All powers of the city shall be vested in the city council, except as otherwise provided by law or this charter, and the council shall provide for the exercise thereof and for the performance of all duties and obligations imposed on the city by law.
(a) 
Composition. There shall be a city council composed of seven members to be elected at large. The mayor shall be elected as provided in Section 2.03.
(b) 
Eligibility. Only those registered voters of the city who shall have resided in the city for one year prior to the election shall be eligible to hold the office of council member.
(c) 
Election. The registered electors of the city shall elect a council of seven members, at large in the following manner. At the election approving this Charter, the candidates receiving the highest number of votes for each position shall serve. In the event of a tie vote, the election shall be decided by lot. Such lot shall be conducted no later than the second Tuesday after certification of the election.
(d) 
Terms. Candidates for positions 1, 2 and 3 shall be elected for a four-year term. In order to stagger the terms of office, candidates for positions 4, 5, 6 and 7 shall be elected for a two-year term. After completion of this initial term, the term of office for positions 4, 5, 6 and 7 will be for four years.
(Amended by the voters at the November 8, 2016, general election)
At its first meeting in January following their election to office, the city council shall elect from among its members officers of the city who shall have the titles of mayor and deputy mayor, each of whom shall serve at the pleasure of the council for two years or until removed from the office by a vote of no less than four members of the council. The mayor shall preside at meetings of the council, represent the city in intergovernmental relationships, appoint with the advice and consent of the council the members of citizen advisory boards and commissions, present an annual state of the city message, and other duties specified by the council. The mayor shall be recognized as head of the city government for purposes of military law but shall have no administrative duties. The deputy mayor shall act as mayor during the absence or disability of the mayor.
The city council may determine the annual salary of the mayor and council members by ordinance, but no ordinance increasing such salary shall become effective until the date of commencement of the terms of council members elected at the next regular election. The mayor and council members shall be eligible for only authorized expenses incurred in the performance of their duties of office.
(a) 
Holding Other Office. Except where authorized by law, no council member shall hold any other elected public office during the term for which the member was elected to the council. No council member shall hold any other City of Kelso office or City of Kelso employment during the term for which the member was elected to the council. No former council member shall hold any compensated appointive office or employment with the city until one year after the expiration of the term for which the member was elected to the council. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the council from selecting any current or former council member to represent the city on the appointive governing boards of other regional or intergovernmental agencies.
(b) 
Appointments and Removals. Neither the city council nor any of its members shall in any manner control or demand the appointment or removal of any city administrative officer or employee whom the city manager or any subordinate of the city manager is empowered to appoint, but the council may express its views and fully and freely discuss with the city manager anything pertaining to appointment and removal of such officers and employees.
(c) 
Interference with Administration. Except for the purpose of inquiries, the council or its members shall deal with city officers and employees who are subject to the direction and supervision of the city manager solely through the city manager, and neither the council nor its members shall give orders to any such officer or employee, either publicly or privately.
(a) 
Vacancies. The office of a council member shall become vacant upon the member’s death, resignation, removal from office or forfeiture of office in any manner authorized by law; in addition, the office of a council member shall also become vacant if any council member fails to attend six scheduled regular meetings of the council during a calendar year unless on authorized City-related business, which shall be approved by a majority of the council.
(b) 
Forfeiture of Office. A council member shall forfeit that office if the council member:
(1) 
Lacks at any time during the term of office any qualification for the office prescribed by this charter or by law; or
(2) 
Violates any express prohibition of this charter; or
(3) 
Is convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude; or
(4) 
Discloses matters discussed in any executive session, unless authorized by a majority vote of the council.
(c) 
Filling of Vacancies. A vacancy in the city council shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term, if any, at the next regular election following not less than 60 days upon the occurrence of the vacancy, but the council by a majority vote of all its remaining members shall appoint a qualified person to fill the vacancy until the person elected to serve the remainder of the unexpired term takes office.
