Fourth Charter Review Commission Meeting February 23, 2015, 6:30 PM (Monday)

The fourth meeting of the Charter Review Commission will be held on Monday, February 23 at 6:30 PM in the Lummi Administration Center, 2665 Kwina Road (directions ... ).

This is the first "away" meeting for the commission. These away meetings are intended to help engage the local residents in the Charter Review process. The Lummi Administration Center is a very impressive building, and it should be worth the trip out there for that reason alone. But of course, the real reason for attending these meetings is to have a say in how your Whatcom County government will run for the next ten years. The public session is your chance to be heard. 

Agenda

1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Pledge of Allegiance
4. Public Session
   Members of the public will have 3 minutes to address the Commission on any subject. Each speaker should state his or her name for the record. To submit handouts, please provide one for each commissioner and two for staff and the record.
5. Approval of Minutes for February 9, 2015
6. Old Business: Discussion and Possible Vote on Proposed Charter Amendments to Voters at the next General Election (The Commission will take a mid-meeting break if necessary.)
   Proposed Amendment 1: Shall the Charter be amended to provide for election of council members within the council district from which the candidate was nominated?
   Proposed Amendment 2: Shall the Charter, in Article 5.40 and Article 5.60, be amended to increase the "concise statement" limit from 20 words to 40 words?
   Proposed Amendment 3: Shall Charter Section 8.20 be amended to prohibit the County Council from proposing Charter amendments on matters that have been approved by a 2/3 majority of voters?
   Proposed Amendment 4: Shall the Charter Preamble be amended affirm the diversity of our citizens?
   Proposed Amendment 5: Shall the Charter be amended to facilitate voting on initiative and referendum?
   Proposed Amendment 6: Shall the Charter be amended to apply term limits to the County Councilmembers, Executive, Auditor, Treasurer, Assessor, and Sheriff?
   Proposed Amendment 7: Shall the County Charter prohibit grants and expenditures to non-profit organizations unless the County is reimbursed by another organization or jurisdiction?
7. New Business
   Shall Charter Section 4.10 be amended to provide voter education concerning county officials’ election titles?
8. Adjourn

The next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 9, 2015 at the Civic

Center Garden Level Conference Room, 322 N. Commercial Street, Bellingham