Everett Council Will Take Up an Ordinance Wednesday Changing How the City Pays Its Appointed Officials — Here’s What Chapter 2.74 Actually Covers

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Q: What is Council Bill 2604-24, and when does the Everett City Council vote on it?
A: CB 2604-24 amends Chapter 2.74 of the Everett Municipal Code, which governs compensation and fringe benefits for the city’s appointive officers, classified nonrepresented employees, and councilmembers themselves. First reading is at the May 6, 2026 council meeting. Third and final reading is scheduled for May 20, 2026.

Wednesday night at City Hall, the Everett City Council will take up the first reading of an ordinance most residents will never read but every resident pays for.

Council Bill 2604-24 is on the May 6 agenda as a Proposed Action Item — a 1st reading of an ordinance amending Chapter 2.74 of the Everett Municipal Code, which is the section of city code that governs how Everett pays its appointed department heads, its classified nonrepresented employees, and its own city councilmembers. The third and final reading is scheduled for May 20, 2026, at the next regular council meeting after Wednesday’s vote.

The ordinance itself is short on the agenda — one line on a single page of consent and action items. But the chapter it amends is the section of code that decides how much the city pays the people running its departments and what benefits they get for that work. For a city facing a projected $14 million 2027 general fund gap (covered earlier in this desk’s run log on April 21), how the appointed leadership is compensated is not a side question.

This article breaks down what Chapter 2.74 actually does, what’s likely to be inside CB 2604-24, the calendar between Wednesday and May 20, and how residents who want to weigh in can do so before the third reading.

What Changes for Residents

Three things to know up front:

The vote is not final on Wednesday. Wednesday is the 1st reading. The final vote is May 20. That gives residents two weeks to read the ordinance bill, watch the May 6 deliberation, and submit public comment before the council acts.

This is not a salary-setting vote for elected councilmembers in isolation. Chapter 2.74 covers three categories: appointive officers (the people the mayor appoints to run departments), classified nonrepresented employees (city staff who are not covered by a union contract), and the city council itself. Any change to one article of the chapter typically gets discussed alongside the others.

You can read the actual bill before the meeting. The full PDF of CB 2604-24 is posted to the city’s Agenda Center under the May 6, 2026 agenda packet. The link to the document — including any staff memo explaining what the changes do — is published on everettwa.gov/AgendaCenter at least 72 hours before the meeting under state public-meeting rules.

What Chapter 2.74 Actually Covers

The Everett Municipal Code organizes Chapter 2.74 into three articles, each covering a different category of city personnel:

Article I — Appointive Officers. These are the department heads and senior staff appointed by the mayor — the people who actually run departments like Public Works, Parks, the Police Department’s civilian leadership, the Fire Department’s civilian leadership, and similar roles. Under existing code, the mayor sets the workweek for appointive officers as needed for “efficient functioning of city government.” Appointive officers who are exempt from the federal Fair Labor Standards Act do not get premium pay for overtime, callbacks, or holidays, and no appointive officer gets longevity premium pay.

The chapter also defines insurance benefits for these officers: basic and major medical, vision, and dental coverage for the officer and eligible dependents, with the full-time officer required to contribute ten percent of the cost of medical coverage.

Article II — Classified Nonrepresented Employees. These are city employees who are not in a union bargaining unit. Their compensation and benefits are set through this chapter rather than through collective bargaining.

Article III — City Council. This article covers how Everett pays its own councilmembers and council president, including any expense reimbursements and benefits.

Chapter 2.74 is distinct from Chapter 2.72, which handles general employee compensation, and Chapter 2.70, which sets the broader Performance Management and Compensation Plan. The salary ordinance for represented employees lives elsewhere in the code.

What’s Likely Inside CB 2604-24

The agenda title for CB 2604-24 reads: “Adopt an Ordinance amending Chapter 2.74 of the Everett Municipal Code, which pertains to appointive employee compensation and fringe benefits.”

The agenda doesn’t say specifically which sections of the chapter are being amended. That’s standard format for first-reading agenda titles — the substance is in the bill PDF in the agenda packet, not in the headline. Residents who want to know exactly what changes the ordinance proposes need to download the bill itself from the May 6 agenda packet at everettwa.gov/AgendaCenter.

What is typical for ordinances of this type — based on how Chapter 2.74 has been amended in prior years — is one or more of the following: an adjustment to the cost-of-living formula, a change to the fringe-benefit contribution percentages, an update to the language defining which positions are “appointive” versus “classified,” a clarification of FLSA-exempt status for specific roles, or a reorganization of how the three articles interact.

Residents reading the bill should look for: which sections are added, which are deleted, which are modified, and whether the changes are prospective (forward-looking only) or retroactive to a prior pay period.

The Calendar Between Wednesday and May 20

Everett ordinances generally get three readings before adoption:

• 1st Reading: Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. — Council Chambers, 3002 Wetmore Avenue. The bill is introduced, staff may offer a brief explanation, and councilmembers can ask questions. There is typically no full debate at first reading; the bill is “read” and held over.
• 2nd Reading: would normally be May 13, 2026 — at the regular Wednesday meeting that week. The bill receives further consideration. Amendments are most commonly offered at second reading.
• 3rd & Final Reading: Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. — the agenda title for CB 2604-24 specifically lists “(3rd & Final Reading 5/20/26)” — meaning the final vote, in current city practice, is consolidated into a single agenda item on the third meeting in the cycle.

