Baltimore’s long running tug of war over City Hall power is about to get very real. The City Council is set to roll out a package of proposed charter amendments Monday that would trim several checks currently held by the mayor, give the council more say over the budget, and layer on new transparency and ethics rules. Sponsors say the goal is to rebalance the city’s strong mayor system while tightening protections for whistleblowers and financial disclosure.
What’s in the package
The proposals, filed jointly by Councilmembers Bill Henry, Ryan Dorsey, Leon F. Pinkett III and Kristerfer Burnett, reportedly include a formal mechanism to remove the mayor, a change to drop the number of votes needed to override a mayoral veto from 12 to 10, and revisions to the ordinance of estimates that would let the council move certain funds around inside the budget. The package also features bills to strengthen whistleblower protections, tighten financial disclosure rules, and overhaul the city ethics board, as reported by WMAR2 News. The council is scheduled to introduce the measures on Monday, according to…..