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Mr. Jeff Karlson <br />August 1, 2012 <br />Page 5 <br />Second, the phrase indicating that one of the Commission's duties is "informing residents of <br />the meaning or impact of the proposed Charter amendments" is an unlawful expansion of the duties of <br />the Commission. As discussed in Michael Dougherty's 2009 memorandum to the City, the <br />Commission does not have authority to produce and distribute educational materials. <br />Cities and school districts have implied authority to create factual materials for dissemination <br />to the public, but that authority is derived from express statutory responsibilities to manage and control <br />public property, public employees, or public business. Abrahamson v. St. Louis County School <br />District, 802 N.W.2d 393, 402-3 (Minn. App. 2011). The Charter Commission does not have similar <br />responsibilities, so no authority for informing the public can be implied. See November 4, 2005 letter <br />from the State Auditor to Eagan City Administrator Thomas L. Hedges (Outlining State Auditor's <br />position that Eagan Charter Commission "lacked authority to produce and distribute even an <br />educational flyer."). Indeed, the Charter itself indicates that it the City Council's role to inform the <br />public. Charter § 12.12. The proposed amendment language for Section 1.04 is inconsistent with the <br />Commission's limited statutory authority. <br />Turning to the language of the proposed Section 1.05, the requirement that 141 proposed <br />amendments to the Charter and corresponding ballot questions shall be submitted to the Charter <br />Commission for review" is an unconstitutional expansion of power. The Charter Commission has no <br />authority to review a Charter amendment proposed by petition of City voters. Minn. Stat. § 410.12, <br />subd. 1; see also Op. Atty. Gen. 58c (July 5, 1968) ("where the proposed charter amendment is made <br />by a petition of the voters, the charter commission has no power to inquire into the validity of the <br />petition itself and shall propose the amendment"). The legislature disallowed such review when a <br />citizen petition is involved. Likewise, the Commission lacks statutory authority to draft and review <br />the ballot question related to a proposed Charter amendment. By statute, the Council is expressly <br />vested with the authority to draft such ballot questions. Minn. Stat. § 410.12, subd. 4. The <br />Commission cannot seek to amend the Charter in a manner that flatly contradicts state law. <br />The second half of the proposed Section 1.05 regarding the use of public money to inform <br />voters -is also an attempt to instill the Charter Commission with authority not granted by the <br />legislature. As discussed above, the Commission cannot seek to grant itself authority to create <br />informational materials. Such an expansion of power would be_unconstitutional. Likewise, the <br />Commission- cannot acquire the authority to insist that the City provide "equal funds and <br />opportunities" for such purposes. <br />The City's obligation to provide funds to the Commission is outlined in Minnesota Statutes <br />section 410.06. This obligation is essentially limited to providing reasonable and necessary funding <br />for (1) the employment of an attorney or other person to assist with the process of framing or revising <br />the Charter, (2) the cost to print the Charter or a revision, or (3) certain administrative expenses <br />incurred for the purpose of framing or amending the Charter, such as a reasonable and necessary room <br />rental fee. Minn. Stat. § 410.06. Nothing in this statute deals with funding informational campaigns. <br />Moreover, the City's obligation to provide funding is capped at $1,500 per year unless the City <br />Council elects to authorize additional funding on its own initiative. Id. <br />