Stow City commission votes to move charter submission deadline to July 1

The Stow City Charter Review Commission voted to recommend changing the charter’s Aug. 1 deadline for submitting charter-review recommendations to council, moving the effective target to July 1.

Commissioners said the change would give staff and council additional time to complete the required three readings and meet the board of elections’ 60-day filing deadline for ballots. The commission discussed a 60-day filing deadline this year that falls on Sept. 5 and noted that the regular council schedule includes only one August meeting, which could make the current timeline difficult to meet.

Commissioners proposed a June 1 internal target for the commission’s work; others suggested July 1 as a formal charter deadline to reduce the need for special council meetings. After discussion, a commissioner moved to change the charter date from Aug. 1 to July 1; the motion was seconded and the commission approved it on a voice vote. No roll-call votes were recorded in the transcript; staff recorded the motion for presentation at the next meeting.

The commission also asked staff to research the Board of Elections’ permissible earliest filing window (how far in advance amendments may be submitted) to determine whether multiple filings during the summer would be necessary. Staff said it would bring that information and the ordinance history to the next meeting for the commission to review.