(Amended by the voters at the November 8, 2016, general election)
The city council shall provide for an independent annual audit of all city accounts and may provide for more frequent audits as it deems necessary. Such audits shall be made by a certified public accountant or firm of such accountants who have no personal interest, direct or indirect, in the fiscal affairs of the city government or any of its officers. The council may, without requiring competitive bids, designate such accountant or firm annually or for a period not exceeding three years, but the designation for any particular fiscal year shall be made no later than 30 days after the beginning of such fiscal year. If the State makes such an audit, the council may accept it as satisfying the requirements of this section.
(a) 
Meetings. The council shall meet regularly at least once in every month at such times and places as the council may prescribe by rule. Special meetings may be held on the call of the mayor or two or more members, provided notice of such meetings is given in accordance with State law. Except as allowed by state law, all meetings shall be public, with a portion of each regular meeting set aside for public comment.
(b) 
Rules and Journal. The city council shall determine its own rules and order of business and shall provide for keeping a journal of its proceedings. This journal shall be a public record.
(c) 
Voting. Voting, except on procedural motions, shall be by roll call and the ayes and nays shall be recorded in the journal. Four members of the council shall constitute a quorum. No action of the council shall be valid or binding unless adopted by a majority of those present, except where a majority vote of the entire council is required by State law. Every Council member including the Mayor shall vote. Abstentions are not allowed except for conflict of interest, which shall be determined by the City Attorney.
(Amended by the voters at the November 8, 2016, general election)
(a) 
Form. Every proposed ordinance shall be introduced in writing and in the form required for final adoption. No ordinance shall contain more than one subject which shall be clearly expressed in its title. The enacting clause shall be “The City of Kelso hereby ordains . . .”. Any ordinance which repeals or amends an existing ordinance or part of the city code shall set out in full the ordinance, sections or subsections to be repealed or amended, and shall indicate matters to be omitted by enclosing it in brackets or by strikeout type and shall indicate new matters by underscoring or by italics.
(b) 
Procedure. At First Reading, the title of such ordinance shall be read. Copies of all such proposed ordinances shall be kept available to the public at the office of the city clerk. Ordinances granting a franchise shall be published once each week for three consecutive weeks prior to finally passing such ordinance.
At the Second Reading, the title of such ordinance shall be read. All persons interested shall be given an opportunity to be heard on the proposed ordinance.
After such opportunity for public comment, the city council may pass such ordinance, with or without amendment. Passage of an ordinance requires at least a majority vote in its favor and the vote shall be taken by yeas and nays, and entered in the public journal of city council proceedings. Every ordinance or resolution passed by the city council shall be signed by the mayor and filed with the city clerk, who shall record the same. When an ordinance fails to pass and a motion is made to reconsider, the vote upon such motion shall not be acted upon before the next meeting of the city council.
(c) 
Effective Date. Except as otherwise provided in this charter, every adopted ordinance shall become effective 5 days after publication of the summary of the ordinance or at any later date specified therein. All ordinances shall be published promptly.
(d) 
“Publish” Defined. As used in this section, the term “publish” means to print in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the city: (1) The summary of the ordinance thereof, and (2) the places where copies of it have been filed and the times when they are available for public inspection and purchase at a reasonable price.
(Amended by the voters at the November 8, 2016, general election. Formerly Section 2.11)
To meet a public emergency affecting life, health, property or the public peace, the city council may adopt one or more emergency ordinances, but such ordinances may not levy taxes, grant, renew or extend a franchise, regulate the rate charged by any public utility for its services or authorize the borrowing of money. An emergency ordinance shall be introduced in the form and manner prescribed for ordinances generally, except that it shall be plainly designated as an emergency ordinance and shall contain, after the enacting clause, a declaration stating that an emergency exists and describing it in clear and specific terms. An emergency ordinance may be adopted with or without amendment or rejected at the meeting at which it is introduced, but the affirmative vote of at least five members shall be required for adoption. After its adoption, a summary of the ordinance shall be published and printed as prescribed for other adopted ordinances. An emergency ordinance may also be repealed by adoption of a repealing ordinance in the same manner specified in this section for adoption of emergency ordinances. An emergency ordinance shall become effective upon adoption or at such later time as it may specify.
(Amended by the voters at the November 8, 2016, general election. Formerly Section 2.12)