City estimates cost of change to charter code

By Dennis Box-The Courier-Herald

The Bonney Lake city staff has released a question-and-answer document concerning an initiative to change Bonney Lake's form of government.

Councilman Dan Decker collected signatures for a petition asking to change the government from a code-city to charter-code.

The Pierce County Auditor checked for the necessary signatures and sent the petition back to the city.

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The city attorney is checking the petition. If it passes legal review, the measure will go before the City Council.

The council will need to pass a resolution to set up a two-step election. The first step is for citizens to approve or disapprove the change of government. The second step, if citizens vote to approve, involves electing 15 freeholders to write a city charter.

Under the code system, the City Council passes city codes or laws, which follow the federal and state constitutions and the Pierce County Charter.

A charter-code would mean the city has a charter written by the 15 freeholders and approved by a vote of the people. The charter would outline the form of government within the guidelines of the constitutions and county charter.

The city of Kelso is the only charter-code city in the state. Kelso changed to a charter-code form of government in 1993.

The staff document lists a series of costs involving a change of government including campaign funds and charges to the city.

A short version of the list includes:

€ 15 freeholder campaigns - $4,500 to $30,000;

€ charges for the form-ation/freeholder election - $10,000 to $31,000;

€ charter commission staff/con-sultants/legal support - $15,000 to $60,000;

€ printing and publications - $500 to $8,000;

€ advertising and public education - $5,000 to $15,000;

€ elected official campaigns - $15,500 to $50,000;

€ charges for the charter/candidate election - $10,000 to $35,000;

€ cost of rewriting the Bonney Lake Municipal Code to comply with a charter - $40,000 to $90,000;

€ total cost $98,500 to $319,000.