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The qualified electors or legislative body of a noncharter code city with a population of less than 30,000 may provide for the exercise in their city of the powers of initiative and referendum, upon electing so to do in the manner provided for changing the classification of a city or town in RCW 35A.02.020, 35A.02.025, 35A.02.030, and 35A.02.035, as now or hereafter amended.
The exercise of such powers may be restricted or abandoned upon electing so to do in the manner provided for abandoning the plan of government of a noncharter code city in RCW 35A.06.030, 35A.06.040, 35A.06.050, and 35A.06.060, as now or hereafter amended.
The legislative body of a noncharter code city with a population of 30,000 or more must provide, by ordinance, for the exercise of the powers of initiative and referendum. Any noncharter code city that meets the population thresholds under this section must adopt the initiative and referendum process within one year of the effective date of this section. Any noncharter code city that meets the population thresholds after the effective date of this section must adopt the required process within one year of reaching the population thresholds established under this section.
Whether elective or required, any provisions for the powers of initiative and referendum must comply with RCW 35.17.240 through 35.17.360.
Ordinances of noncharter code cities the qualified electors of which have elected to exercise the powers of initiative and referendum and those of those noncharter code cities that are required to provide for the powers of initiative and referendum shall not go into effect before thirty days from the time of final passage and are subject to referendum during the interim except:
Ordinances initiated by petition;
Ordinances necessary for immediate preservation of public peace, health, and safety or for the support of city government and its existing public institutions which contain a statement of urgency and are passed by unanimous vote of the council;
Ordinances providing for local improvement districts;
Ordinances appropriating money;
Ordinances providing for or approving collective bargaining;
Ordinances providing for the compensation of or working conditions of city employees; and
Ordinances authorizing or repealing the levy of taxes; which excepted ordinances shall go into effect as provided by the general law or by applicable sections of Title 35A RCW as now or hereafter amended.
Ordinances shall not go into effect before thirty days from the time of final passage and are subject to referendum during the interim except:
Ordinances initiated by petition;
Ordinances necessary for immediate preservation of public peace, health, and safety which contain a statement of urgency and are passed by unanimous vote of all the commissioners;
Ordinances providing for local improvement districts;
Ordinances appropriating money;
Ordinances providing for or approving collective bargaining;
Ordinances providing for the compensation of or working conditions of city employees; and
Ordinances authorizing or repealing the levy of taxes.
Except as provided in RCW 35A.11.090, and except that the number of registered voters needed to sign a petition for initiative or referendum shall be 25 percent of the total number of votes cast for the citywide race receiving the greatest number of votes or, if there was no citywide race, the number of votes cast for all candidates for city council, at the last preceding city general election, the powers of initiative and referendum in noncharter code cities shall be exercised in the manner set forth for the commission form of government in RCW 35.17.240 through 35.17.360, as now or hereafter amended.
Upon the filing of a referendum petition praying therefor, the legislative authority shall reconsider an ordinance subject to referendum and upon reconsideration shall defeat it in its entirety or shall submit it to a vote of the people. The operation of an ordinance so protested against shall be suspended until the referendum petition is finally found insufficient or until the ordinance protested against has received a majority of the votes cast thereon at the election.
Ordinances may be initiated by petition of registered voters of the city filed with the commission legislative authority. If the petition accompanying the proposed ordinance is signed by the registered voters in the city equal in number to twenty-five percent of the votes cast for all candidates for mayor the citywide race receiving the greatest number of votes, or, if there was no citywide race, the number of votes cast for all candidates for city council at the last preceding city election, and if it contains a request that, unless passed by the commission legislative authority, the ordinance be submitted to a vote of the registered voters of the city, the commission legislative authority shall either:
The petitioner preparing an initiative petition for submission to the legislative authority shall follow the procedures established in RCW 35.21.005.
Within ten days from the filing of a petition submitting a proposed ordinance the city clerk shall ascertain and append to the petition his or her certificate stating whether or not it is signed by a sufficient number of registered voters, using the registration records and returns of the preceding municipal election for his or her sources of information, and the legislative authority shall allow him or her extra help for that purpose, if necessary. If the signatures are found by the clerk to be insufficient the petition may be amended in that respect within ten days from the date of the certificate. Within ten days after submission of the amended petition the clerk shall make an examination thereof and append his or her certificate thereto in the same manner as before. If the second certificate shall also show the number of signatures to be insufficient, the petition shall be returned to the person filing it.
If the clerk finds the petition insufficient or if the legislative authority refuses either to pass an initiative ordinance or order an election thereon, any taxpayer may commence an action in the superior court against the city and procure a decree ordering an election to be held in the city for the purpose of voting upon the proposed ordinance if the court finds the petition to be sufficient.
If the number of votes cast thereon favor the unaltered proposed ordinance, it shall become effective immediately and shall be made a part of the record of ordinances of the city. If the number of votes cast thereon instead favor a modified or alternative ordinance, then only that ordinance is effective and must be made a part of the record of ordinances of the city. If a majority of voters vote to reject both an unaltered ordinance and a modified or alternative ordinance, then neither is enacted or effective.
Upon the adoption of an ordinance initiated by petition, the city clerk shall write on the margin of the record thereof "ordinance by petition No. . . . .," or "ordinance by vote of the people," and, if approved by a vote of the people, it cannot be repealed or amended except by a vote of the people for two years. Thereafter, the ordinance may additionally be amended or repealed by the city legislative authority if at least two-thirds of the members of the city legislative authority vote in favor of amendment or repeal.
The legislative authority may by means of an ordinance submit a proposition for the repeal or amendment of an ordinance, initiated by petition, by submitting it to a vote of the people at any general election and if a majority of the votes cast upon the proposition favor it, the ordinance shall be repealed or amended accordingly.
A proposition of repeal or amendment must be published before the election thereon as is an ordinance initiated by petition when submitted to election.
The legislative powers of a charter city shall be vested in a mayor and a city council, to consist of such number of members and to have such powers as may be provided for in its charter. The charter may provide for direct legislation by the people through the initiative and referendum upon any matter within the scope of the powers, functions, or duties of the city. Any charter city with a population of 30,000 or more that does not provide for direct legislation by initiative and referendum must cause a ballot proposition for amending the charter of the city to provide for direct legislation as provided for in RCW 35.17.230 through 35.17.360 to be submitted to voters for approval at the next general election after the effective date of this section. Any charter city that does not provide for direct legislation by initiative and referendum that meets the population threshold of 30,000 after the effective date of this section must cause a ballot proposition for amending the charter of the city to provide for direct legislation as provided for in RCW 35.17.230 through 35.17.360 to be submitted to voters for approval at the next general election occurring more than 90 days after the population threshold is reached.
The mayor and council and such other elective officers as may be provided for in such charter shall be elected at such times and in such manner as provided in Title 29A RCW, and for such terms and shall perform such duties as may be prescribed in the charter, and shall receive compensation in accordance with the process or standards of a charter provision or ordinance which conforms with RCW 35.21.015.