March 10 Cuyahoga Falls City Council meeting
Covered by Documenter Cameron Nelson (see his notes here)
Cuyahoga Falls City Council recently approved the appointment of a seven-person Charter Review Commission at its March 10 meeting.
As a charter city like Akron, Cuyahoga Falls adheres to its city charter.
In Summit County, all 14 cities and four of its eight villages — Mogadore, Northfield, Richfield and Silver Lake — have a city charter. Across Ohio, just more than 25% of the state’s 921 cities and villages are chartered, according to data from the Ohio Secretary of State’s office,
What is a city charter?
A city charter is a legal document that lays out how a city is organized and its functions. A charter is essentially the city’s constitution.
Anything included in a city charter must not conflict with state or federal laws.
In Ohio, city charters are one way that municipalities can choose to organize themselves. A city or village can choose to be a statutory city, which simply follows state laws.
Can a city charter be changed or updated?
Yes, city charters can be amended by eligible voters. Ohio law allows two ways that a charter amendment can be put on the ballot:
- The municipality’s legislative body can approve it by a two-thirds vote.
- 10% of the city or village’s voters bring forth a proposed amendment by signing a petition.
City charters are often reviewed on a regular basis. Many city charters include a clause that mandates establishing a charter review commission every few years to fully review the charter and recommend changes.
Charter review commissions are groups of volunteers appointed to review the city charter regularly. The commission reviews the entire city charter and can recommend changes.
For example, Cuyahoga Falls reviews its charter every five years. The city recently approved its seven-person commission, which must review the charter during public meetings and offer any amendments to City Council by Aug. 1 this year.
City Council will then need to approve any of these amendments with a two-thirds vote. Once approved, those amendments will go on the ballot in the next election for voters to decide if they will be adopted into the charter.
Suggested Reading
What does it mean to live in a charter city?
Charter cities can have an advantage over a statutory city because they allow a city or village a great deal of autonomy in how the municipality is organized and the procedures it follows, from the form of government (mayor-council, council-manager, commission, etc.) to its tax and debt powers.
Voters can impose additional restrictions on the local government’s powers. As previously mentioned, city charters in Ohio also allow eligible voters to bring an amendment to the ballot.
The most recent city charter amendment petition in Akron sought to allow external candidates to be considered for chief and deputy chief positions in the city’s fire and police departments. The petition failed in September 2024, falling 675 signatures short of the required 4,862 valid signatures of registered Akron voters to make it on the ballot.
Overall, city charters tend to be more responsive to local needs and strengthen the democratic process.
For more information:
- City of Akron charter amendments
- Municipal charters in Ohio
- Cities 101: Forms of local government
- Article XVIII – Ohio Constitution: Municipal Corporations
Read Documenter Cameron Nelson’s notes here: