditor on or before Thursday, August 8, 2024, with rebuttal statements due on or before Monday, August 12, 2024.
If you have any questions, please contact the City Clerk's Office at cityclerk@cityoftacoma.org or (253) 591-5505.


 

Proposed Charter Amendments 

 

The City Council received the Final Report of the 2024 Charter Review Committee on May 6, 2024, and will discuss proposed Charter amendments from May to August 2024. 

 

Draft Charter Review Timeline (City Council)

 

A list of meeting dates with links to each meeting where the Charter is discussed is available under the timeline below. Information is available on the agendas and recordings of the:

Check back to this page for updated information. For questions, contact the City Clerk's Office at 253-591-5505 or cityclerk@cityoftacoma.org. 

 

 

2024 Charter Review Timeline:

  • Tuesday, October 17, 2023: City Council resolution creating the Charter Review Committee (CRC) 
  • Monday, November 6, 2023: CRC applications due 
  • November–December 2023: CRC member selection and appointment process (See Resolution No. 41324, City Council resolution appointing CRC members, effective Jan. 2024)
  • January–April 2024: CRC meetings held (view agendas, minutes, and recordings)
  • Tuesday, May 7, 2024: CRC final report and recommendations due to City Council
  • May–August 2024: City Council reviews recommendations and staff prepares for elections. Below is a list of meetings where Charter topics were discussed:

    View the meeting Voting Record for details on which proposed amendments were forwarded to the July 16 meeting. Below is a summary. At the July 9, 2024, meeting, the City Council took action to:

    • Advance 8 proposed amendments to the July 16 meeting agenda for consideration to be placed on the November 5, 2024, ballot:
      • 1 (Salary Commission),
      • 2C (Term Limits),
      • 7B (Duties & Authority of Council Members),
      • 14B (Planning Commission),
      • 21, 22, and C6 (equity of access),
      • C1B (Council Meetings),
      • C2B (TPU Board Member Qualifications),
      • C4B (Sale of Waterfront Property); and
    • refer 10 proposed amendments to a standing committee or alternate process for further study and evaluation:
      • 3 (Referendum) referred to Government Performance & Finance (GPF) Committee;
      • 5 (Charter Review) referred to an alternate process;
      • 6 (Neighborhood Council) referred to an alternate process;
      • 8 (Policing Accountability) referred to an alternate process;
      • 9B (Climate Commission) referred to Infrastructure, Planning, and Sustainability (IPS) Committee;
      • 11 (Landmarks Preservation Commission) referred to IPS;
      • 19 (Ranked-Choice Voting) referred to GPF;
      • 20 (Campaign Finance) referred to GPF;
      • C3B (TPU Board Member stipends) referred to GPF;
      • C5 (Initiative Fiscal Notes) referred to GPF;
      • Directing the City Manager to bring to a Committee the issue of consistency in our nondiscrimination code provisions with State law including consideration of adding “caste” as a protected class in the code; and 
    • the remaining proposed amendments were not moved forward for consideration:
      • 4 (Initiative),
      • 10 (Humane Society),
      • 12B (Purposes of Inquiry),
      • 13B (City Attorney),
      • 15 (TPU – Internet as a Utility),
      • 16 (TPU – Board Membership),
      • 17 (TPU – Shared Services),
      • 18 (TPU – Purposes of Inquiry),
      • 23 (Official Newspaper),
      • 24C (Reorganization of Government) - this item was considered at the July 9, 2024, meeting, but was not advanced to the July 16 agenda for the ballot resolution (view the Voting Record, page 5). 

     

    Pierce County Ballot Item No.

    Topic:

    Resolution No.
    (from July 16, 2024, Council Meeting)

    Proposed Charter Amendment No. 1

    21, 22, and C6 - Eligibility for Employment Citizenship; Employment Anti‐Discrimination; and Use of Term Citizen

    Resolution No. 41476

    Proposed Charter Amendment No. 2

    C1B - Council Meetings

    Resolution No. 41477

    Proposed Charter Amendment No. 3

    C4B - Sale of Waterfront Property

    Resolution No. 41479

    Proposed Charter Amendment No. 4

    7B - Duties & Authority of Council Members

    Resolution No. 41474

    Proposed Charter Amendment No. 5

    14B - Planning Commission

    Resolution No. 41475

    Proposed Charter Amendment No. 6

    2C - Term Limits

    Resolution No. 41473

     

