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Cleveland Heights council agrees to forward charter-review work to law department, aims for November ballot
Summary
At a Feb. 22 special Committee of the Whole meeting, Cleveland Heights council members agreed by consensus to send the Charter Review Commission's recommendations to the city law department for drafting and to aim for voter consideration in November, with the law office starting with balance-of-power changes.
Cleveland Heights City Council met Feb. 22 in a special Committee of the Whole session and agreed by consensus to forward the Charter Review Commission's recommendations to the city law department for drafting, with an objective of placing any agreed changes on the November ballot.
The Charter Review Commission, nine appointed members that worked for roughly a year, compiled the redline materials council reviewed. Council members said they want the law department to begin work on the largest section first 9the balance-of-power items ("bucket 1") 9so the office can prepare clean ordinance language, with the goal of getting draft legislation in June and final ballot language to the Board of Elections in August.
The council chair framed the schedule at the meeting, noting the Commission's year of work and the council's next steps: council will make recommendations, the law department will translate those recommendations into draft legislation, and voters will decide any charter amendments in November. Councilmembers said the law department starting earlier on the largest section increases the chance of meeting the timeline.
Council members discussed procedure: council will develop consensus recommendations and the law department will prepare ordinance language for council review in summer 2025. Several members emphasized that some items in the redline package interact across sections and might require adjustments when the law department drafts formal text. Council agreed to complete its review next month and to hand the early work on bucket 1 to the law department so the law office can concentrate on it in April and May.
The meeting adjourned with council leadership planning one more meeting to finish remaining items next month and to issue a formal referral to the law department in the coming weeks.
Why this matters: Charter changes alter the city's governing document and, if approved by voters, become local law. Starting law-department drafting early is intended to meet state and local deadlines for ballot placement and to give the public clear text for review before the election.
