Baltimore County voters on Tuesday were ready to expand the County Council, protect the inspector general from political interference and impose some guardrails on how long members can serve on the county’s influential planning board.

With three-quarters of precincts reporting on Election Day, voters favored the council expansion measure by a 3-2 margin and the superintendent at-large ballot measure by a 4-1 margin. All other ballot measures received at least 70% of the vote.

Approval of these ballot measures could change the ways the district operates, with the possibility of more ballot measures as well. diversity new political boundaries for the all-male, nearly all-white council and the county’s more than 800,000 residents.

One of the most important measures taken in the vote was to increase the number of members of the council from seven to nine. There is now only one black person on the council: Julian Jones. Only five women He has served on the council since the government body created it in 1956. The council has never included a representative from the Latino, Asian, Nepali or Arab American communities, all of whom are growing constituencies in the district.

With the approval of Question A, nine council seats will be elected in the 2026 election. The council still needs end maps for new districts and council members promised a public process For this. The measure also means Baltimore County taxpayers will pay $1.4 million more for the two new members, plus millions more for office space, renovations and salary and service increases. retirement deductions. Even so, these increases are only a fraction of a percent of the district’s budget.

Question B, which establishes the Office of Inspector General in the county charter, also passed easily. The measure emerged several years ago as Jones and County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. sought to restrict the current inspector general’s powers and their investigations uncovered evidence of wrongdoing that ensnared a former county official.

After the public reaction to the initiatives Curbing the power of Inspector General Kelly Madigan, Olszewski convened a commission to discuss the issue. He suggested codifying the position in the contract, which is considered industry best practice. madigan persistently He demanded that voters support the measure so he could have unrestricted (sometimes privileged) access to information and conduct thorough investigations.

Question C; This means that no member Baltimore County Planning Board serving more than three terms, it turned out because council members He believed some board members were taking advantage of their positions to rezone properties not in their district. Anyone can request that a property be rezoned through the comprehensive process that takes place every four years, but council members generally control that process, and some Planning Board members do not meet with the council to make sure their requests fit into the overall plan. for the region.

Council members appoint half of the board of directors, and the district administrator appoints the other half. Olszewski’s representatives tended to favor development, and some had been on the board for several terms when he reappointed them. The council will now have to approve all members, not just the president and vice president.

Other ballot initiatives were primarily about borrowing money. Question D would allow $5 million to be borrowed for garbage disposal projects to help protect the environment. modernization of landfills.

Question E would authorize the county community college to borrow up to $18.5 million for modernization and expansion. Question F involves $55.4 million in borrowings for public works projects, including but not limited to streets and highways, bridges and stormwater drainage systems. Question G focuses on borrowing $8 million for the creation and purchase of the park.

Question H would allow the district to borrow $331.1 million to construct, modernize and purchase buildings for schools. Baltimore County redrawn borders multiple times welcoming new students And reduce overcrowding, and parents frustrated about having to move from schools where their children grew up comfortably.

Voters were also prepared to approve $6 million to keep farms under conservation easements and protect Baltimore County’s rural character and water resources (Question I); $4 million for streetscape improvements (Question J); $20 million for stormwater and waterway improvements (Question K); and $130.5 million for public operational buildings that include libraries, nursing homes, police stations and prisons.