04-13-2000 Charter Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Charter Commission April 13, 2000 Page 5 Commissioner Zych stated things in the first draft bother him and should be included in City ordinances, not in the Charter. Chair Sullivan asked if the Commission would like to continue with the process. MOTION by Commissioner Bening, seconded by Commissioner DeMotts, to continue to work with the League of Cities in developing,through the Commission's questions, an appropriate chapter. Commissioner Carlson asked if the Commission is considering a rewrite and correction of typos. Chair Sullivan advised the Commission is considering a rewrite, formatting, and language change. Some words have been changed in the first draft. The next step is to obtain answers to questions for the second draft. A final recommendation will then be made and the Charter will determine if it should move forward. Commissioner Trehus stated some suggestions made could change the meaning of the document. He stated the first draft is not any more readable than the original. He stated he sees no value in a rewrite. The Charter works well as it is. Commissioner Gene Lane stated he agrees and is not in favor of changing the document. He is not in favor of changing whole sentences. Smaller words such as "the" can be changed. He stated he would vote against continuing the process. Commissioner Rafferty inquired about additional fees if the process continues. Chair Sullivan indicated there will be no more fees. He read a note from the attorney regarding money for services rendered. Commissioner Dahl inquired about the age of the Charter. Commissioner Carlson commented the Charter was written in 1983. Council Member Dahl stated the attorney has advised he can not guarantee that there would not be any meaning change. It is up to the Commission to ensure the meaning in the document does not change. She stated she does not believe the document should be changed. It has stood the test of time and it has been proven to work on several occasions. She stated she believes the Commission is side stepping the residents by working with the City Council. She advised the City Clerk has indicated it is the job of the City Attorney, City Administrator, and the City Clerk to interpret the Charter for residents. The City Clerk also indicated she could put together an easier to read summary of the Charter for residents. Commissioner Dahl stated she has never been in favor of the rewrite. She noted a lot of time and effort was put into writing the original document. 5