In January 2022, Council is set to convene two commissions, as required by the City Charter, to review the City Charter itself, and address elected official pay.
On January 10th, Columbus City Council and Mayor Andrew J. Ginther will seat a Charter Review Commission, per the requirements of the Columbus City Charter that require a commission be seated in 2022, and once every ten years thereafter, for the purpose of reviewing the Charter and making recommendations for potential revisions.
“The Charter is Columbus’ constitution,” said Council President Shannon G. Hardin. “The Charter Review Commission has an incredibly important job, to take a hard look at the rules governing the City and make sure they align with our values today. I look forward to this group’s critical work.”
The Columbus City Charter, originally adopted by voters in 1914, outlines the fundamental rights, powers and responsibilities of the citizens and their elected municipal officials. The Columbus City Charter was last amended in 2020 to create the Civilian Review Board and the Office of the Inspector General. Before that, in 2018, the Charter was amended to create a hybrid format of district representation for Council (the CRDC process conducted this year) and in 2014, which resulted in several reforms to initiate ordinances, petitions, campaign finance, and ethics.
The Charter review will be comprehensive and open to the public, culminating in recommendations to Council and the Mayor that may include specific amendment language, suggestions to improve, clarify or modernize the Charter, or recommendations to further research sections that require additional consideration or deliberation. Any recommendations made by the Charter Review Commission to amend the Charter will require a vote of Council and the approval of Columbus voters.
Last convened in 2018, the Citizens’ Commission on Elected Official Compensation reviews and recommends the salary for each elective officer of the city, increasing citizen engagement and accountability in the process of setting future pay rates for elected officials in Columbus. This process is mandated by the City Charter to occur every four years, and this commission will be made up of residents of Columbus and seated in January.
The process to appoint members of both commissions is now open, and residents can find information on applying for the Charter Review Commission here, and the Citizens’ Commission on Elected Official Compensation here.
Each commission will comprise five residents, two appointed by each Council and the Mayor with the final jointly appointed by both, who will serve as the Chair. Applications are available now for both Commissions and they will be accepted until January 3, 2022.
