Proposition 3
(Obsolete Descriptions, Departments, and Positions)
Ballot Title
Shall the Seattle City Charter be amended to eliminate obsolete references therein to the City territory and boundary, the City Planner, the City Public Health Department, the City Board of Public Works and the original salaries of elective officers; to delete Article II; Article V, Section 12; and Article IX of said charter; to change the headings of Article VII and Article VIII; and to amend Article XVII, Section 1 of said charter, accordingly?
Voter Pamphlet Explanation
The Charter as it Exists Now
Several articles and sections of the City Charter contain obsolete references. These include:
(1) Article 2, which contains a detailed description of the City's territory and boundary as of October 1, 1945. The City's territory and boundaries have since been enlarged by annexations carried out pursuant to state law.
(2) Article 5, Section 12, which allows (but does not require) the City Council to create, by ordinance, the position of City Planner. This section also specifies the qualifications and duties of that position and the process for appointment. The position of City Planner was created by ordinance in 1969, but was eliminated by a subsequent ordinance in 1974. Planning functions currently are performed by several City departments.
(3) The title of Article 7, which remains "Board of Public Works," although the City Board of Public Works was abolished by a 1991 Charter amendment. The article sets out contracting duties and requirements, as well as the requirements for designating the "City Official Newspaper" in which official proceedings are to be published.
(4) The title of Article 8, which remains "Department of Finance," although the text of Article 8 has been considerably amended by the voters since the article itself originally was adopted. This article establishes the City Department of Finance, and also deals with other financial and clerical functions, including the appointment and duties of the City Clerk and City Auditor, the establishment of the City's general and contingent funds, and so forth. The title "Department of Finance" does not accurately or completely describe the article's contents. (Note: Two other proposed charter amendments, Propositions 4 and 6, would amend the text of Article 8 in ways that would be consistent with the new title proposed in this proposition.)
(5) Article 9, which establishes the position of City Director of Public Health and specifies the qualifications and duties of that position, including responsibility for the City Public Health Department. The City Public Health Department has been replaced by the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health, as authorized by state law under RCW Ch. 70.08.
(6) Article 17, Section 1, which in part established the original annual salaries of City elective officers when the Charter was adopted in 1946, and specified the process by which those original salaries could be changed. The salaries of elective officers have increased a number of times since the Charter was adopted in 1946; thus, this part of Article 17, Section 1 is no longer relevant.
The Effect of the Proposition if Adopted
The City Charter would be amended as follows:
(1) Article 2, concerning the City's territory and boundary, would be deleted.
(2) Article 5, Section 12, concerning the City Planner, would be deleted.
(3) The title of Article 7 would be changed from "Board of Public Works" to "Contracting Requirements."
(4) The title of Article 8 would be changed from "Department of Finance" to "Financial and Clerical."
(5) Article 9, concerning the City's Public Health Department and Director of Public Health, would be deleted.
(6) Article 17, Section 1 would be amended to delete any reference to the original annual salaries of City elective officers, and to the manner in which those original elective officers' salaries could be changed by the City Council.