Quick answer: Five Snohomish County charter amendments are on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot. The Charter Review Commission finalized them on May 29; the County Council unanimously sent them to the auditor on June 3 (HeraldNet). The county lists them as Propositions 1–5 on its Charter Review Commission page and the November 3 sample ballot.
Charter review happens once every ten years. The 15-member elected commission spent the first half of 2026 winnowing roughly two dozen ideas down to five amendments. Those five are no longer “proposals before a May hearing” — they are ballot propositions. This guide replaces older coverage written before the May 29 commission vote, including pieces that still used the commission’s working numbers (Proposal 5, 13, 14, 21, 22).
How the five propositions map
| Ballot proposition | What it does (plain language) | Old commission working number |
|---|---|---|
| Prop. 1 — Foundational Government Services Policy | Requires the county legislature and executive to prioritize and protect funding for foundational government services (public safety, courts, elections, and named elected offices, among others). | Proposal 13 |
| Prop. 2 — Prioritize Funding of Budget Stabilization Funds | Requires the county to maintain two stabilization funds (a primary fiscal-stability fund and a secondary catastrophic/emergency fund), with supermajority rules to tap them. | Proposal 14 |
| Prop. 3 — All Elected County Offices Nonpartisan | Removes party labels from county elected offices. Today only the County Council, County Executive, and Prosecuting Attorney still carry party preference on the ballot; Prop. 3 would make all county elected offices nonpartisan. | Proposal 5 |
| Prop. 4 — County Financial Transparency | Requires the county to make legally available financial information publicly accessible (budget, procurement, compensation and related data), including through a searchable tool where practicable. | Proposal 22 |
| Prop. 5 — 4/5 Supermajority to Raise Councilmanic Taxes | Requires a four-fifths County Council vote to assess, levy, or increase any tax the council can raise without a public vote. Applies to councilmanic tax increases occurring after January 1, 2027. | Proposal 21 |
Exact ballot titles and explanatory text are on the auditor’s sample ballot. When wording conflicts, the sample ballot and county election materials control — not this explainer.
Background: how the commission works
Snohomish County’s Charter Review Commission is elected (voters chose the 15 members on the November 2025 ballot). In the 2026 cycle, Chair Brett Gailey represented District 5 and Vice Chair Mark James represented District 1; the commission began meeting in January 2026. It is not the same body as the City of Everett’s appointed Charter Review Committee. The county commission can only recommend amendments; the County Council holds its own hearings and transmits approved amendments to the auditor for the ballot; voters have the final say. The public deadline to submit new amendment ideas was noon on April 8, 2026 — after that date, May hearings were for comment on the five advanced proposals, not for new submissions. After this cycle the commission dissolves until the next review around 2035–2036. Official materials remain on the county’s Charter Review Commission page.
What it means for Everett voters
Every Everett resident is also a Snohomish County voter, so these five propositions appear in the same November ballot envelope as city races and any Everett city charter questions. Practical angles:
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- Prop. 3 (nonpartisan offices) changes how County Executive, County Council, and Prosecutor candidates appear on the ballot — no party preference label.
- Prop. 5 (tax supermajority) does not roll back existing levies. It raises the future threshold for councilmanic tax increases after January 1, 2027. The county’s statutory annual increase limits still operate separately.
- Prop. 1 and 2 are budget-structure rules: which services get priority when revenue is tight, and how rainy-day / catastrophic funds are protected.
- Prop. 4 is the transparency portal / public financial-access requirement — useful for residents who currently rely on public-records requests for spending and contract detail.
Everett is split across County Council districts; check your voter pamphlet for your district’s council race alongside these countywide propositions.
What it means for Everett businesses
- Prop. 5 changes the politics of future councilmanic tax increases; it is not a commercial-property-tax cut.
- Prop. 4 improves visibility into county procurement and spending if the transparency requirement is implemented as described — relevant for vendors and firms that bid county work.
- Prop. 1 prioritizes foundational services in budget fights; discretionary programs absorb cuts first in lean years.
- None of the five amendments cancels existing county contracts by themselves; watch implementing ordinances after the election for operational detail.
Timeline (completed and remaining)
- May 13 / 20 / 27, 2026 — commission public hearings (Arlington, Monroe, Mountlake Terrace) — completed. Detail below.
- May 29, 2026 — commission final adoption vote — completed; five amendments transmitted to council.
- June 3, 2026 — County Council unanimously authorized sending the amendments to the auditor — completed.
- November 3, 2026 — general election; Propositions 1–5 on the ballot.
- After election — any approved amendments move into implementation (effective dates vary; Prop. 5’s tax rule is written for increases after January 1, 2027).
Completed May 2026 public hearings (history)
All three hearings started at 5:30 p.m. The commission rotated locations so different parts of the county had a closer venue. Contemporary local coverage (including Lynnwood Times) paired the first hearing with the nonpartisan-offices and tax-supermajority proposals; the county calendar listed dates without locking each hearing to a single proposal. Written comment on any of the five was appropriate through the May 29 vote.
- Wednesday, May 13 — Arlington City Hall, 238 N. Olympia Ave., Arlington. Press coverage identified the focus as the proposals that became ballot Prop. 3 (nonpartisan offices; old Proposal 5) and Prop. 5 (tax supermajority; old Proposal 21).
- Wednesday, May 20 — Monroe City Hall, 806 W. Main St., Monroe. Special meeting / public hearing on the commission calendar; remaining proposals in the package (old 13, 14, 22 → Props. 1, 2, 4) were part of the May hearing series.
- Wednesday, May 27 — Mountlake Terrace City Hall, 23204 58th Ave. W., Mountlake Terrace. Final hearing of the public-comment phase.
Meetings were also available remotely via Zoom (webinar link and call-in numbers remain posted on the county CRC page: meeting ID 883-0893 2549; audio 1-253-215-8782 or 1-206-337-9723). Those remote options were for the hearing phase; the live question for voters now is the November 3 ballot.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Snohomish County Charter Review Commission?
A 15-member elected body that reviews the county’s home-rule charter every ten years and may recommend amendments for the ballot.
Are the May 2026 hearings still ahead?
No. Those hearings and the May 29 commission vote are finished. The live question now is how you vote on November 3.
Can the County Council rewrite the amendments?
Under the home-rule process, the council transmits the commission’s amendments and handles ballot-summary / pamphlet process; it does not freely rewrite the commission’s adopted text. Rely on election materials for the binding language.
How is this different from Everett’s city charter review?
Separate body, separate charter, separate ballot questions. The city committee is appointed; the county commission is elected. Both can appear on the same November ballot for Everett residents.
Could residents still submit brand-new proposals after April 2026?
No. The deadline for new proposed amendments from the public was noon on April 8, 2026. The May hearings were for comment on the five proposals already advanced, not for adding a sixth.
How did the old “Proposal 14” and “Proposal 21” four-vote rules differ?
Under the commission’s working numbers, Proposal 14 (now ballot Prop. 2) was about protecting budget-stabilization / rainy-day funds, including supermajority rules to tap them. Proposal 21 (now ballot Prop. 5) raises the threshold to approve councilmanic tax increases to a four-fifths vote, for increases after January 1, 2027. Similar four-vote mechanics, opposite kinds of decisions.
Where do I read the official text?
Start with the county Charter Review Commission page and the auditor’s November 3, 2026 sample ballot. HeraldNet’s June 24, 2026 explainer summarizes each proposition in news form.
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