Overview
Baltimore City Council uses Legistar as its official legislative information system. Legistar is a web‑based platform that allows the Council to:
- Draft, track, and manage legislation (ordinances, resolutions, and other legislative documents) from introduction through adoption. Every bill is assigned a unique Legistar number. It is linked to its full text, staff reports, committee referrals, amendments, and voting history
- Publish agendas, minutes, and hearing schedules in real-time. Committees and full‑Council meetings post their forthcoming agendas so that public members can review background materials and submit testimony ahead of public hearings.
- Provide transparency and public access. Residents, journalists, and stakeholders can search by keyword, sponsor, date, or Legistar number to follow any legislation. This open‑data approach helps ensure accountability and enables civic engagement by making it easy to see who sponsored a bill, what amendments were proposed, and how each Councilmember voted.
By centralizing all legislative documents, actions, and schedules, Legistar streamlines the Council’s workflow—reducing paper handling, minimizing administrative errors, and keeping both Councilmembers and the public informed throughout the policymaking process.