If amendments are added between first and final reading, those amendments themselves can extend the process. Residents who want to follow the bill should set a reminder for May 20.

How to Weigh In Before May 20

Everett’s council meetings include a Public Comment period at the start of every regular meeting. Residents who want to comment on CB 2604-24 have several paths:

In person at the meeting. Public Comment runs near the start of every regular Wednesday meeting. Residents arrive at Council Chambers, 3002 Wetmore Avenue, before 6:30 p.m. and sign up at the door. The standard time limit is three minutes per speaker.

By Zoom. Register at everettwa.gov/speakerform no later than 30 minutes before the meeting starts. The city’s notice requires that you identify the topic you wish to address.

By email. Send written comments to Council@everettwa.gov. The city notes that emailed comments submitted at least 24 hours before the meeting are distributed to all councilmembers and appropriate staff. Comments sent later may not reach councilmembers before the vote.

By mail. 2930 Wetmore Avenue, Suite 9A, Everett, WA 98201. Allow time for delivery if you go this route.

Comments on non-agenda items may be asked to be submitted in writing if the comment does not address an issue of “broad public interest,” per the city’s published guidance. CB 2604-24 is on the agenda for Wednesday and again on May 20, so it qualifies as an agenda item for both meetings.

Watching the Meeting

Wednesday’s meeting will be broadcast live and recorded. Two ways to follow along:

Live and archived video: YouTube.com/EverettCity. The full archive of past meetings is searchable from there.

Agenda and bill PDFs: everettwa.gov/citycouncil and the AgendaCenter for the May 6, 2026 packet.

If you cannot watch Wednesday but want to be informed before May 20, the meeting recording typically posts within 24 hours and the official minutes — including the roll-call vote on first reading and any amendments offered — are added to the May 6 agenda page on the city website within a week.

Why This Matters Inside Everett’s Bigger Budget Picture

Earlier in this desk’s run log (April 21, 2026) we covered Everett’s projected $14 million 2027 general fund gap and the four levers the city is weighing to close it: the regional fire RFA, Sno-Isle library regionalization, another levy lid lift, and possible annexation. Three of those four require voter approval.

How the city pays its appointive officers and classified nonrepresented employees is not the largest line in the general fund, but it is one of the lines the city has direct discretion over without going to voters. Any ordinance amending Chapter 2.74 in 2026 is happening inside that budget context whether the bill mentions the gap or not. Residents reading CB 2604-24 should look for whether the ordinance is structured to add cost, hold cost flat, or save cost — and whether the staff memo that accompanies the bill addresses the 2027 budget connection.

That answer is in the agenda packet, not in the headline.

What to Do Next

Before Wednesday:

• Download CB 2604-24 from the May 6, 2026 agenda packet at everettwa.gov/AgendaCenter.
• Read the staff memo (if attached) for the city’s explanation of what changes and why.
• If you want to speak at Wednesday’s meeting in person, plan to arrive at 3002 Wetmore Avenue before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. To speak via Zoom, register at everettwa.gov/speakerform by 6 p.m.

Between May 6 and May 20:

• Watch the May 6 first-reading deliberation on YouTube.com/EverettCity to see which councilmembers engage and what they ask.
• Submit written comment to Council@everettwa.gov at least 24 hours before May 20 to ensure councilmembers receive it before the final vote.
• Track whether any amendments are filed between readings — those typically appear on the agenda for the second reading the week before final.

On May 20:

• The 3rd and final reading is scheduled for the Wednesday, May 20 meeting at 6:30 p.m.
• Public comment is again accepted before the vote.
• The roll call shows where each councilmember landed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Chapter 2.74 of the Everett Municipal Code govern?

Chapter 2.74 covers compensation and fringe benefits for the City of Everett’s appointive officers (department heads appointed by the mayor), classified nonrepresented employees (city staff not covered by union contracts), and the city council itself.

When is the first reading of CB 2604-24?

Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers, 3002 Wetmore Avenue.

When is the final vote?

Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. The agenda item for May 6 specifically lists “(3rd & Final Reading 5/20/26).”

Where can I read the actual ordinance bill?

The PDF of CB 2604-24 is in the May 6, 2026 agenda packet at everettwa.gov/AgendaCenter, along with any staff memo explaining the changes.

How do I submit public comment?

By email to Council@everettwa.gov (at least 24 hours before the meeting to ensure councilmembers receive it), in person at Council Chambers, by Zoom (register at everettwa.gov/speakerform no later than 30 minutes before the meeting), or by mail to 2930 Wetmore Avenue, Suite 9A, Everett, WA 98201.

Does this ordinance set salaries for elected city councilmembers?

Chapter 2.74 includes Article III on City Council compensation, but the agenda title for CB 2604-24 specifically references “appointive employee compensation and fringe benefits” — the appointed-officer side of the chapter. Residents who want to know which articles the bill modifies need to read the bill PDF.

Is this connected to Everett’s 2027 budget gap?

Everett is projecting a roughly $14 million 2027 general fund gap. How the city pays its appointive officers and classified nonrepresented employees is one of the discretionary lines in the general fund. The ordinance does not have to mention the gap to be relevant to it; residents should look at the staff memo for whether the city addresses the connection.

Where do I watch the meeting?

Live and archived at YouTube.com/EverettCity. The May 6 meeting starts at 6:30 p.m.