Charter Review Sends Three Recommendation to Council

From the Charter Review Commission Outreach Committee

There is a meeting of the San Juan County Charter Review Commission (CRC) on Saturday June 9 at Whidbey Island Bank in Friday Harbor from 8:30 am to 11 am. Public input is welcome and there is time set aside for comments at 8:45 am. The CRC is charged with reviewing the Charter “to determine its adequacy and suitability to the needs of the County.” Proposed changes will be put on the ballot for the public to vote on in November.

At this meeting the CRC will be considering, and is expected to approve by majority vote, a resolution to submit to the County Council propositions for the following three changes to the Charter: a three-member County Council elected countywide in both the primary and general elections (and with one residing in each of three residency districts); an appointed professional County Manager who is directly responsible to the County Council, which retains both legislative and executive authority; and requiring that all meetings of the County Council or its committees, except authorized executive sessions, be open to the public.

Findings supporting the CRC recommendations are available at the CRC website: www.sanjuanco.com/committees/charterreview.

The website also contains CRC minutes and documents considered in their review of the Charter. Members of the Commission are available to answer questions about the proposed changes; you can reach individual members at their county e-mail (their first name followed by the first letter of their last name followed by .crc@sanjuanco.com) or the entire commission by e-mailing crc@sanjuanco.com which is received by all of the CRC members.