  • Tuesday, July 9, 2024: City Council study session, and motions during the 5:00 p.m. City Council meeting.
  • Tuesday, July 16, 2024: City Council study session; and City Council Meeting (resolutions on amendments to be transmitted) 

    Proposed Chart
    er Amendment Resolutions adopted July 16, 2024 (click to open) 
  • Tuesday, July 23, 2024: City Council meeting - resolution transmitting ballot items to the Pierce County Auditor
    • Resolution No. 41491 - Transmitting 6 proposed amendments to a Special Municipal Election to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
  • Sunday, July 28: Deadline to submit letters of interest to serve on committees preparing "for" and "against" statements on proposed Charter amendments (see notice).
  • July 29, 2024: Government Performance & Finance Committee special meeting to review "For" and "Against" Committee letters of interest.
  • July 30, 2024: City Council meeting, the City Council adopted:
    • Substitute Resolution No. 41496 - appointing individuals to "For" and "Against" Committees. 
    • Resolution No. 41497 - consolidating and clarifying recommendations for certain proposed City Charter and Municipal Code amendments not referred for placement on the ballot.
  • Additional Dates and Deadlines for November 5, 2024, General Election - for detailed information view the 2024 Election Guide from the Pierce County Auditor's Office:
    • August 6, 2024: Deadline to submit resolution, cover sheet, explanatory statement, and "For" and "Against" Committee appointments to Pierce County Auditor. 
    • August 8, 2024: "For" and "Against" statements from Committees due to Pierce County Auditor. 
    • August 12, 2024: Rebuttal statements from Committees due to Pierce County Auditor. 
    • November 5, 2024: General Election Day

 

2024 Charter Review Committee History

 

The 2024 Charter Review Committee was appointed by the City Council in December 2023, and was active from January 2024 to May 7, 2024. Below are links to CRC meeting materials and final report.

 

Charter Review Commitee Overview (click to expand)

 

flyer imageDownload the Overview Handout

 

 

About the City Charter

 

In many communities, there exists a fundamental document that serves as the City’s charter and backbone of local governance. Tacoma’s City Charter outlines the structure of municipal government and governance for our community.  

 

Our current Charter was adopted by Tacoma residents in 1953. The City Charter requires the City Council to review the City Charter at least once every ten years, by appointing citizens to a Charter Review Committee. The role of the Charter Review Committee is to perform a comprehensive review of the City Charter and recommend amendments to the City Council. The City Council will then determine which recommended amendments to forward to the voters. 

 

This is where dedicated individuals reflecting Tacoma’s diverse community are needed to step in and volunteer their time, knowledge, ideas, and experiences and serve on the Charter Review Committee.   

 

 

Why Volunteer for the 2024 Charter Review Committee

 
Volunteering for the 2024 Charter Review Committee allows individuals a chance to join a diverse group of 15 residents, appointed by the City Council, to participate in a traditionally once-a-decade process to study the existing City Charter.
 
The Committee will have responsibility for conducting a deliberate, thoughtful, and inclusive review of the City Charter and recommending amendments to the Charter for consideration by the City Council. By dedicating your time and ideas, you can get a firsthand look at the constitution that guides your City and take part in the process of updating the City’s charter. 
 

Expectations of Charter Review Committee Members

 
Each Charter Review is unique: the appointed Committee members decide how many meetings to have, what topics to focus on, how to gather feedback, and whether they need subcommittees to complete the work. Based on past reviews, volunteering for the Charter Review Committee is no small act of service.

 

During the 2014 Charter Review, Committee Members met for four months from January through April. The main Charter Review Committee met twice per week, usually in the evenings, and each member sat on at least two subcommittees. Based on these meetings alone (not including any town halls or special meetings) committee members may be expected to volunteer four to eight hours per week. In addition to meetings, they should be prepared to set aside time to review topics, draft reports, and prepare final recommendations; and, if the committee chooses to do so, meet with residents and community groups.

 

 

Updates and Additional Resources

 

History of past Charter Reviews:

 

  2014 2004 1992
Number of Members 15 15 13
Number of Meetings  62 55 12
Number of Meeting Hours 93 57 41
Amendments forwarded
to the Ballot
12
(10 passed)
11
(11 passed)

15

(4 passed)


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Contacts:

City Clerk's Office

(253) 591-5505
email 




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