When Baltimore County’s governing charter was first written nearly 70 years ago, each county council member represented about 50,000 residents. Today, it’s closer to 125,000. And more worrisome is the current council’s rather lopsided demographic. All seven members are men. Just one, Councilman Julian E. Jones, Jr., is African American; the rest are white. Given Baltimore County’s diversity — 54% white, 29.6% Black, 6% Asian and so on — the need for a larger and more diverse council is clear. Maryland counties of similar size have certainly gone that route. Montgomery and Prince George’s counties have 11-member councils. Why not Baltimore County?

Many folks living in Baltimore County agree, but here’s the catch. The Baltimore County Council has approved a charter amendment to add two board members.

A nonprofit group, Vote4More!, has launched a petition asking voters to approve four. Given that Monday is their deadline to submit signatures (and they’ve already turned in slightly more than the 10,000 needed to put it on the November ballot), it seems likely that Baltimore County voters will face a choice: Vote for a charter amendment to add two, vote for a charter amendment to add four or reject them, leaving the council at the same size it’s been since it was first contemplated in 1955.

But wait, it’s not quite that simple. If you expand the council, where do you draw the district lines? The legislation approved by the council sets them; the voter initiative leaves it to the more traditional process with greater public input.

Oh, and did anyone mention the Baltimore County Board of Education? They’ve been drawn into this, too. The council’s bill would also give itself a greater say in school board appointments, replacing two of the four members appointed by the governor with their picks.

And here’s the final kicker if the heads of Baltimore County voters aren’t spinning already: What happens if both proposals appear on the ballot and voters (perhaps in a state of confusion) approve both? Which one becomes law?

In theory, the courts could decide that the charter amendment with the most votes comes out on top (assuming there isn’t a tie, which is unlikely), but legal experts say that idea has never been put to the test.

Just to make matters stranger, keep in mind that this whole debate about increasing the size of Baltimore County’s legislative body comes as Baltimore City voters are being asked to downsize their council.

Under an amendment petitioned to referendum by People for Elected Accountability and Civic Engagement, a group funded by David Smith, executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group and co-owner of The Baltimore Sun, the city would reduce its council membership from 14 to 8. Interestingly, should that proposal win over voters, that would still leave the city with a ratio of one council member per 73,000 residents compared to one per 94,000 if a 9-member council is approved in the county or one per 77,000 if it’s expanded to an 11-member council.

Our prediction? A heated debate lies ahead. Many Baltimore County Republicans see the whole thing as a plot to give Democrats a bigger majority on the Baltimore County Council (they currently have only a 4-3 advantage in a county where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 309,297 to 137,378).

Others claim expanding the legislative branch is simply a waste of money. However, that lack of diversity should be seen as a serious shortcoming.

And giving voters a bigger say in how district lines are drawn is also a major selling point. It’s small wonder that Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones and other prominent Democrats are backing the Vote4More coalition plan. Whether it’s helpful to Democrats or not, it’s clearly the more democratic approach.

As for any cost associated with a council expansion, that’s chump change compared to the cost of inadequate representation.

You want power in the hands of the few or elected officials who are more in touch with their constituents? Keeping the status quo seems a good way to get more of the former and less of the latter.