On August 28, 2024, at 3:00 PM, the Mayor and Board of Aldermen held a workshop to continue discussion of proposed charter revisions. The meeting was broadcast on Channel 99. The only agenda item was a continued review of charter amendments, with staff presenting several resolutions and ordinances. The board discussed a comprehensive resolution (A) and subsequent resolutions (B through G), as well as ordinances to move planning commission, personnel board, and zoning board of appeals out of the charter. Key decisions included setting a March 15, 2025 deadline for a compensation commission report, agreeing to separate contentious items into individual votes on September 19, 2024, and reaching majority positions on several structural changes.
Good afternoon and welcome to the mayor and board of alderman business meeting workshop for the 28th of August. We begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge the flag of the United States of America for which it's names. Invisible liberty and justice. We have minutes to approve August 14th, 2024. Move for approval. Second. Motion by Alderman McZemCh, second by Alderwoman Ash. All those in favor. That is 4-0 with Alderman McShane not present. Only item on our workshop agenda today is continued discussion of proposed charter revisions. I will turn this over to my chief of staff and the city attorney. Good afternoon, Mayor Board Guy and Sam's Chief of Staff to the Mayor. I just want to start by saying apparently I wear this tie when we talk about the charter review, because it's what I wore last time. And so I'll hand it over to you, Rachel. Thank you. Pretty much most days, yes. Okay. All right. I was just gonna launch right in here unless there's anything you want to talk about before we get started. Um you've got what I keep calling the big resolution is the first thing. Resolution A in front of you. I decided to go with letters because we've got enough numbers going on, and I didn't want to confuse things further. So as you can see, this is essentially the whole charter with some changes and comments and questions. So I'm just gonna get started, and I guess stop me if you want to stop me. Um just on the first page, very important here. The charter review committee recommended that the name of our municipal corporation here be the city of Frederick without the capital T. So I've made that change in Article 1, Section One. Well, actually take some getting used to, but that's that moving right along on page two. Excuse me. Does the city have an corporation document? Not the way a tr of traditional corporation does. Is the charter the document that incorporates us, or is there something else? I would say the charter. There is some information in SDAT. Uh I don't know if you can tell whether the T is capitalized there or not, but we can check that good question. I don't think I would really consider that a change of name, so I don't think it'll create any issues. I was thinking more along the lines of consistency. Does that mean we we have to change the water tower? Probably not. No, it's no. Okay. On page two. Article two, the Board of Alderman. There's been a consensus to change the name of the legislative body in accordance with Charter Review Committee recommendation two, uh, to be known as the city council, and for members to be known as members. We tossed around some other terms. Um, but that's what's reflected in this resolution. So we've got a city council made up of um currently five members. Um these comments I'm just pointing out some of the information about other recommendations on which there has not necessarily been a consensus at this point. So um here in the comments, I'm just pointing out that if you do decide to go with uh a seven-member body with some number of those being elected from districts and some at large that these sections will have to be changed, but that's not reflected in this document because um there's not been consensus on that yet.