Minutes - Charter Commission - 12/18/2024

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simple as possible and stay in line with state statute requirements, the ordinance would reference the statute. Chairperson Field stated that he would find it helpful to see the statute before incorporating that reference. Commissioner Rusert asked if the emergency meeting should fall under a subset of 3.1. to be encompassed under special meetings. Commissioner Moore agreed that would make sense. Chairperson Field noted the different notice requirements for special and emergency meetings and therefore did not believe they should fall under the same paragraph. He continued to ask if this language would grant the authority for the Council to call an emergency meeting. City Administrator Hagen reviewed the language. Chairperson Field provided suggested language that he believed would grant the authority and refer to the statute. He stated that even if state statute provides that authority, it should still be specified in the Charter as well. Commissioner Jumah wondered if they were rushing this. Chairperson Field identified other issues that he had with this proposed amendment including the use of "immediate jeopardy" and whether that is defined, the definition of citizen in regard to public comment, and the reasonable restrictions that could be placed upon public comment. City Administrator Hagen replied that this language is being carried over from the existing language. He provided more detailed information on the public input process and the typical limitation of three to five minutes for public input. City Attorney Knaak stated that the City is able to manage the meeting, which includes public input. He explained that these restrictions ensure that the information provided is not repetitive. He stated that members of the public are provided with an opportunity to speak about something not on the agenda, but reasonable time limits are placed on that as well in order to manage the meeting. Chairperson Field stated that for the benefit of the public, it might be helpful for the public to have that information ahead of time, as to what the restrictions may be. City Administrator Hagen commented that the Council does not always choose to enact the three - minute time limit, providing an example of a sewer backup that impacted six properties. He noted that at that meeting, over 90 minutes was spent discussing that issue. He noted that there are also seven members of the Council, and they often govern each other and speak up if they believe someone should be given more time to speak. Charter Commission/ December 18, 2024 Page 4 of 8