Charter Review Commission
The City of Franklin Charter requires that Council appoint a Charter Review Committee every five years to review and recommend updates to the City’s Charter. In keeping with this Charter requirement, the City Council appointed a Charter Review Committee in 2021. The Committee members were Rodney Roberts, Sonny Lewis, Dionne Swift, Mikayla McClanahan, Terasa Crocker and David Hopper.
As a result of the Charter Review Committee’s recommendation, Council passed Ordinance 2022-20 on July 18, 2022 to submit for consideration by the City’s electors certain amendments to the City Charter. City Council offers for consideration the following Charter amendments on the November 8, 2022 election ballot (the full text of the amendments is available HERE):
Issue 12. Shall Section 3.02 of the City of Franklin Charter be amended to comply with Ohio’s ethics laws requiring current Council votes to increase Councilmember compensation to apply only to future Councilmember terms?
This change would prohibit Council members from increasing their salary without being re-elected before the increase took place.
Issue 13. Shall Section 3.06 of the City of Franklin Charter be amended such that, if Council membership ever drops below four, the remaining members would be required to appoint new member(s) within 30 days to increase Council membership to at least four?
This change would require Council to fill a vacancy so that the City is able to conduct business when a vote of 4 members of Council is required to pass legislation.
Issue 14. Shall Section 7.01 of the City of Franklin Charter be amended to eliminate certain highly technical duties of the Planning Commission, with such duties subsequently being performed by paid City staff and presented to Planning Commission and Council for final review and approval?
This change would transmit technical duties to qualified staff instead of asking the volunteer citizen board to coordinate studies, surveys, etc.
Issue 15. Shall Section 11.10 of the City of Franklin Charter be amended to eliminate the City’s unique Councilmember recall procedures (the Ohio Revised Code’s removal procedures would apply instead)?
This change would align Council member removal procedures to that of the Ohio Revised Code.
Issue 16. Shall various sections of the City of Franklin Charter be amended to make non-substantive, typographical corrections and to make certain terms used in the City Charter and Codified Ordinances consistent (“City Clerk” to now be called “Clerk of Council,” “Manager” to now be called “City Manager,” “Department of Service” to now be called “Public Works Department,” and “Board of Zoning, Building and Housing Appeals” to now be called “Board of Zoning Appeals”)?
This change would provide clarity and consistency throughout the Charter without any substantive changes
Voters accepted all recommendations during the May 2022 election. The revised charter amendments became effective June 1, 2022.
2016 Charter Review
The 2016 Charter Review Commission's work was completed in 2017 following council's adoption of all recommendations. Subsequently, voters accepted all recommendations during the November 2017 election. The revised charter amendments became effective January 1, 2018.
All meetings are held at the City’s Municipal Building, 1 Benjamin Franklin Way.