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E V E R E T T City Council Agenda Item Cover Sheet <br />Project title: An ORDINANCE Authorizing the Editing of the Everett Municipal Code for Gender Neutrality as <br />Authorized under RCW 35.21.500 <br />Council Bill #interoffice use Consideration: Gender Neutrality Ordinance <br />CB 2110-40 <br />Agenda dates requested: <br />21 <br />Briefing 11/3/21 <br />Proposed action 11/10/21 <br />Consent <br />Action 11.24.21 <br />Ordinance X <br />Public hearing <br />Yes x No <br />Budget amendment: <br />Yes x No <br />PowerPoint presentation: <br />Yes x No <br />Attachments: <br />Gender Neutrality Ordinance <br />Department(s) involved: <br />City Clerk, City Attorney <br />Contact person: <br />Yorik Stevens-Wajda, <br />Planning Director <br />Phone number: <br />425.257.8725 <br />Email: <br />YStevens@everettwa.gov <br />Initialed by: <br />..................................... <br />Department head <br />................................ <br />Administration <br />......................... <br />Council President <br />Project: Gender Neutrality Ordinance <br />Other Parties: None <br />Location: None <br />Preceding action: None <br />Fund: None <br />Fiscal summary statement: <br />None <br />Project summary statement: <br />The Everett Municipal Code (EMC) is a large compilation of ordinances passed by the <br />City Council over many decades. This longevity means that EMC contains provisions that <br />have outdated and unnecessary references to gender. <br />The need to use gender neutral terms in statutes and ordinances has been recognized in <br />Washington for many years. For example, with respect to the Revised Code of <br />Washington (RCW), the Legislature has required gender neutrality since 1983. ("All <br />statutes, memorials, and resolutions enacted, adopted, or amended by the legislature <br />after July 1, 1983, shall be written in gender -neutral terms unless a specification of <br />gender is intended." RCW 44.04.210.) <br />Under state law (RCW 35.21.500), the City can administratively edit ordinances for the <br />purpose of modernizing and clarifying code language, so long as the edits do not change <br />meaning. The proposed ordinance authorizes City staff to undertake this administrative <br />work towards achieving gender neutrality in the code. Two examples include: <br />EMC 2.10.010. The mayor shall appoint and remove all appointive officers and all <br />employees under 4i.5 the mayor's jurisdiction or may authorize a head of a department <br />or officer responsible to 44R the mayor to appoint and remove subordinates in such <br />department or office. <br />EMC 6.04.110.A It is the responsibility of the manager of Everett's department of <br />animal control and those he/she such manager designates to enforce the provisions of <br />this chapter. <br />The proposed ordinance also states that these administrative edits will be reviewed by <br />the City Attorney's Office prior to implementation to verify that no meaning is changed <br />by the edits. <br />Recommendation (exact action requested of Council): <br />Adopt Ordinance Authorizing the Editing of the Everett Municipal Code for Gender <br />Neutrality as Authorized under RCW 35.21.500 <br />