If Camas votes yes on February 9, 2027, will anything change on your street? The City of Camas says it won't. "Day-to-day city services, like police, streets, permits and utilities, don't change because of this vote," reads the FAQ on the city's Engage Camas page. "What changes is who's in charge of running those departments and who that person answers to."
That makes the measure sound small, and for day-to-day services it is. It still decides two things that will last well past February. One is what kind of job Camas's next mayor will be elected to. The other is how long the answer stays in place, and here a yes and a no don't carry the same weight.
The Job That Would Change Hands
Camas runs under what the city calls "Mayor-Council with City Administrator." Voters elect the mayor and the council. The mayor serves as the city's chief executive and appoints a city administrator, who runs daily operations. The city describes this as a hybrid: a mayor-council system plus a professional administrator the mayor appoints with the council's consent. Washington law spells out the mayor's power under this setup. RCW 35A.12.100 makes the mayor "the chief executive and administrative officer of the city, in charge of all departments and employees."
The measure would switch Camas to "Council-Manager with Elected Mayor."
| Today | If the measure passes | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs daily operations | City administrator, appointed by the mayor | City manager, hired by the council |
| Who the top administrator answers to | The mayor | The council, which can remove the manager by majority vote |
| The mayor's role | Elected chief executive | Elected, mostly ceremonial, and part of the council |
| Who holds legislative authority | Council | Council, with the mayor as a member |
| City services and code-city status | Unchanged | Unchanged |
OPB's August report put the mayor's new role this way: Camas would still have a mayor, but instead of serving as the city's CEO, the mayor would be a regular member of the council. The city also says the change would not affect Camas's status as a noncharter code city, or its powers, services or authority.
So the vote is about one reporting line, and the table is short because that's how much it covers. That line runs to the person who directs every department in City Hall, though.
Why the Council Sent It to Voters Now
Camas has taken up this question before. The council looked at it in 2002 and again in 2018. After a citizen committee studied it in 2018, the council chose not to move a resolution forward. According to OPB, February will be the first time Camas voters decide the question themselves.
What changed this time is turnover in the mayor's office. This year Mayor Steve Hogan convened an advisory committee, which pointed to five mayors in the 15 years from 2011 to 2026, including two resignations. OPB reported that before Hogan's election in 2023, the office had seen three mayors in three years. Hogan told the council in August that he doesn't plan to run again when his first term ends. The committee also argued that a growing city with more complex administration needs continuity and professional management. OPB noted the city's projection that Camas's population will grow by nearly 40% over the next two decades.
The committee wasn't unanimous. Its majority recommended a council-manager system with an elected mayor. One minority report preferred an appointed mayor, and another favored keeping the current mayor-and-administrator structure.
The council split too. In August it directed the city attorney to draft a ballot resolution. At that meeting, Councilor John Nohr told colleagues, "We are one election away from chaos, always," as OPB reported. Some residents pushed back at the same meeting. OPB quoted one who called the change "a handing over of power from…elected officials to hired officials." On October 5, 2026, the council approved Resolution No. 26-014 by a 4-3 vote, on a motion from Council Member John Svilarich. The council put the measure on the ballot by resolution, one of the two routes state law allows. The other is a voter petition.
The February Date Is Really About the 2027 Mayor's Race
When the vote happens matters as much as what it decides. The city's FAQ says February 2027 was chosen because it comes before candidate filing opens in April 2027. That way anyone thinking about running for mayor knows which system they would serve under. It also means the change would take effect at the natural end of the current mayor's term, not partway through it.
That gives the next mayoral campaign two very different possible jobs. If voters say no, candidates run for the city's chief executive, the person in charge of every department. If voters say yes, candidates run for a council seat that carries the mayor's title and the city's ceremonial duties, while a hired manager runs daily operations. Resolution 26-014 sets January 1, 2028 as the effective date if the measure passes.
State law covers the handoff. Under RCW 35A.06, officers serve out their terms after a reorganization, and when a mayor-council city adopts a council-manager plan, "the mayor shall serve as a councilmember for the remainder of his or her term." The city says current officials keep serving through the transition, so there is no stretch where nobody is in charge.
On cost, the city says putting the measure on the ballot cost money, but the two forms of government cost about the same to run. A council-manager city would pay a city manager instead of a full-time elected mayor and a city administrator, and city staff describe the administrator and manager salaries as comparable.
A Yes and a No Don't Last the Same Length of Time
The city's FAQ says that if Camas adopts the new system, state law requires the city to operate under it for at least six years before voters can hold another election to change it. If voters keep the current system, there's no waiting period, and the question could go on another ballot later.
Put that next to the timeline. A yes in February takes effect January 1, 2028, and by the city's description would stay in place at least six years from there. A no leaves things as they are and leaves the door open. The city ran into this question in 2002 and again in 2018, so a no wouldn't necessarily end it. A yes would settle it for at least six years.
The Calendar Between Now and the Count
Clark County lists the measure as City of Camas Resolution No. 26-014, Proposition No. 6. The city's resolution calls it Proposition No. 1, so look for No. 6 on the county ballot. Here are the dates that matter:
- January 22, 2027: Ballots are mailed by this date, and should arrive by January 28.
- February 2, 2027: From this date on, you can only register to vote and get a ballot for this election in person.
- February 9, 2027: Special election day.
- April 2027: Candidate filing opens, with the form of government already decided.
- January 1, 2028: The change takes effect, if voters approve it.
The county's February 9, 2027 Special Election page has the resolution text and the voters' pamphlet. The city's side-by-side comparison and FAQ are on Engage Camas. The full state law is in RCW 35A.06. This post is general information about the measure, not legal advice, and those official pages are the place to check the details.
At Joy Johnson, we follow Camas news like this because it affects the city our clients call home, whichever way the vote goes. If you're curious what your own Camas home is worth these days, it only takes a minute to get your instant home valuation.
