01-09-1997 Charter Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Charter Commission January 9, 1997 Page 11 Dunn stated that there is a feeling within the City Council that the Charter Commission is not taking enough initiative to help the Council. It is this group's opinion that the Council is not helping the Charter Commission. He stated that a philosophical discussion is needed because issues become stalemated and nothing gets done. Turner suggested regular joint meetings to create a format for ongoing discussions of how both groups can understand and benefit each other in the future_ Chair Montain stated that if he worked to get elected to the Council, he would have specific ideas about what he would want to do. Councilmembers have been chosen to make decisions and do not need the Charter Commission to tell them what to do. MOTION by Turner to regularly schedule joint meetings with the City Council for better communication and understanding. Discussion: Chair Montain stated that joint meetings must have a specific purpose. The agenda for the February meeting is road reconstruction and a letter to the Council requesting the completed Five-Year Financial Plan by April 10, 1997. There was not second and the motion did not carry. Charter Commission - Past/Present(Future Chair Montain stated that the Charter Commission was created in January 12, 1982, when a group of residents felt that the City was not doing a good job of keeping them informed about assessments. At that time there were assessments for Lake Drive, and residents believed they were overcharged. The Charter document was a result of that discussion and has not changed significantly since that time. Meetings used to be held once per year, unless the City Council called a meeting for a Charter amendment. As recently as three years ago it was difficult to get Commission members to meet, and often there was not a quorum, even with 15 members. Bylaws were not adhered to. Since that time Ron Solfest has done an excellent job getting people to come to meetings and enforcing the bylaws. Turner suggested that each member draft a purpose or mission statement for the Charter Commission and bring it to the April meeting for further discussion.