READING, Pa. – Reading City Council voted at the start of its meeting Monday night to amend its voting agenda and remove 13 proposed ordinances which would have amended the city’s charter if approved by voters in November.
Last week at its Committee of the Whole meeting, council and the administration expressed frustration at the Charter Review Commission for referendum questions being put forth for the November general election.
Councilmembers were critical of the number of questions being put to the voters, and some questioned whether some of the amendments are unconstitutional and would trigger legal action.
At the Committee of the Whole meeting prior to the regular voting meeting Monday night, council solicitor Michael Gombar asked council to retire to a closed-door executive session to discuss the ordinances, as he said they could be subject to potential litigation.
Last week, council learned that it would be mandatory for it to vote to advance the referendum questions to the voters in the general election.
The proposed questions for referendums include whether the city home rule charter should be amended to:
Create a department of public health.
Merge the board of ethics with the charter board.
Prevent a city councilmember from serving as voting members of any municipal authority.
Limit the term of the city clerk to five years and prevent the individual in the position from holding any office or position in a political party.
Limit the terms of the members of authorities, boards or commissioners to serving no more than three consecutive terms.
Prevent a city employee from serving as a voting member of an authority, board or commission.
Include a statement about equal and inclusive treatment.
Prevent taxes, fines or other amounts owed to the city from disqualifying an individual from appointments to authorities, board, or commissions when satisfactory payment arrangements have been made.
Direct the city auditor to conduct independent forensic audits of all city departments, boards and authorities during each mayoral term.
Provide orientation for new appointees on boards, authorities or commissions.
Establish a right for freedom from toxic trespass.
Include a preamble with a statement about the preservation and protection of natural resources and the rights of people to clean air, pure water and the preservation of natural resources.
State that the mayor shall appoint one chief of police, subject to City Council approval.
Councilmember Melissa Ventura made the motion to remove the proposed ordinances from the agenda due to the failure of the Charter Review Commission to issue a timely report within six months of appointment, as required by the charter.
Gombar said the vote would permanently remove the proposed ordinances.
The 11-member Charter Review Commission, comprised of members appointed by the mayor and council, was seated in August 2025 with a task of issuing a final report within six months to recommend potential ballot amendments.
Voters in Reading could see referendum questions that ask whether a number of changes should be made to the city’s home rule charter.
Because the amendment recommendations were submitted after the six-month deadline, Gombar said the charter relieves City Council and the mayor from the requirement to approve the referendum ordinances,
Councilmember Raymond E. Baker noted that council’s action was an example of the Charter Review Commission failing to follow its own rules as laid out in the charter.
“There are deadlines,” Baker said. “There are rules and laws that must be followed in the same way that every member of council who runs for office or the mayor himself must meet the requirements.”
“The failure of this commission to follow its own guidelines and rules,” Baker said, “is a failure of the Charter Review Commission and its chair alone, not — in my opinion — of City Council or the mayor’s office.”
During public comment prior to the vote to remove the ordinances, Pastor Evelyn Morrison, the chair of the Charter Review Commission, told councilmembers that their frustrations were inappropriate.
“In the third week, we invited every single councilperson to our meeting so that they would be able to share and give us their input,” Morrison said. “However, no one from council came except the auditor. So, all of you that are having conversations and frustrations, I think it’s inappropriate because you had an opportunity to refer for your constituents, but you choose not to.”
“I hope it’s not a ploy to stop what’s happening for November,” she added. “You guys are to agree to push it out to the board of elections and posthaste.”
Morrison said she understood that the deadline to get questions on the November ballot is July 14.