The City Council meeting begins on Friday, January 28 at 4:00 p.m.
It was a historic time for the Everett, Washington City Council as district representation got underway. It is also the first time in recent memory that four new Council members have joined at the same time.
On Friday (January 28) the council will hold its annual retreat. It is designed to give Council members an expanded opportunity to speak, learn roles, share ideas, and set priorities for the year ahead.
It is also an opportunity to work on the collaborative leadership approach set out by the Council in 2021. The meeting will take place remotely and is scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m. and last several hours. You can watch the meeting live on the city’s YouTube channel or call and listen at 425.616.3920, Conference ID: 724.887.726#.
Here is an excerpt from a letter sent by City Council President Brenda Stonecipher to all council members about a new approach this year:
Attached you will find the liaison and committee dates for the coming calendar year. I used input from all new and returning council members, and feedback from 2021 council members on the collaborative leadership approach, to work with Mayor Franklin to design a slightly different governance structure. A few comments and notes:
The overall objective for the Council’s tasks is to ensure that the Council fulfills its key functions:
• Review and approve the annual budget
• Setting policy goals and priorities
• Issue ordinances and resolutions
• Oversee the effectiveness of the local body
• Communicate with and respond to inquiries from city residents, businesses and visitors
• Representing the city to other levels of government
Given the number of new members, it is in the city’s best interest to increase the number of council members who are familiar with the work of the departments in order to increase the number of members who are up to date on the needs and priorities. At the same time, the mayor and her administration want to ensure that the scope of committee work does not exceed what is possible with the current staffing levels.
The result is that we will have eight “assignment areas” that will focus on functional work within and between the city’s departments. The areas will be familiar to those who have observed the Council’s work over the past year. However, we have a slightly new approach:
• Three council members will be assigned to each assignment area, one of whom will be the chair of the team.
• The Chair’s role is to be the main point of contact for the City Manager in this area.
• The chair also ensures that all bodies, commissions, etc. in his assigned area are visited by someone from his team.
• The Chair can also call meetings of his team to discuss priorities and work plans, gather feedback and discuss policy research, etc.
• Homelessness and housing was added as a new focus area to consolidate ongoing work. There is also a new Mayor’s Homeless Advisory Committee to support and oversee the city’s efforts to alleviate the challenges that the homeless pose to our community.
• Two of the focus areas will hold regularly scheduled meetings – the Budget Committee, formed by order of the City Charter, will meet periodically to oversee the current 2022 budget and prepare the 2023 budget; The Homelessness Advisory Committee will also meet on a regular basis, with a timetable to be determined.
• The other assignments will meet on an ad hoc basis depending on the work plan and needs of the assigned department(s) and planned by the Chair.
As for the tasks of the Neighborhood Association, these are no longer assigned to specific council members. As a district representative, you are expected to visit the neighborhoods that are within your council district. At-Large Council members are expected to take turns visiting all neighborhoods. Deb Williams can provide you with a calendar of your relevant neighborhoods upon request.
This new method and structure of Council assignments is a work in progress. I don’t have all the answers as to how it will work and we may have to tinker with the model over time. The mayor and I are committed to ensuring that the council and city government work collaboratively and with full transparency as we steer the important work we do on behalf of our constituents. If at any time you have any questions or concerns about this model and our work please do not hesitate to speak to me.
Here is the link to the full memo and tables of Council assignments and dates.
Here is the link to the Everett City Council Rules and Procedures.
The duties of the City Council Committee are as follows:
2022 Council liaison assignments and mayoral appointments, by member
Brenda Stonecipher – At Large (President)
Chair: Budget and Finances
LTAC Chairman
Police Pension Fund
Fire service pension fund
Joint CT/ET Exploration Committee
Mary Fosse – District 1
Chair: Planning
Alternative for Snohomish County Tomorrow
Board of PSRC Growth
Cultural Art Commission
Historical Commission
Paula Rhyne – District 2
Chair: Economic and Cultural Vitality
Park’s board
Board of Directors of the library
Council of Neighborhoods
Advisory Committee on Homelessness
Don Schwab – District 3
Chair: Intergovernmental Relations
Snohomish County towns
Deputy to the PSRC Board
RFA Committee
Judy Tuohy – At large
Chair: Public Security
Chair: Homelessness and Housing
Sno911 board
RFA Committee
Advisory Committee on Homelessness
Liz Vogeli – District 4
Chair: Parks and Quality of Life
Alliance for Affordable Housing
Animal shelter advisory board
traffic advisory board
Ben Zarlingo – District 5
Chair: Infrastructure and Transport
Snohomish Health District
PSRC Transport Authority
Joint CT/ET Exploration Committee
If you would like to speak to your Everett City Council representative, here is a link to the council website with contact information for each council member.
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