What it means for Whatcom County to be governed by a charter

This general election, there are 27 candidates running for the Whatcom County Charter Commission. There will be 15 elected; three from each county district. Voters can only vote for those running in their district. The term of the commission is one year. In Washington state, there are seven counties that have adopted a “home rule charter,” including Whatcom County. A county charter allows a county to organize its government structure differently than the default structure prescribed by state law, offering more flexibility and local control. The counties with county charters are King, Pierce, Snohomish, Clallam, Whatcom, San Juan and Clark.

These counties operate under a governance structure determined by their voters rather than strictly following the guidelines laid out in state law for non-charter counties.

Here are the key differences between Whatcom County and the default structure for non-charter counties:

Whatcom County’s home rule charter allows for a county council with more flexibility in how it’s structured. The council consists of seven members elected by voters: five from districts and two at-large members. In non-charter counties, the county legislative body typically consists of three county commissioners, all elected at-large.

Whatcom County has a separately elected county executive who acts as the county’s chief executive officer, overseeing the administration of county government and executing the laws and policies set by the county council. Non-charter counties do not have a separate county executive. Instead, the three county commissioners handle both legislative and executive functions.

Under the charter, Whatcom County can modify which officials are elected and which are appointed. For example, the charter allows the county council or the county executive to appoint certain department heads, whereas others remain elected positions like the sheriff, auditor and assessor. In non-charter counties, more officials, for example, the treasurer, prosecuting attorney, etc., are elected directly by voters, and the county commissioners appoint fewer department heads.

The home rule charter grants citizens the power to propose ordinances through the initiative process and to repeal ordinances through referendum. This gives local residents more direct control over county legislation. Non-charter counties generally don’t offer this same level of direct legislative power to voters, unless provided by state law.

To propose changes in the county charter, the charter commission must approve an amendment by a supermajority, or 10 out of 15 votes. Citizens may also propose amendments by presenting a petition with the proposed changes that contains voter signatures totaling at least 15 percent of those voting in the last gubernatorial election. County council can also propose changes as long as five out of the seven council members have approved the changes. In all cases, the amendments must be presented to the county auditor a minimum of 90 days before the next general election.