A RESOLUTION submitting a proposition to the qualified electors of the City, at the general election to be held on November 5, 2002, to amend Article XX, Sections 1 and 2, to modify the requirements for publishing notice of amendments to the City Charter proposed by the City Council or by the voters, to be consistent with state law; calling on the City Clerk to certify the proposed amendments to the Director of the Department of Records and Elections of King County and directing such Director to submit the proposition to City voters; and providing for the publication of such proposed amendments.

WHEREAS, Article XX, Sections 1 and 2 of the Seattle City Charter require that before an election to decide on a proposed amendment to the City Charter, the proposed amendment be published for at least thirty days in two daily newspapers; and

WHEREAS, current Washington state law (RCW 35.22.170) requires that proposed city charter amendments be published at least once each week for the four weeks immediately preceding the election in the newspaper of largest general circulation in the City; and

WHEREAS, publishing proposed Charter amendments every day for a month in each of two daily newspapers is costly and is not likely to be more effective than publication in accordance with applicable Washington state law as established by the State Legislature from time to time; and

WHEREAS, the full text of proposed Charter amendments is generally available electronically from home computers and for free at terminals in public libraries; and

WHEREAS, while Washington state law regarding the publication of proposed Charter amendments may change from time to time, the City will comply with the state law in effect at any given time; and

WHEREAS, modifying the City Charter to comport with state law would create uniformity between these two bodies of law, greater legal clarity, and would result in a reduction in publishing costs to the City of Seattle,

NOW THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. Subject to the approval of a proposition by a majority of the qualified electors casting votes thereon, Article XX, Sections 1 and 2, of the Charter of the City of Seattle is hereby amended, as follows:

Article XX Charter Amendments

Section 1. PROPOSED BY COUNCIL: Any amendment or amendments to this Charter may be proposed in the City Council, and if the same be agreed to by a majority of all the members elected, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be entered upon the journal with the yeas and nays of the members voting thereon. Upon the passage of any such amendment or amendments, the same shall be submitted to electors of the City for their ratification at the next general state or municipal election, which shall be at least sixty days after the adoption of such proposed amendment in the council; and if at such election any such amendment shall be ratified by a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon, the same shall thereby become a part of this Charter, and within five days after such election shall be by the Mayor by proclamation published in the City official newspaper and proclaimed a part thereof: Provided, that if more than one amendment be submitted at the same general state or municipal election the same shall be submitted at such election in such manner that each proposed amendment may be voted on separately without prejudice to others; and provided further, that after the passage of such proposed amendments through the Council the same shall be published in accordance with state law by the City Clerk ((in two daily newspapers published in said City, for at least thirty days prior to the day of submitting the same to the electors for their approval, as above provided.

Section 2. PROPOSED BY VOTERS: Whenever fifteen percent in number of the registered voters of the City voting at the last preceding election for the office of Mayor shall file with the City Council a petition for a specified Charter amendment, which shall be set forth in full in such petition, it shall be the duty of the City Council to submit said amendment to the voters of the City for their ratification or rejection at the next general municipal election occurring at least sixty days after the filing of such petition; such amendment shall be submitted in the manner provided by law for the submission of propositions to the voters of the City, provided: That when such petition is filed with the City Council it shall be the duty of the City Clerk to examine and verify all signatures thereto from a comparison with the registration lists in his or her office and to report to the City Council his or her findings as to the number of valid signatures contained in such petition. The Council shall provide by ordinance a penalty for affixing to any such petition any false signature. If at the general municipal election at which such amendment is submitted, a majority of the lawful voters voting thereon shall by their vote ratify any amendment so submitted, the same shall thereby become a part of the Charter and within five days after such election it shall, by proclamation of the Mayor, which shall be published in the city official newspaper, be so proclaimed, provided: That if more than one amendment be petitioned for and submitted at the same election such amendments shall be submitted in such manner that the electors may vote for or against each amendment separately, and provided further; That, after submission by the City Council, every such amendment shall be published by the City Clerk in two daily newspapers in the City for at least thirty daysin accordance with state law prior to such election and such other notice shall be given for at least ten days prior to such election as may be required by state law for the submission of propositions to the voters of the City for their ratification or rejection.

Section 2. The King County Director of Records and Elections, as ex officio supervisor of elections, is hereby directed to submit to the qualified electors of the City the proposition set forth below at the City general election on November 5, 2002.

The City Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to certify the proposition to the King County Director of Records and Elections in the following form:

CITY OF SEATTLE CHARTER AMENDMENT NO._________

Publishing Charter Amendments

The Seattle City Council has adopted Resolution ---concerning proposed amendments to Article XX of the Seattle City Charter. This measure would change the requirements for publishing notice of proposed Charter amendments. Whether proposed by the City Council or by the voters through petition, the full text of the proposed amendments would have to be published according to state law. State law presently calls for four weekly publications immediately prior to the election in the paper of largest circulation. The Charter currently requires publication in two daily newspapers for at least 30 days prior to the election.

Should the proposed Charter amendments be:

Approved . . . . . . . . . . . . . __

Rejected . . . . . . . . . . . . . .__

Section 3. The City Clerk shall certify to the Director of the Department of Records and Elections of King County as Supervisor of Elections the charter amendments proposed herein in the form of a ballot title conforming to the foregoing statement of the same, with any alterations the City Attorney shall deem appropriate in carrying out his duties pursuant to RCW 29.27.066, and shall certify a copy of the proposed Charter amendment, and the same shall be published by the City Clerk in two daily newspapers in the city for at least thirty (30) days prior to such election as required by the City Charter, and as required by RCW 35.22.170.

Section 4. Should the voters approve both this proposition and the proposition being submitted at the same election to amend Article XX, Section 2, of the Seattle City Charter to modify the requirement for verification of signatures on citizen's initiatives and citizens' petitions to amend the Charter, then both the modifications made by that other proposition and the modifications made by this proposition shall be given effect.

Adopted by the City Council the _____ day of _______________, 2002, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its passage this _____ day of _______________, 2002.

___________________________________

President of the City Council

Filed by me this _____ day of _______________, 2002

___________________________________

City Clerk

(SEAL)

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