Unanimously Adopt Resolution to Amend Charter
Voters in Rockville’s November 2023 election will have the opportunity to vote for seven members of the city’s elected body, following a unanimous vote Monday by the Mayor and Council on a resolution to add two seats to the council.
The Mayor and Council adopted a resolution that will amend the city’s charter to increase the number of elected councilmembers from four to six, one of the recommendations to come from a review of Rockville’s charter by the Charter Review Commission.
The amendment will formally become part of the city charter on the 50th day following the Feb. 6 vote, unless a petition signed by 20% or more registered Rockville voters is presented to the Mayor and Council by day 40. (The petition must meet requirements prescribed in Article V, Section 2 of the charter.)
The city’s Charter Review Commission has made several recommendations that could change the city’s voting age, the size of the Mayor and Council, and other elements of city elections.
Other CRC recommendations include lowering the voting age from 18 to 16, permitting city residents who are not United States citizens to vote, setting term limits, creating representative districts, creating an administrative process to fill a vacancy on the council, changing election years to coincide with presidential or gubernatorial elections, and implementing ranked-choice voting.
The Mayor and Council could consider additional recommendations to include as ballot questions for voters in the 2023 municipal election in November.
See Monday’s meeting at www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter by clicking the TV icon next to the Feb. 6 meeting.