27th Republicans Pierce County Charter Proposed Amendments, For and Against Statements

27th Republicans support these proposed amendments.

• Amendment 52 (was C13) - Reduce the number of County Council meetings to 48 and allow for Zoom access for the public.

This amendment reduces the overall meetings from 52 to 48 which would eliminate holiday meetings which need to be rescheduled.  We support this change as Zoom access would increase transparency, and fewer meetings would lead to higher participation rates.

• Amendment 56 (was C25) - Creates a requirement for a 4-year budget outlook.

We support this amendment because creating a 4 year budget outlook covering two two-year budget cycles allows better long term planning. For clarity, this is not modifying or replacing the 6-year plan created by the executive and updated annually.

• Amendment 55 (was C32) - Lengthens the signature gathering phase of initiatives from 120 to 180 days.

We adamantly agree with this proposal as our fundamental belief system is that the government is first and foremost by the people.  Anything that facilitates initiatives and referendums reflects that fundamental belief.

27th Republicans do not support these proposed amendments.

• Amendment 53 (was C1) – Changes the office of Sheriff to an appointed position rather than elected, and ends the current Sheriff's term in January 2027.

This proposal serves to strip individual community members of their right to elect those who directly affect their everyday lives.  The Pierce County Sheriff position is one that is directly connected to the personal and public safety of each person in our community. This role is critical to community accountability.  The safety of each person we love and care about should not be put in the singular hands of one county executive.  We have a right as a citizen to vote for these people and we will not knowingly and willingly give up our right to vote.

The 27th 100% supports an elected Sheriff, not one appointed by the County Executive.

• Amendment 58 (was C18) - Establishes an independent office for oversite on the Juvenile Justice system which is currently being run by the Pierce County Superior courts. It requires the Juvenile Justice system to make public a detailed annual report that gives daily activity inside the facility and outcomes of past inmates. It also requires regular audits and accreditation from an outside group, and those audits to be given to the Council and Executive and be made public.

We are for transparency and making the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) reports public.

However, operational functions like these are best addressed by legislation, rather than by changes to our county constitution.  Placing these requirements in the Charter ties the legislature’s hands if changes are required to accommodate new situations and new alternatives to locking up our troubled youth.

We question whether to require the creation of an entirely new office, with uncertain costs and implications, is best mandated by the County Charter.

As the current Pierce County Superior Court Judges who attended the charter review stated, Remann Hall currently sees oversight from the PREA. They also told us that all of the current litigation against the facility is for incidents that happened over a decade ago. Since then, the judges have made drastic and long lasting changes and regular audits from PREA do exactly what this proposal intends to do.

• Amendment 54 (was C30) - Creates but doesn't fund a new office of the Sheriff's Ombuds. This office will investigate and publicly report on the office of the Sheriff. It will have no authority over the Sheriff in any capacity.

This amendment is billed as a means to hold the Office of the Sheriff accountable, yet there are already ways to file complaints and deal with the items this proposal addresses.  The Internal Affairs (IA) is a truly independent office as in any law enforcement agency.  The Sheriff can also be recalled by the citizens anytime during the four year term.

We oppose this proposal because it allows the Executive to interfere with the operation of the Office of the Sheriff and adds an unnecessary burden to the taxpayers by creating a new office with new staff.

Unlike the IA, this new office would have no direct authority over the Office of the Sheriff.  So the new office would not only be redundant, it would have no ability to make direct change.  Yet the potential for executive inquiries to disrupt operations is high.

• Amendment 57 (was C36) - Adds new terms to the anti-discrimination section of the charter from 6 protected classes to 12.

This proposal is vague and broad while talking about the long term general provisions for people in county jobs and offices, with no specifics on what these accommodations would be.

We believe that the workplace should be safe and productive for everyone.

Because of this proposal’s broad scope, accommodating an overwhelming number of demographics may adversely affect other demographics. This proposal is not clear enough for anyone to understand the potential impacts.