ARTICLE III.
COUNCIL AND LEGISLATION

Sec. 3.1. Council Powers.

The Council shall have the powers and authority of the legislative body of this City, and shall not perform administrative functions of the City.

Sec. 3.2. Council Meetings.

The City Council shall meet regularly, at least 48 times per calendar year at the City Hall, or at a location otherwise designated by ordinance, within the corporate limits of the City at such times as may be fixed by ordinance or resolution.

It is the goal to have weekly meetings. However, the Council President or Presiding Officer may, subject to the requirement of 48 regular meetings per year, cancel a regular meeting because of weather, lack of quorum, insufficient meeting agenda items, proximity to holidays or other suitable reason. At least one of such regular meetings shall be held each month in the evening after 6:30 p.m. Special and emergency meetings may be called in accordance with state law. All Council meetings shall be open to the public, except that the Council may hold executive sessions from which the public is excluded in accordance with state law, including the Open Public Meetings Act (Chapter 42.30 RCW). Meetings of the Council shall be presided over by the President, selected annually by a majority vote of the Council, or in the absence of the President, by a member of the Council selected by a majority of the members present at such meeting. Appointment of a Council member to preside over the meeting shall not in any way abridge his or her right to vote on matters coming before the Council at such meeting. In the absence of the Clerk, or Deputy Clerk or other qualified person appointed by the Clerk, the Mayor, or the Council, may perform the duties of Clerk at such meeting. A record of all proceedings shall be kept. (Ord. 3502-16 § 3, 2016)

Sec. 3.3. Council — Quorum — Rules — Voting.

At all meetings of the Council a majority of the Council members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but a less number may recess or adjourn, from time to time, and may compel the attendance of absent members in such manner and under such penalties as may be prescribed by ordinance. The Council shall determine its own rules and order of business, and may establish rules for the conduct of Council meetings and the maintenance of order. Upon the request of any member, any question shall be voted upon by roll call and the ayes and nays shall be recorded.

The passage of any ordinance, grant or revocation of franchise or license, and any resolution for the payment of money shall require the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the whole membership of the Council.

Sec. 3.4. Ordinances — Styles — Requisites — Veto.

All legislation and appropriations of money shall be by ordinance, save where there is a special fund for a particular purpose; payments from such fund shall be made on order of the Council.

The subject of every ordinance shall be set out clearly in its title, and no ordinance, except one making appropriations, shall contain more than one subject. Ordinances making appropriations shall be confined to the subject of appropriations.

The enacting clause of all ordinances shall be in the words “The City of Everett does ordain”.

No ordinance or any of its sections or subsections shall be revised or amended unless the new ordinance sets forth the revised ordinance or the amended section or subsection at full length.

Every ordinance, other than emergency ordinances, shall have three (3) public readings, not more than two of which shall be on the same day, and at least six days shall elapse between the introduction and the final passage, except as otherwise provided in this charter. Every ordinance and resolution shall be in writing and a summary read at a Council meeting before a vote is taken on the ordinance or resolution, and upon every such vote the ayes and nays shall be called and recorded.

Every ordinance which passes the Council in order to become valid must be presented to the Mayor; if the Mayor approves it, the Mayor shall sign it and the ordinance shall become valid, but if not, the Mayor shall return it with written objections to the Council and the Council shall cause the objections to be recorded in the meeting minutes and proceed to a reconsideration of the ordinance. If upon reconsideration a majority plus one of the whole membership, voting upon a call of ayes and nays, favor its passage, the ordinance shall become valid notwithstanding the Mayor’s veto. If the Mayor fails for ten (10) days to either approve or veto an ordinance, it shall become valid without the Mayor’s approval. The Mayor’s veto with respect to budget measures shall extend to specific items only, and not to the whole budget.

Ordinances shall be signed by the Mayor or mayor pro tempore, and attested by the Clerk.

A summary of ordinances, unless otherwise provided in this charter, shall be published once in the City official newspaper, within five (5) days after its becoming valid, with complete text to be provided upon request at the City Clerk’s office.

Every ordinance shall be recorded in a book kept for that purpose, which record shall be attested by the Clerk.

Ordinances passed by a majority plus one of the whole membership of the Council, designated as emergency ordinances in the ordinance, may be made effective upon becoming valid, but such ordinances may not levy taxes, grant, renew, modify or extend a franchise, or authorize the borrowing of money. An ordinance which grants, renews, modifies, or extends a franchise shall take effect thirty (30) days after the date of its becoming valid unless a later date is fixed in the ordinance, in which event it shall take effect at such later date. All other ordinances enacted by the Council shall take effect fifteen (15) days after the date of their becoming valid unless a later date is fixed in the ordinance, in which event they shall take effect at such later date.

Ordinances adopted by the electors of the City shall take effect at the time fixed in the ordinance, or if no such time is so designated, at the date of ordinance adoption. (Amended 11-5-96)

Sec. 3.5. Adoption of Codes by Reference.

Ordinances may by reference in whole or in part adopt Washington State statutes and federal, state, county, or City codes, or regulations on the subject of the ordinance. Such statutes or codes or regulations so adopted need not be published in a newspaper as provided in section 3.4, but the adopting ordinance shall be so published and a copy of any such adopted statute, ordinance or code, with amendments or additions, if any, in the form in which it was adopted, shall be filed in the office of the City Clerk for use and examination by the public. While any such statute, code or compilation is under consideration by the Council prior to adoption, not less than three (3) copies shall be filed in the office of the City Clerk for examination by the public. (Ord. 2924-06 § 5, 2006)