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ROBERT A. ALSOP <br />BRUCE M. BATTERS¢)N <br />RONALD H. BATTY <br />STEPHEN J. BUBUL <br />JOHN B. Dg~tq <br />DANIEL J. GREENSWEIG <br />DAVID J. KENNEDY <br />CHARLES L. LEFEVERE <br />.]OtiN M. LEFEVRE..IR. <br />ROBERT J. LINDALL <br />ROBERT C. LONG <br />JAMES M. STIIOMMEN <br />C(}RRINE Il. THOMSON <br /> <br />April 15, 1996 <br /> <br />KENNEDY & GRAVEN <br /> CHARTERED <br /> <br />470 Pillsbury Center, Minneapoli~ Minnesota 55402 <br /> (612) 337-9300 <br /> <br />Facsimile f612) 337-9310 <br /> <br />WRITER'S DIRECT DIAL <br /> <br /> 337-9211 <br /> <br />JAMES J. THOMSON <br />LARRY M. WERTHEIM <br />BONNIE L. WILKINS <br />JOE Y. YANG <br /> <br />DAVID L. GRAVEN (1929-1991) <br /> <br /> OF COUNSEL <br />ROBERT C. CARLSON <br />ROBERT L. DAVIDSON <br />WELLINGTON H. LAW <br />FLOYD B. OLSON <br />CURTIS A. PEARSON <br />T. JAY SALMEN <br /> <br />Mr. William K. Goodrich <br />Randall, Dahn & Goodrich <br />2140 Fourth Avenue North <br />Anoka, MN 55303 <br /> <br />Dear Mr. Goodrich: <br /> <br /> On April 11, 1996, at our meeting you raised a number of follow up questions <br />to my opinion on a proposed charter amendment relating to sewer and water <br />improvements. Your questions concerned procedures under Chapter 410 of <br />Minnesota Statutes. I am not surprised that issues would arise, since Section 410.12 <br />is somewhat confusing. Perhaps this letter will shed some light on how to deal with <br />amendments to the charter. <br /> <br />By way of background you should note that Section 410.12 contains, at <br />different places, five ways to originate amendments. <br /> <br />The charter commission has discretion at any time to propose <br />amendments. See Subd. 1 and Op. Arty Gen. 58-C, May 12, <br />19~4. <br /> <br />When an appropriate petition is filed with the charter commission, <br />the charter commissioner must propose the amendment. Common <br />limitations include the insufficiency of the petition, and cases <br />where the proposal is manifestly unconstitutional. See our <br />previous opinion and Subd. 1. <br /> <br />The city council may propose charter amendments. When it does <br />so under Subd. 5, the ordinance amending the charter must be <br />submitted to the charter commission for review. The commission <br />has sixty days (it may extend the time) to accept or reject the <br />amendment, or it may offer a substitute. The commission then <br />notifies the city council of the action it has taken. Thereupon, <br />the council "may submit" th~ amendment to the people-(as <br />provided in Subd. 4) as it was originally proposed by the council <br />or the substitute amendment proposed by the commission. <br /> <br />o <br /> <br />The charter commission can recommend an amendment by <br />proposed ordinance which can be adopted, without an election, <br />by unanimous affirmative vote of all of the council members. You <br /> <br /> <br />