City of Bellingham Proposition No. 2026-06 — Authorizing the City's Salary Commission to Set the Mayor's Salary (Whatcom County)

What it does

Proposed Charter Amendment Proposition 2026-06 would make a salary commission responsible for setting the Mayor's salary. This amendment would change the Charter's requirements concerning the Mayor's salary. Currently, the Charter provides that the Mayor's salary should at no time be less than that of the highest paid City official or employee. This amendment would delete that requirement and instead assign responsibility for setting the Mayor's salary to the City's independent salary commission, which was established by ordinance to periodically review and fix the salaries of City Council members. Should this amendment be enacted into law?

A YES vote means

Bellingham's independent salary commission would set the Mayor's salary, and the charter rule that the Mayor must be paid at least as much as the highest paid City official or employee would be removed.

A NO vote means

The charter would still require the Mayor's salary to be no less than that of the highest paid City official or employee.

Needed to pass

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Left–right lean

Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Next elections here

• 2028 presidential election · Who has filed so far, from FEC filings

Also on Whatcom County ballots

• City of Bellingham Proposition No. 2026-07 — Streamlining the City's Contract Review Process to Allow Electronic Signatures
• City of Bellingham Initiative 26-01 — Prohibition of Algorithmic Price-Fixing in the Rental Market
• City of Lynden Proposition No. 2026-05 — Levy Lid Lift for Public Safety and Essential Community Services

All Whatcom County races and measures →

Quick answers

What does a YES vote on City of Bellingham Proposition No. 2026-06 mean?

Bellingham's independent salary commission would set the Mayor's salary, and the charter rule that the Mayor must be paid at least as much as the highest paid City official or employee would be removed.

What does a NO vote on City of Bellingham Proposition No. 2026-06 mean?

The charter would still require the Mayor's salary to be no less than that of the highest paid City official or employee.

How many votes does City of Bellingham Proposition No. 2026-06 need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Should I vote yes or no on City of Bellingham Proposition No. 2026-06?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

When is the vote?

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.