The Baltimore County Council is poised to change its rules to make how it conducts business more transparent and less confusing.
Council members unanimously support the changes. No one from the public spoke for or against them at a council meeting Tuesday night.
The reforms are expected to pass at the council’s next meeting on March 4.
“One of the hardest things to do in state, local and I would venture to say in federal government is to change the way things have been done,” said County Council Chair Izzy Patoka.
The reforms are being proposed by Democratic Councilman Pat Young who asked the public to “keep us honest with the new rules.”
Council meetings have at times turned ugly with council members filing last minute amendments to bills that neither other members of the council nor the public have seen.
Young’s reform legislation would require all proposed amendments be posted online by 10:00 AM on the day of the final vote, unless a super majority, at least five of the seven council members, agree to waive that rule.
Any amendment that is going to be debated by the County Council at one of its non-voting work sessions has to be on the Council’s website at least two hours before the meeting begins.
Another proposed change involves public hearings.
Currently, the public gets one opportunity to testify about a piece of legislation. Under Young’s reforms, residents would get two chances.
There are other reforms as well, including making terms in the council’s rules gender-neutral. “Councilman” and “Chairman" are out. “Council member” and “Chair” are in.
Young said they are also tightening up the rules regarding virtual meetings which came about during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said the rules need to be “on paper” for future virtual meetings that may be called in the case of an emergency like severe weather.
Young has said he got to thinking about what county council transparency should look like after last year’s confusing debate over banning single use plastic bags.
During the plastic bag debate, council members struggled with a flurry of last minute amendments.
At one point, then Council Chairman Julian Jones needed a redo.
“In all of this confusion I would definitely like to change my vote,” Jones said at the time. “We may have to do this again.”
