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Baltimore council launches charter review committee, sets May 1 target for 2026 ballot items
Summary
A special committee convened to review the Baltimore City Charter outlined a broad list of structural, procedural and financial topics and set public listening sessions and an internal goal to complete priority work by May 1, 2026 to meet state ballot deadlines.
The Baltimore City Charter Review Special Committee held its inaugural meeting Oct. 29, outlining a wide-ranging review of the city charter and a timeline intended to permit priority amendments to appear on the Nov. 2026 ballot.
Committee Chair Ryan Dorsey, a councilmember representing the 3rd District, told attendees the committee will "scrub every section of the charter" and engage in citywide listening sessions so residents can "meaningfully engage" on proposed changes. Dorsey said the committee aims to finish an initial series of work before May 2026 so that legislation can be submitted for the November 2026 ballot, while work on other items could continue toward 2028.
Council President Zeke Cohen said the charter is "the people's document" and urged the committee to modernize it so "it is efficient, and it works for the people that we serve." Nina Thumbless, director of government relations for Mayor Brandon Scott, confirmed the administration is reviewing items submitted through the city administrator's office and expects to bring proposals forward.
Committee members and agency representatives reviewed a preliminary list of topics grouped into structural, procedural and financial categories. The list included proposals to change the membership of the Board of Estimates and the Board of Finance, create parking benefits districts and other non‑lapsing funds, reform the Department of Legislative Reference, alter redistricting processes, update veto and budget timing rules, and consider procurement and audit reforms.
Aaron de Grafenwright, general counsel to the City Council, told the committee that state law and Board of Elections deadlines shape the schedule for placing charter amendments on the ballot. De Grafenwright recommended a practical internal deadline of May 1, 2026 so the law department and the city can meet the July 31, 2026 transmittal date the board of elections requires.
The committee asked staff to analyze workload and drafting capacity, and stressed that many charter changes would have downstream effects in the city code, procurement rules and agency regulations. The committee invited public submissions at charter.review.committee@baltimorecity.gov and announced its next hearing for Nov. 19; future meetings will include listening sessions across the city.
