Lexington charter-review amendment is headed to the November 3 ballot

Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council has adopted an ordinance sending a proposed amendment to Section 14.04 of the local governing charter to the Nov. 3, 2026, general-election ballot.

The ordinance directs the Council Clerk to transmit a certified copy to the Fayette County Clerk for placement on the ballot. The proposal is not yet part of the charter: Fayette County voters will decide whether to approve it in November.

What the proposed amendment would do

If voters approve the measure, the Urban County Council would be authorized to establish a Charter Revision Commission of at least 20 citizens. The proposal also calls for a Charter Review Assembly to be held at least once every eight years, beginning in 2027.

The proposed assembly would have at least 24 representatives selected under procedures using a representative lottery. The ordinance’s proposed language also describes public-engagement procedures for the assembly.

The amendment would additionally create a permanent Charter Review Board. The board would serve in an advisory role under the proposed charter framework.

A recurring review process

The measure would establish recurring public processes for examining Lexington-Fayette’s charter and developing recommendations for possible changes. The charter is the document that sets the local government’s governing structure and rules.

Under the proposal, the Charter Revision Commission, the periodic Charter Review Assembly and the standing Charter Review Board would be distinct components of that review system. The ordinance authorizes the commission, requires the assembly on an eight-year cycle starting in 2027 and establishes the board as a continuing advisory body.

The proposal does not mean the assembly is currently operating. Its required cycle would begin in 2027 only if the amendment is approved by voters. Likewise, the source materials do not establish that implementing procedures for the representative lottery have been adopted.

What happens next

The immediate next step is the Nov. 3, 2026, general election, when Fayette County voters will consider the proposed charter amendment. The available ordinance materials direct ballot placement but do not show an ordinance number or the council’s final vote tally.

The approved packet also does not establish whether final ballot language has since been finalized by the Fayette County Clerk. The council acted on the charter ordinance on June 9, 2026, the same meeting in which it separately gave final approval to the FY2027 budget.