Agenda - Charter Commission - 07/10/1997

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-5- Hanover Building, 480 Cedar Street, St. Paul, MN'~ 55101, can be of some assistance both directly and in suggesting the names of charter experts as well as in furnishing the commission with anumber of pertinent memorandums. The charter commission will usually find i~ helpful to have a membe~ of the League's professional staff attend an early meeting of the commission to talk about forms of government, drafting progedure, and major policy ..... problems. Most new charter commissions have taken advantage of this service, though occasionally distance and staff commitments may make such a visit impossible. The League does .not itself render charter drafting service, but it will give general advice without cost to the charter commission of any League member, and its counsel will examine and criticize any charter draft, also without charge. Almost all proposed charters have been sent to the League for this kind of review of comment. Other agencies which can be of service include the National Municipal League, a citizens' organization for State and local government improvement, whose address is 47 East 68th Street, New York City, 10021, which has drafted 'a model city charter of its' own, and also publishes A Guide for Charter Commissions, and the International. City Management Association, 1140 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036, which has many bulletins and reports on subjects of possible concern to charter commissions. Almost all charter commissions have found that it expedited its work to start with the National Municipal League or the League of Minnesota Municipalities model charter. The League model is designed especially for Minnesota cities and contains comments and sample provisions on policy alternatives in addition to the main charter itself. Subject to the dollar limitations mentioned above, a charter commission may employ an attorney and other personnel to assist it in drafting a charter. Second meeting. Standing committees. The secon6 meeting of the charter comm~ ssion should come within two weeks. An early start is necessary and members should become accustomed to frequent meetings. At this session the first important items of business should be the adoption of rules of procedure and the making of arrangements for future meetings. Following these matters, the commission should hear the report of the committee~on general plans and purposes, and should if~possible, reach an agreement upon its general plan of procedure. Unless this is done at the outset, much valuable time will be wasted. Ass~m~ng that i~ is decided to draft an entirely new charter, the writer would suggest au immediate division of the commission into five committees, somewhat as follows: 1. On general provisions, the plan of government, the council, and legislation. 2. On nominations, elections, initiative, referendum and recall. On administration, taxation, and finance. 4. On local improvements, special assessments, and eminent domain. 5. On franchises, public utilities, and miscellaneous matters. Third meeting. General plan of government. At the next (third) meeting of the charter commission, the first committee named immediately above should present its report in favor of one or another general plan of goverr._ment for the city. Is there to be a commission plan, or a mayor and a council, or a council and a manager? What other elective officers are there to be provided? Are there to be any boards? These and other leading questions require an early tentative solution. The preliminary agreement on these fundamentals need not be final and binding, but it should at least temporarily form the basis from which to proceed. In any case, this general subject shou!~ be