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Updating Requirements for Publication of the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis
For the purpose of removing outdated provisions of the City’s Charter; rewriting requirements for compiling and publishing the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis; allowing for publishing paper or electronic versions of the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis; and generally related to the codification of charter amendments and ordinances.
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City Council of the
City of Annapolis
Charter Amendment 1-26
Introduced by: Mayor Littmann
Co-sponsored by:
Referred to: Rules and City Government Committee
A CHARTER AMENDMENT concerning
Updating Requirements for Publication of the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis
FOR the purpose of removing outdated provisions of the City’s Charter; rewriting requirements for compiling and publishing the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis; allowing for publishing paper or electronic versions of the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis; and generally related to the codification of charter amendments and ordinances.
BY repealing and reenacting with amendments the following portions of the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis, 2026 Edition: Article IX, Section 6 of The Charter
WHEREAS, The City of Annapolis Charter, as the foundational governing document of the municipal corporation, establishes the framework for transparent and accountable local government; and
WHEREAS, Traditional methods of charter maintenance and publication, which rely on periodic printed editions and static documentation, do not adequately serve the needs of residents, businesses, and city officials who require timely access to current charter provisions and ordinances; and
WHEREAS, Modern digital platforms, which the City uses for charter amendment and ordinance codification, provide continuous, real-time updates to municipal codes and charters, ensuring that the public has immediate access to the most current and accurate legal framework governing the City; and
WHEREAS, Modernizing the City’s Charter’s publication requirements to explicitly recognize digital platforms as official repositories of the City’s legal framework represents a necessary evolution in municipal governance that serves the best interests of all Annapolis residents and stakeholders.
SECTION I: BE IT ESTABLISHED AND ORDAINED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that the City Charter of the City of Annapolis shall be amended to read as follows:
THE CHARTER
Article IX - Miscellaneous Provisions
Section 6. Codification of ordinances.
(a) The city council shall provide for the codification or recodification of the ordinances of the city no less than once every ten (10) years, in permanently bound or looseleaf form.
(b) Any such codification or recodification may be adopted by reference by a single ordinance, without further publication of such codification or recodification or any portions thereof. The ordinance adopting such codification or recodification shall comply with all laws of Maryland and any provision of this Charter as to adoption of ordinances.
(c) Supplements for any such codification or recodification shall be prepared no less than annually at the direction of the city council, either as a unit or on a replacement page basis; provided, that where replacement pages are prepared, a distinguishing mark or notation shall be placed on each replacement page to distinguish it from original pages and pages of other supplements. No further adoption procedure shall be required for a supplement in which no substantive change is made in ordinances validly adopted by the city council. If changes, alterations, amendments, deletions or additions of a substantive nature are made in any such supplement, then such supplement shall be adopted by the city council in the same manner provided in this section for the adoption of codifications and recodifications.
(d) At least one (1) copy of any codification or recodification adopted hereunder and at least one (1) copy of every supplement thereto shall be kept in the office of law and shall be available for inspection during normal business hours.
Section 6. Publication of the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis
(a) Codification of Charter Amendments and Ordinances.
1) An "Ordinance" shall mean a legislative enactment of general applicability with continuing force and effect as law within the City of Annapolis.
2) Any charter amendment or ordinance for codification or recodification must comply with all Maryland laws and any provisions of this Charter regarding the adoption of charter amendments or ordinances.
3) Such charter amendments and ordinances shall be compiled to form the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis.
(b) Publication Requirements.
1) The exact text of any amendment or amendments to the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis adopted shall thereafter be included in any subsequent edition or codification of the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis, until altered, modified, or repealed by a subsequent amendment or amendments to the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis.
2) The City Clerk, in conjunction with the Office of Law, shall be responsible for the preparation and publication of all changes to the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis.
3) Any publication update shall include:
i. All charter amendments and ordinances that are currently in effect; and
ii. All charter amendments and ordinances that have been enacted or amended since the last publication of the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis.
SECTION II: BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that pursuant to Local Government Article § 4-304(a)(2) of the Annotated Code of Maryland:
1. The City Council conducted a public hearing on the proposed charter amendment on [Date].
2. Notice of the public hearing regarding the proposed charter amendment was published on [Date], providing residents of the City of Annapolis with at least 21 days' advance notice.
SECTION III: AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that the City Clerk shall, in accordance with Local Government Article § 4-304(b) of the Maryland Code as Annotated:
1. Post an exact copy of the charter amendment at City Hall for 40 days following the adoption of this Charter Amendment;
2. Publish a fair summary of the proposed amendment in a newspaper with general circulation at least four times, at weekly intervals, within 40 days after the Charter Amendment is adopted; and
3. Maintain proof that the requirements were carried out and provide the information required by the Maryland Department of Legislative Services.
SECTION IV: BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that this Charter Amendment will take effect 50 days after its adoption unless a petition for a referendum on the proposed amendment is submitted to the City Council in accordance with Local Government Article § 4-304(c) of the Maryland Code as Annotated.