Welcome from the Home Rule Study Commission

The content below is provided by the Home Rule Study Commission, not the City of Lancaster or the Sorace Administration. Learn more about the Home Rule Study Commission at https://www.cityoflancasterpa.gov/home-rule/.

The Home Rule Study Commission is a group of nine city residents elected by you, our fellow citizens, to study and potentially improve the way our city government operates through a new Home Rule Charter.

While we are tasked with drafting a charter that would operate as Lancaster’s own “constitution.” Lancaster city voters will make the final decision on whether it is adopted at the Nov. 5 General Election.

Why are we taking these steps? The commission members voted to draft the charter for different reasons. Some wanted to improve public input through measures like a public referendum option. Others cited a need for more ethics considerations and a code of conduct for elected officials. Another objective is strengthening financial procedures like when and how the annual budget is developed. Finally, various members sought local control instead of state control of the city’s operations.

One of our charges during this process is to educate our community on Home Rule. We have gathered many resources for you on our web page on the city’s website. There is material on the process, information on the commissioners, background on why the City administration sought Home Rule, dates for upcoming meetings and events, links to press coverage. We anticipate being out in the community at events and giving presentations to engage in conversations about the process. Once a draft is completed, we will hold events to share the full draft and obtain feedback before finalizing.
We want you to participate in the process.

Our web page includes access to watch our meetings and a place to provide us with feedback. We also have two opportunities for public comment at all our commission meetings. In addition, the public is welcome to attend our subcommittee meetings, where we grapple with issues in a small group before discussing with the full commission.

Stay tuned for more updates as we move forward with the Home Rule Charter process!

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