Minutes - Charter Commission - 09/23/1999

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the Charter Commission reviewed the requirement of precinct liaison meetings. Council made the request because of the lack of citizen attendance at past meetings of this type. Because of the opportunity for citizen input at every Council meeting, it was felt that these liaison meetings were unnecessary. No public input was received at the hearing and the ordinance was introduced with a 5/0 vote by Council. Council, with a 5/0 vote, then adopted Ordinance #93-09 repealing the requirement of precinct liaison meetings between the City Council and Ramsey residents on Tuesday, June 8, 1993. Up to the point in time when this ordinance was adopted, Council was appointed to a precinct. When Council adopted their organization resolution on January 4, 1994, all of the Council was listed as serving at-large. The Charter still reads that Councilmembers shall act as liaisons for certain precincts. It appears it was an oversight to not delete this section at the same time as 3.2.3 relating to the liaison meetings was deleted. Chairperson Peterson questioned if it interferes with the ward process. City Attorney Goodrich provided an explanation. Motion by Commissioner Donovan, seconded by Commissioner Vogt, to recommend that City Council schedule a public hearing to introduce an ordinance to amend Chapter 3, Section 3.2 of the Home Rule City Charter. Motion Carried. Voting Yes: Chairperson Peterson, Commissioners Donovan, Vogt, Keifer, and Spain-Brist. Voting No: None. Absent: Anderson, Marn, Netzloff, and Swokowski. Commissioner Anderson arrived at 8:00 p.m. Case #2: Ward System Proposal City Administrator Norman stated that the Charter Commission had active discussions about changing the current at-large Council election system to a ward system during their meetings in 1993 and 1994. A survey was presented to the Charter Commission at the December 1993 meeting, with a 71.9% favorable consensus in favor of some election mechanism other than the current at-large system. The topic has been revisited in the last two Commission agendas. The Charter Commission agreed to consider the ward system as part of its next agenda. He explained that he was directed to discuss the matter with colleagues of ward system cities and report his conversation to the Commission. The City Manager of Brooklyn Park stated that it is more who the candidates are rather then where they live. The results are varied when all is said and done. He stated that with the ward system it is true that the costs are less and are more focused efforts, but when it comes to specific policy decision when it involves specific improvements there can be tenancy to divide up the goods. When there is an at large system that can also happen if they all come fi'om a certain area. Another positive to the ward system is the perception of the public. Coon Rapids Jerry Splinter, stated that the at large elements outweigh the ward system of the Council. He has not noticed a difference in the type of candidate. He recommend not getting into the situation like Maple Grove with so many candidates running causing complete confusion to the residents. Charter Commission/September 23, 1999 Page 3 of 7