Council Passes Changes to the Charter

The Saratoga Springs City Council has passed several changes to the Saratoga Springs City Charter — the governing document of the city. 

The changes were recommended by the Charter Review Commission which has held meetings since May 15, 2025. Over 50 changes were recommended by the Commission, the majority of which were approved by City Council. 

The changes touched upon 15 titles and appendixes in the City Charter. During the meeting over a dozen people spoke about the proposed changes to the charter, with opinion split on whether the changes should move forward. 

The proposed changes were recommended by the Commission in a report issued in December 2025 and encompassed changes that could be approved by City Council rather than a referendum.

Several members of the public said the changes were made without public knowledge and the changes should go to a referendum. In response, members of City Council and the Charter Review Commission pointed out that the meetings of the Commission were all held under New York’s open meeting laws and several public hearings on the matter were held. In addition, it was noted that City Council had discussed the changes in every pre-agenda meeting since the Commission released its initial report in December. 

Seven changes proposed by the Charter Review Commission were rejected by City Council and two were revised by the Council. One of the rejected changes was a controversial provision which would have changed language around Saratoga Spring’s number of supervisors. While the number of supervisors is determined by the county based on population, Title 2.1 of the charter had language setting the number of supervisors at two. 

The proposed change would have changed the language from “Two Supervisors” to “One or more Supervisors, as may be established by County Law.” This change caused fierce debate over whether the change in language would lead Saratoga Springs to lose representation on the County Board of Supervisors. 

Supporters of the change argued that since the number of supervisors is determined by county law, it doesn’t matter what the charter says and that the changing language would reflect that. Opponents of the change argued that the change in language would open the door for the County to reduce representation of Saratoga Springs. 

Ultimately, these concerns lead City Council to reject the change, according to Mayor John Safford. 

Another change that was removed was a provision that would have changed how vacancies City Council were handled as it was determined that the change would potentially require a referendum.

Among the changes that did pass included updates to reflect name changes of city government bodies — such as the Design review Board, updates to the assessment process to bring it in line with state law, and an updated timeline for the city’s budget process. 

The changes to the charter were passed 3-1 with Commissioner of Public Works, BK Keramati, voting against the changes on the grounds that any changes to the charter should be brought before voters as a referendum.