The legislative authority of the County shall consist of three (3) members who are qualified for office as provided by this Charter and state law and selected in accordance with the methods set forth in this Charter. The legislative authority shall be known as the County Council and its members known as County Council members.
Each member of the County Council shall be qualified as provided in Section 5.20 of this Charter and elected pursuant to Article 5 – Elections of this Charter.
(1)
The legislative power of the County as granted by the State Constitution and law and not reserved to the people shall be vested in the County Council. The enumeration of particular legislative powers herein shall not be construed as limiting the legislative powers of the County Council.
(2)
The County Council shall exercise its legislative power by adoption and enactment of ordinances or resolutions. It shall have the power to:
(a)
Levy taxes, appropriate revenue and adopt budgets for the County.
(b)
Establish the compensation (and benefits, if any) to be paid to all non-elected County officers and employees and to provide for the reimbursement of expenses.
(c)
Establish, abolish, combine and divide by ordinance, non-elective administrative offices and to establish their powers and responsibilities unless otherwise limited by law or other provisions of this Charter.
(d)
Adopt by ordinance comprehensive plans and development regulations including plans for the present and future development and improvement of the County.
(e)
Approve contracts or establish by ordinance methods by which any type of contract shall be approved.
(3)
The County Council may conduct public hearings on matters of public concern.
(1)
The executive powers of the County as granted by the State Constitution and law, and not otherwise reserved or granted by the Constitution, state law or this Charter to other independently elected county officials, are vested in the County Council. The enumeration of particular executive powers herein shall not be construed as limiting the executive powers of the County Council.
(2)
The County Council shall exercise its executive power by adoption and enactment of ordinances or resolutions. It shall have the power to:
(a)
Delegate its executive duties to subordinate officers appointed for that purpose.
(b)
Manage all administrative offices and functions.
(c)
Ensure that all actions of the County are compliant with all federal, Washington State, San Juan County codes, laws and procedures, and this Charter, seeking advice from the Prosecuting Attorney or other sources as necessary.
(d)
Ensure that all systems, procedures and use of technology under the County Council be periodically reviewed and actions taken to ensure that optimum practices are being employed.
(e)
Review and approve operating and capital budgets, accompanied by a budget message setting forth proposals for the County during the next fiscal year.
(f)
Assign duties to administrative offices, which are not specifically assigned by this Charter or by ordinance.
(g)
Act as the signing authority, on behalf of this County, on all claims, deeds, contracts and other instruments initiated within the fiscal and budgetary procedures.
(1)
The County Council shall annually elect one of its members as chair and another of its members as vice-chair who shall act in the absence of the chair.
(2)
The County Council shall be responsible for its own organization, the rules of conduct of its business and for the employment and supervision of persons it deems necessary to assist in the performance of its duties.
(3)
A majority of the County Council shall constitute a quorum at all meetings. Unless otherwise provided, action of the County Council shall require the affirmative vote of two (2) members.
The County Council shall enact by ordinance rules of procedure governing the time, place and conduct of its meetings and hearings and the introduction, publication, consideration and adoption of ordinances; provided, that the County Council shall meet in open session regularly at least twice monthly.
In all interactions with County employees, County Council members shall exhibit ethical and respectful behavior. No individual County Council member shall direct or discipline, or threaten to direct or discipline, any County employee, whether department head, supervisor or volunteer unless such direction or disciplinary action, or warning concerning such direction or disciplinary action, has first been duly approved by a majority of the County Council. Any directives or discipline by County Council members shall be made through the established chain of authority. No disciplinary action by the County Council may be taken with respect to another elected official or an employee or volunteer hired by or reporting to other elected officials.
(1)
Every legislative act shall be by ordinance except for matters that may be addressed by resolution as provided in Section 2.70 of this Charter. The subject of every ordinance shall be clearly stated in the title, and no ordinance shall contain more than one subject. Ordinances or summaries of them, the places where copies are filed, and the times when they are available for inspection, shall be published when the ordinances are proposed and again upon enactment.
(2)
Every ordinance shall be introduced in its entirety in writing.
(3)
Except as otherwise provided in this Charter, all ordinances shall take effect ten (10) working days after the date it is enacted or later if so stipulated in the ordinance.
All ordinances of the County, which are of a general and permanent nature or which impose any fine, penalty, or forfeiture, shall be codified in a code, which shall be adopted by ordinance and shall be known as the San Juan County Code. The code shall be kept current to reflect newly adopted, amended or repealed ordinances. A current copy shall be placed in the public libraries in the County and in such other places as the County Council deems appropriate.
(1)
An ordinance necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or support of the County government and its existing institutions may be passed by action of the County Council, which shall be effective immediately.
(2)
An emergency ordinance shall be introduced and passed in the manner prescribed for emergency ordinances generally, except that the emergency and the facts creating it shall be stated in a separate section of the emergency ordinance.
No emergency ordinance may levy taxes, grant, renew or extend a franchise, regulate the rate charged by any utility or authorize the borrowing of money for more than one hundred and twenty (120) days.
The County Council by action shall appoint members of all boards and commissions except as otherwise provided in this Charter.