It's hard to make generalizations about what a charter does because you don't know until you see it in writing. |
Most commonly, in terms of relationship between the county and the city, you'll see the charter delegates power to the county to set minimal standards in a limited number of policy areas, like environmental protection, that the cities could not opt out of … adult entertainment, setting a level of service standards on county roads. |
Whether or not it's a pro or con depends upon who you are. |