Renew Baltimore, the group seeking to dramatically lower the city’s property tax rate through the charter amendment process, filed a lawsuit in Baltimore Circuit Court asking a judge to keep their initiative on voters’ ballots this fall.

The complaint, filed Friday, comes after Baltimore City Board of Elections Director Armstead Jones determined last week the proposed ballot initiative is in violation of state law and would be removed from the ballot. Jones cited a Maryland high court case from 1990 which found that citizens could impose caps on tax rate increases but could not set a tax rate through the ballot initiative process.

Under the Renew Baltimore amendment, the city’s property tax rate would have to decrease for seven consecutive years until it is at nearly half of its current level, ultimately imposing a maximum tax rate of 1.2%.

In its complaint, attorneys for Renew Baltimore, citing the same case that Jones did, argued the law does actually allow for their initiative because it is in essence a cap — in theory, the city could cut taxes below the prescribed yearly maximums.

Economists and former elected officials backing Renew Baltimore have argued their proposal would help to reverse decades of population decline and jump-start the city’s economy, making the city more attractive for investors and would-be home owners.

But in City Hall, the proposal has stirred fears of cratering finances. A report released by the city Finance Department forecast that within a decade the measure would result in an annual structural deficit of nearly $900 million. Mayor Brandon Scott predicted last month that the proposal would bankrupt the city.

Renew Baltimore’s attorneys are asking the court to rule expeditiously; the general election, when the city’s residents could be expected to vote up or down on the proposal, is Nov. 5.

Petitioners behind the proposal submitted over 23,000 signatures — far more than the 10,000 signatures needed to appear on the November ballot.