The City of Mountlake Terrace, Washington

City Council

The City Council holds regular meetings on the first and third Mondays of each month beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers. If the first or third Monday falls on a national holiday, the meeting is held on the following Tuesday night at the same time and place.

City Council work/study sessions are held on the Thursday night preceding regular meetings beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers. All meetings are open to the public in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act.

The public may address the Council about items not listed on the agenda during the Public Comment period listed on the agenda. If a citizen wishes to speak to the Council during public comments or on other agenda items, a sign-up sheet is provided in the Council Chambers. Unless otherwise stated by the Chair, citizens may speak to the Council for up to five minutes at regular meetings and up to two minutes at the end of the agenda at work/study sessions.

How Are They Elected?

Mountlake Terrace has a seven member City Council that serves under a Council-Manager form of government. City Council elections are held every two years with Councilmembers elected to staggered 4-year terms. Citizens of Mountlake Terrace may run for City Council if they are at least 18 years old and residents of the City for the previous twelve months. Candidates for office must file with the Snohomish County Elections Office and pay a filing fee to run for office. The official filing period usually begins in June of each Council election year and is open for one week. Candidates must also file with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission within two weeks of filing as a candidate.

If more than two candidates file for a particular Council position, a primary election is held in August. The two candidates who receive the highest number of votes continue on to the general election held in November of each odd-numbered year. New Councilmembers begin their 4-year terms on January 1 of the following year.

At the first meeting of each even numbered year, the Council elects their Mayor for the following two years. Under the Council-Manager form of government, the Mayor presides at meetings and attends ceremonial events on behalf of the city. Each year, the Council elects a Mayor Pro Tem who serves in the same capacity in the Mayor’s absence.

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About The Agenda

The Council meeting agenda lists the items for Council consideration and action. The Consent Calendar includes routine items that do not usually require additional discussion and can be approved with one motion. Councilmembers may remove items from the Consent Calendar to make inquiries and then approve the items separately.

Actions items include ordinances, resolutions, and approval items. Ordinances are usually effective five days after publication in the newspaper of record, The Everett Herald. Most ordinances are codified in the City Code. Resolutions are less formal than ordinances and often adopted to enact more temporary regulations or to make a public statement such as support of proposed legislation. Other action items include award of bids for projects and approval of quasi judicial matters, which are usually land use matters. In quasi-judicial matters, the Council legally decides the issue at hand based upon the information contained in the record including any testimony provided at a public hearing on the matter.

Public hearings provide citizens with an opportunity to speak about issues of concern. Some public hearings are held to obtain more public input and others must be held by law due to the subject matter such as quasi-judicial matters, zoning code changes, and the budget. Public hearing notices must be published in the newspaper of record and posted at least ten days before the public hearing can be held. Posting sites are located at the Mountlake Terrace Library Lobby, Post Office, Recreation Pavilion, and City Hall. Certain land use matters require the proposed sites to have a sign posted and public hearing notices mailed to the neighborhood.

Other regular items include public comment, City Council Liaison Reports, City Manager Report, and New Business. Councilmembers provide verbal updates of meetings and events they have attended during Council Liaison Reports and the City Manager Report follows with additional announcements by the City Manager. New Council initiatives and reports occur during the New Business item at the end of the regular meeting agenda.

Executive Sessions are held on items provided under State law such as potential and pending litigation, purchase and sale of property, and personnel matters. Executive Sessions are the only part of the agenda that are not open to the public, because the information is confidential and disclosure may harm the individual interests of the City or individual. The Mayor announces the reason for the Executive Session before it begins, the estimate time it is expected to last, and whether or not action is anticipated following the session.

Date	Size	File
01-2010	18.1 KB	City of Mountlake Terrace 2010 State Legislative Agenda
03-2010	327 KB	2010 Federal Appropriations Request Map
03-2010	6.71 KB	FY 2011 Federal Funding Requests
03-2010	6.77 KB	FY 2011 Projects of Interest
2010	216 KB	2010 State of the City Address
2010	3.95 MB	2010 State of the City PowerPoint Presentation
04-28-2010	277 KB	2010-2012 City Council Vision and Goals (April 2010)
07-27-10	57.6 KB	2010 City Council Meeting Schedule
Online Public Meetings