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Julie Bartell *u 6/ma vi 'esstdo k loi From: ant: Subject: MICHAEL TREHUS [mtreehugger @msn.com] Monday, September 08, 2008 3:57 PM Julie Bartell; Carol Danielson; Gordon Heitke; Michael Grochala; Michael Grochala cdah122231@aol.com ballot wording, please deliver to city council Dear Honorable Mayor Bergeson and the Lino Lakes City Council, I regret that I am unable to attend either tonight's Council work session or meeting. In lieu of that I offer the following for your consideration. It is not my intent to be inflammatory, however, I do seek to be candid about how the wrong choice in the ballot wording might look to voters across the city. If my wording seem passionate, and I'm sure you can understand that residents will be passionate about most of the actions the city council takes on this matter. I feel it is best that you are aware of other perspectives, and I urge you to give the following fair and thorough consideration. I have read the three proposed options question pertaining to the proposal to initiated by the petition turned in by I am confused as to how there can be 3 accurately the matter to be voted on. for the wording of the ballot amend the city charter, that was residents of West Shadow Lake Drive. options, yet none of them conveys Is it the intent of the city council to confuse the electorate at the time of the election in order to increase the chances that the proposal passes? If so, then it appears that the three options reflect that intent. However, if the intent is to accurately represent what is at stake, then the �liot question must clearly state that our residents are being asked to andon the protections that have been afforded to them under the charter nce 1982. Anything less would be a disservice to the community that many residents, once made aware, would find questionable. Drafting and selecting appropriate wording should be a relatively simple task for both public servants and high -paid, specializing attorneys, and to that end I suggest that the following appear on the ballot: "The City of Lino Lakes has received a citizen petition to eliminate all provisions in Chapter 8 of the City Charter, which have been in place since 1982, and instead transfer these powers and rights to the City Council. This would mean that residents who would be required to pay assessment costs to the City for projects including road reconstruction, city sewer, city water, street lights, sidewalks, etc. will no longer be allowed to reject such projects. This further means that Lino Lakes voters will no longer be able to limit city expenditures that affect their property taxes for these projects, because the current right to a public referendum on these projects would also be removed. "Shall the right that a majority of affected property owners may reject special assessments by the City Council against their property be removed from the City Charter, and shall the right of the voters to limit City spending of property tax monies on these projects through a public referendum also be removed from the City Charter? Yes No" •yor and Concil, I thank you for your consideration! Best regards, Mike Trehus Concerned Citizen 1