HOWARD COUNTY, MARYLAND

CHARTER AMENDMENTS

Question A:
PUBLIC ACCESS TO COUNTY RECORDS

Amending the Howard County Charter to provide that any person has the right to inspect, in accordance with the Maryland Public Information Act, records that are in the possession of any board, commission, office or department of the County, and that copies of those records will be furnished upon payment of a reasonable fee set by the County Council. The effect of this amendment is to expand access to County records to all persons, provide greater protection for sensitive personal information, provide an appeal process for denial of access to records, and insure that disclosure to County records is governed by State law.

	For*	Against
	116,291	23,041
% of Total	83.5%	16.5%

Question B:
GRANT FUNDS

Amending the Howard County Charter to provide that unexpended appropriations to grants funds in the County budget at the end of the fiscal year do not revert or lapse to the County Treasury, but instead carry over to the next fiscal year.

	For*	Against
	118,143	18,394
% of Total	86.5%	13.5%

Question C:
Referendum Signatures - Minimum Required

Amending the Howard County Charter to require that petitions to refer a County law to the voters of the County have at least a number of signatures that is equal to 5% of the number of votes cast in the County for Governor in the last preceding gubernatorial election. This would replace the current requirement that petitions have a number of signatures equal to 5% of the County’s registered voters, with a minimum of 1,500 signatures required and a maximum of 5,000 signatures required.

	For*	Against
	97,514	35,855
% of Total	73.1%	26.9%

Question D:
Notices & Advertisements Also to be Provided Electronically

Amending the Howard County Charter to require that certain notices and advertisements be published electronically, in addition to the existing publication requirements for such notices and advertisements. These notices and advertisements are: the County Council Journal; the title of each bill before the Council and the time and place of the public hearing thereon; the revised title of any bill before the Council that has been substantively amended and the time and place of the public hearing thereon; the title of each enacted bill; a copy of each emergency bill and the time and place of the public hearing thereon; and each County ordinance, resolution, rule, regulation, and Charter amendment.

	For*	Against
	122,788	12,080
% of Total	91.0%	9.0%

Question E:
TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS

Amending the Howard County Charter to make technical corrections. These corrections are: removing an obsolete factor (occupation) from the list of factors to be considered when revising County Council districts; correcting a citation to Maryland law regarding the County Board of Appeals; consolidating duplicate definitions of budget-related terms into one section; correcting a typographical error regarding the merit system for County employees; and removing two references to the Metropolitan Commission because the Commission no longer exists.

	For*	Against
	121,413	11,139
% of Total	91.6%	8.4%