(a) The elective officers of the City shall be the Mayor and seven (7) Council members, with each Council member elected from one of seven (7) Council positions. Positions one (1) through five (5) shall each be elected by majority vote of the electors in five (5) separate geographical districts within the City. The Mayor and Council members in positions six (6) and seven (7) shall be elected from the entire City at large.

(b) The boundaries of the districts for Council positions 1 through 5 shall be drawn in 2020, then redrawn in 2022, and redrawn every ten (10) years thereafter following each federal decennial census, in accordance with a districting plan prepared by a nine (9)-member Districting Commission, all consistent with applicable state law and this Charter. One Districting Commission member shall be nominated by each City Council member and one by the Mayor. The City Council shall appoint eight of the Districting Commission members from those nominated upon a determination of reasonable geographic representation among the nominees. These Commission members must be appointed on or before January 31, 2020, then again on or before January 31, 2022, and on or before January 31, every tenth year thereafter. The Commissioners so appointed must promptly appoint a ninth member of the Commission. All Commission members must be residents of the City. No person may serve on the Commission who is an elected official (except precinct committee officer), a candidate for elected office, or a City of Everett employee.

(c) Each Districting Commission shall appoint a districting master within 90 days of the appointment of the Commission. If the Commission is unable to agree upon the appointment of a districting master within that time period, the City Council shall promptly appoint a districting master. A districting master must be, in the Commission’s or Council’s determination, qualified by education, training and experience to assist the Commission in the development of each districting plan and the drawing of district boundaries. The districting plan must be adopted by the Commission initially on or before November 1, 2020, then again on or before November 1, 2022, and every tenth year thereafter. Prior to the adoption of a districting plan and district boundaries the Commission shall conduct public forums. At least one public forum shall be held in each then-existing District, and at least one public hearing shall be conducted on a citywide basis. Each districting plan must be in compliance with applicable law, and in drawing the plan there shall be no consideration, favor, or disfavor given to the district assignment of any individual’s residence. The initial districting plan shall be based on the 2010 decennial census, together with additional population estimates that the Commission and the districting master deem reliable. In 2022, and every tenth year thereafter, the districting plan shall be based on the most recent decennial census. The City Council must adopt each Districting Commission’s districting plan without modification or amendment.

(d) The City Council shall appropriate amounts reasonably necessary for each Districting Commission to carry out its responsibilities. In addition to a districting master, each Districting Commission may retain legal and other consultants as may be appropriate to carry out the Commission’s functions, consistent with the Commission’s appropriation. Members of the Districting Commission shall not be compensated. The Districting Commission shall elect a Chair from among its members.

(e) In the event of an annexation effective at any time other than in 2020 or before, or in the second year following a federal decennial census up to the date a Districting Commission’s district plan is adopted, the City Council shall, prior to the annexation, allocate the annexed area to the nearest Council district or districts, adjusting the boundaries as appropriate but not shifting any area already within the City from one Council district to another. The allocation of the annexed area into an existing district or among existing districts must be carried out in a fashion that will result in adjusted districts that continue to be consistent with applicable legal requirements for district boundaries. For all other annexations, district boundary adjustments shall be determined by the Districting Commission that would already have been appointed in ordinary course pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, except for the first year following a federal decennial census up to the date a Districting Commission’s district plan is adopted in the second year following the same census, if the City Council determines that apportioning an annexed area among existing districts without shifting any area already within the City from one district to another will likely result in any district population that deviates from the mean by greater than 7.5%, then the City Council and the Mayor shall appoint an interim Districting Commission (which may be identical to the most recent Districting Commission) to adopt a revised districting plan with the assistance of a districting master, consistent with subsection (c) of this Section 2.1. (Ord. 3605-18 § 1 (part), 2018)