Agenda - Charter Commission - 11/16/2015 - 2014 Annual Report

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November 16, 2015 The Honorable John C. Hoffman Chief Judge Tenth Judicial District Washington County Government Center nd 14949 – 62 Street North Stillwater, MN 55082-3802 Re: City of Ramsey, Anoka County, Minnesota, Charter Commission Annual Report Dear Judge Hoffman: In accordance with Minnesota Statutes 410.05, the following is an annual report reflecting the activities of the City of Ramsey Charter Commission during the year 2014. Members of the Charter Commission for year 2014 were as follows: Mark Anderson, Susan E. Anderson, Jim Bendtsen, Benjamin Deemer, Joseph Field (Chair), John Niederhaus, Harry Niska (Vice-Chair), Chad Sivertson and Eric Zaetsch. The Charter Commission met on January 27, 2014, and reviewed a draft Council ordinance proposing an amendment to the City’s Charter, Chapter 7, the taxation chapter. This was continued discussion from 2013. The City Council and the Charter Commission had been exchanging proposals for an amendment to the City Charter that addresses franchise fees. Such fees were proposed by the Council as a means to fund a long-term road maintenance policy. The Charter Commission considered the Council’s proposed amendment language and then requested feedback on three options: (1) to proceed straight to the voters with the original amendment proposed by the Charter Commission; (2) the alternative City Council language, plus adding the Charter Commission amendment to go into effect at the end of the initial five-year term; or (3) the alternative City Council language, plus adding the Charter Commission amendment to go into effect at a point something less than five years. Those options were presented to the City Council , for discussion at a work session on February 112014. The Council discussed the Commission’s options at length and consensus was to address the Commission’s concerns about the use of franchise fees by requiring a Council supermajority to both enact and renew or extend a franchise fee ordinance. The Charter Commission expressed their main concern was that franchise fees should not be implemented to raise general revenue. The language suggested was that any franchise fees imposed under applicable state statutes must be limited to defraying increased municipal costs accruing as a result of utility operations and may not be used to raise general revenue.