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Home rule charters
<br /> The city of Virglnia has a new home
<br />rule charter, which voters approved oil
<br />November 2. It makes the mayor a voting
<br />member of the council, as well as tile
<br />presiding officer at council meetings, h
<br />increases the mayor's term to four years,
<br />beginning ~cith the 1996 election, h
<br />elintinates the mayor's veto power. The
<br />new charter also Mil reduce the size of
<br />the cin' council from seven m six over the
<br />next few vears. Under the new charter,
<br />only the cin,'s public utilities commission
<br />and hospital commission retain any
<br />independent authorin.', yet the council
<br />may override comnfission decisions. The
<br />ctmrter contains prox4sions for initiative,
<br />referendum, and recall.
<br /> New Prague voters rejected a proposed
<br />new home rule charter for the city, which
<br />would have replaced the charter which
<br />has been in effiect. The new charter
<br />proposed mm4ng the city's election date
<br />from November of odd years to Novem-
<br />ber of even years, h would have also
<br />eliminated the ci~"s ward system. A
<br />controversial feature of the proposed
<br />charter was the elimination of prm4sions
<br />to establish a utilities commission. The
<br />amendment would have allowed the
<br />council to recreate the commission by
<br />resolution. The charter which is in el%ct
<br />gives the ufilin, commission total control
<br />over its operations, although the council
<br />appoints its members.
<br /> On St. Patti's election ballot in
<br />November was a charter amendment,
<br />which voters approved, that eliminates a
<br />requirement that the city publish all
<br />council resolutions. Instead, council
<br />minutes Mil mention by rifle eyeD, such
<br />resolution that passes, and make the full
<br />copy of the resolution ax~lable at the city
<br />clerk's office. The cit)' Mil continue to
<br />publish all ordinances in full.
<br /> Five charter amendments were on the
<br />ballot in Minneapolis this November.
<br />The three that passed transfer the power
<br />to appoint and supervise the planning
<br />director from the ciu, coordinator to the
<br />
<br />mavor and city council, set at five the
<br />minimum size of the mayor's appointed
<br />staff and allow the cin' council to set the
<br />maximum size, and provide for staggered
<br />terms for council members. Voters
<br />rejected two proposals, to expand the
<br />cml sen'ice conmfission fi-om three to
<br />five members, and to expand the
<br />planning commission from nine to up to
<br />15 members and include library board
<br />representation.
<br />
<br />Statutory city
<br />government
<br /> Voters itl Marble have turned down a
<br />proposal to chauge from the Standard
<br />Plan to the Plan A form of statutoU' ci~'
<br />government. The proposal lost by 192
<br />votes, Mth only 38 residenk~ voting for it.
<br />Because of the outcome, voters will
<br />continue to elect their city clerk and
<br />treasurer, and the clerk will continue to
<br />sen,e as a voting member of the ci~'
<br />council.
<br /> The Sharer city council has increased
<br />the mayor's term to four years.
<br />
<br />Buildings ~
<br /> In a special election in Preston,
<br />residents said no to a $615,000 general
<br />obligation bond issue to remodel,
<br />renmme, and expand the cia.' hall
<br />facilities.
<br /> In Cottage Grove, voters rejected an
<br />S8 million bond issue for expanding and
<br />upgrading public works facilities,
<br />financing a portion of the costs for a new
<br />ci~' halt, remodeling the old city hall for
<br />use by the police deparm~ent, replacing
<br />m'o fire stations and building a new
<br />station, and developing an 80-acre youth
<br />sports complex and improving other
<br />recreational facilities.
<br />
<br />Liquor
<br />
<br />In a special election in Barnesville, a
<br />proposal for Sunday liquor sales passed. ..
<br />Voters turned down Sunday liquor in
<br />Lyle.
<br />In another liquor election, Cook
<br />residents rejected a split liquor proposal
<br />which would have allowed the cit~' to issue
<br />on-sale liquor licenses while continuing a
<br />municipal liquor operation.
<br />
<br />Libraries
<br /> Voters in Buffalo have approved a
<br />$980,000 bond isstle for an expansion
<br />and improvement pro. ject at the city
<br />libram
<br />
<br />Finance
<br /> Ramsey has announced that ifs
<br />general obligation bond rating increased
<br />from A to A-1. The rating was done in
<br />conjunction Mth the sale of $2.L25 million
<br />in general obligation tax increment
<br />refimding bonds.
<br />
<br />Airports
<br /> The Metropolitan Airports Commis-
<br />sion (MAC) has accepted a $12 million
<br />grant from the Federal Aviation Adminis-
<br />tration to begin bu.~4ng out some 400
<br />homes in Richfield. 5£4.C is prm4ding
<br />another $3 million for the venture, which
<br />has come about mainly because of
<br />problems caused by noise. Similar
<br />buyouts have apparently taken place in
<br />Bloomington and Mendota Heights, but
<br />the Richfield undertaking is the most
<br />extensive to date.
<br /> The Mankato ci~' council has endorsed
<br />the creation of a regional tax authori~' to
<br />run the municipal airport, and plans to
<br />seek special legislation to create a seven-
<br />member regional airport commission
<br />Mth independent taxing powers to fund
<br />and operate the facility. Under the
<br />proposal, commission members would
<br />represent the counties of Blue Earth,
<br />Nicollet, and Le Sueur and the cities of
<br />North Mankato, St. Peter, and Mankato.
<br />The current financing arrangement has
<br />Mankato pa54ng for most of the annual
<br />$200,000 operating costs, with North
<br />Mankato and Blue Earth Count),, each
<br />contributing $10,000.
<br />
<br />Health
<br /> Effective November 1, the medical
<br />clinic in Mountain Lake came under the
<br />operation and management of the Sioux
<br />Vatlev Sen4ce Corporation, a dMsion of
<br />Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls,
<br />South Dakota. The city and the manage-
<br />ment group have agreed to a renewable
<br />five-year ]ease of the clinic facili~, and
<br />equipment. The arrangement appears to
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