Snohomish County Council

The Snohomish County Council is the legislative body of Snohomish County, Washington. The county council was created in 1979 and consists of five members serving four-year terms.

Snohomish County Council
Snohomish County, Washington
Type
Type
Leadership
Chairperson
Nate Nehring (R)
Vice Chair
Structure
Seats5
Political groups
Democratic Party
Republican Party
Elections
Last election
November 7, 2017
Meeting place
Henry M. Jackson Boardroom
Robert J. Drewel Building
Everett, Washington
Website
Snohomish County Council

Members
District Councilmember Party Took office
1 Nate Nehring (Council Chair) Republican January 23, 2017[lower-alpha 1]
2 Megan Dunn Democratic January 2020
3 Stephanie Wright Democratic August 24, 2010[2]
4 Jared Mead Democratic April 8, 2020[3]
5 Sam Low Republican November 2016
Notes
  1. Appointed to complete the term of Ken Klein after his resignation.[1]

History

The county council was created on November 6, 1979 by Snohomish County voters as part of a home rule charter, which replaced the traditional three-member county commission with a five-member council and county executive.[4][5] The first two new councilmembers was elected on March 11, 1980, joining the three existing commissioners who would continue to serve until 1983, when all seats were up for re-election.[6][7]

In 2016, the county's Charter Review Commission explored expanding the council to seven members after the next redistricting.[8] The expansion, along with requirements to hold some meetings outside of Everett and include evening meetings for public hearings, were rejected by the commission.[9] The meetings proposal was placed on the November 2016, where it was approved by voters and came into effect the following year, requiring the county council to host at least one evening meeting in each district per year.[10]

Structure

The council consists of five members representing five geographic districts of equal population. Each member serves a four-year term during a regular election held during November on odd-numbered years. No member can serve more than three total terms.[11][12]

Districts

Districts are redrawn every ten years by an independent Districting Committee using United States Census data.[13]

See also

References
  1. Haglund, Noah (January 24, 2017). "At 21, Nate Nehring is youngest to serve on County Council". The Everett Herald. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  2. Haglund, Noah (August 24, 2010). "Lynnwood City Councilwoman Stephanie Wright appointed to county council". The Everett Herald. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  3. Riley, Rachel (April 8, 2020). "County Council appoints Jared Mead to fill vacated seat". The Everett Herald. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  4. Suffia, David (November 7, 1979). "Voters approve home-rule charter". The Seattle Times. p. H1.
  5. Suffia, David (November 14, 1979). "Candidates surface for county posts". The Seattle Times. p. H1.
  6. Suffia, David (January 9, 1980). "Demos may have edge in county races". The Seattle Times. p. H1.
  7. Suffia, David (March 12, 1980). "Tucker county executive; Council seat undecided". The Seattle Times. p. H1.
  8. Haglund, Noah (June 12, 2016). "Charter reviewers consider a bigger County Council". The Everett Herald. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  9. Haglund, Noah (July 6, 2016). "Idea for larger Snohomish County Council is scrapped". The Everett Herald. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  10. "County Council plans night meeting in Mountlake Terrace". The Everett Herald. April 28, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  11. "County Council". Snohomish County. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  12. "2015 Election Information Guide". Snohomish County Auditor. June 16, 2015. p. 15. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  13. "Committee to redraw council district boundaries". The Snohomish Times. April 15, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
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