Agenda - Charter Commission - 02/20/1997

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Letter to Judge Meyer February 20, 1997 Page 2 of 3 At the April meeting, the Charter Commission interviewed Susan E. Anderson to fill the vacant position on the Commission. City staff member, Administrative Services Manager Waite Smith, presented the Commission with a report on survey questions asked bf the City's commissions. The questions related to terms, interviewing processes, duties, etc. Charter discussed a petition for a proposed Charter amendment, from a group called the Ramsey Residents for Responsible Government. The proposed amendment related to not having to hook up to City sewer and water when it was made available, providing the resident was on a working well and/or septic system, plus that this amendment would be retroactive to January 1, 1996. The Charter Commission voted to propose a more middle- ground amendment allowing an extension to the time the resident would have to hook up and that nothing would be retroactive. Both questions would be placed on a ballot for a special election. The Charter received a summarization of what happened when their ordinance to lengthen the Mayor's term went to Council. Council did not take action on it, therefore, the Charter Commission asked to have the issue returned to them to decide if the question should be put on the ballot at the general election. When the Commission met in July, they reviewed the recent Charter amendment process. The amendment proposed by the Ramsey Residents for Responsible Government was the one voted in at the special election along with the retroactive question. Charter revisited the Mayor's term question and voted to submit the proposal to lengthen the term commencing with election year 2000 for the general ballot on November 1996. (The vote in November was in favor of lengthening the tenn.) The Charter Commission met in October and reviewed Chapter 3 of the City Charter as it pertains to Council roll call voting on ordinances. Action was tabled to the next meeting to allow further investigation into what specifically the State Statutes say relating to this. The Commission's role regarding the Mayor's term question on the ballot was discussed. The Commission accepted the resignation of Judy Roff. Her employment hours changed, thus she was unable to attend any evening meetings. The Commission directed that a survey that was sent out to Mayor/Council candidates a couple years ago be updated and sent out to the current candidates soon after the election. (Such survey was updated and sent out. The Charter will be reviewing those survey results at their February 1997 meeting.) The following people are presently serving on the Charter Commission: Chairperson Bernard Steffen, Susan E. Anderson, Dennis Donovan, Keith Kiefer, Judy Marn, Richard Netzloff, Virginia Spain-Brist and Jay Swokowski. There is one vacant seat due to the resignation of Judy Roff. Filling this vacancy is currently in process.