Agenda - Council - 10/25/1983 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I I I I I I I I Audience Comment - With regards to Boards and Commissions - The Commission should select 4 or 5 comissions that are important to the City and write those specifically in the Charter. Commission membership should be limited to Ramsey residents. Chairman Heitman - There are businessman operating in Ramsey that do not reside in Ramsey and through the taxes they pay they are entitled to a voice in our City. With regards to specifying Boards and Commission, why fix for the City what it can do for itself? Commissioner Data - Ramsey is a young City and as it grows there will be a lot of needs for various Boards and Commissions and to write all those specifically in the Charter would not be a good idea. Audience Comment - Not recommending the writing in of all commissions, but rather 4 or 5 general areas. Audience Comment - A charter establishing commissions could result in all commission members expecting to be paid for their service. Audience Comment - Leave some doors open, don't get too specific so the City has some ability to move around and adjust to it's needs. Audience Comment - Would like to see at least a Parks and a Planning Commission established, hate to see Council have the capability of avoiding necessary commissions. Commissioner Sieber suggested that the Charter could require that all boards and commissions be established by Ordinance, thereby making them subject to initiative and referendum. Commissioner Gamec pointed out that there is an ordinance already requiring the establishing of a Parks Commission and a Planning Commission. Audience Comment - Powers that are delegated to the City should be specifically mentioned~if they are not in the U.S. Constitution and not leave this flexibility to Council. The State actually does not have the power and yet they are telling individual citizens what they Can do. Chairman Heitman - Charter or not, we cannot secede from the State. Comissioner Sieber - Any power we may have and had as been given to us by the State of Minnesota. A home rule charter gives more control to the individual cities than the State chose to expressly give to the cities. Audience Comment - There are 104 charter cities and 704 statutory cities in Minnesota, why? Chairman Heitman - There are more charter cities developing every day. Audience Comnent - There are more charter cities than statutory cities in the metro area. Commissioner Seiber - To be a statutory city is relatively easy, small cities don't feel it is worth the effort to go with a charter. Commissioner Sieber turned the discussion to Chapter 3 of the proposed charter and pointed out that resolutions are administrative action and ordinances CC/September 28, 1983 Pub)lc Hearing