Tacoma voters may see a series of amendments to the city charter on the ballot this November.
“The charter is essentially the city's constitution,” said Steve Wambach, chairman of the charter review committee. “This is the founding document of the City of Tacoma and is the city's highest level of law, subject only to the provisions of state and federal law.”
Pursuant to its Charter obligations, the Committee reviews the Charter at least once every 10 years and makes recommended changes. Modifications can be as simple as changing the text to gender-neutral language or adding definitions.
They will also consider issues such as term limits for officials, changes in the type of city government, and other issues such as community safety. The committee has been meeting since January and has compiled several amendments it plans to recommend.
“We will be proposing the establishment of a Police Accountability Office with a director appointed and overseen by the City Council rather than the city manager,” Wambach said. “We are looking forward to proposing and considering an alternative form of government to the City Council.”
The commission will send its recommendations to the City Council, which will decide which ones to go before voters, who have the final say.
But Wambach said Tacoma residents can provide input now. There will be a public comment section during the meeting, and you can also submit comments through the website.
“No matter where people are on the political spectrum, no matter what their views are on the form of government, it's really important that they come forward and be heard.”
The final recommendations will be presented to City Council on May 7th.
