04/06/2005 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION APRIL 6, 2005 APPROVED • 1 2 3 CITY OF LINO LAKES 4 MINUTES 5 6 7 8 DATE : April 6, 2005 9 TIME STARTED : 5:35 p.m. 10 TIME ENDED : 12:40 a.m. 11 MEMBERS PRESENT : Councilmember Carlson, Dahl 12 Reinert, Stoltz and Mayor Bergeson 13 MEMBERS ABSENT : None 14 15 Staff members present: City Administrator, Gordon Heitke; Community Development 16 Director, Michael Grochala; City Engineer, Jim Studenski; City Planner, Jeff Smyser; 17 Finance Director, Al Rolek; Environmental Specialist, Marty Asleson (part); Economic 18 Development Coordinator, Mary Divine (part); and City Attorney, Bill Hawkins (part). 19 20 21 CHARTER CITIES WORKSHOP — LMC STAFF ATTORNEY 22 23 City Administrator Heitke advised Ms. Rylee Retzer, Staff Attorney, League of • 24 Minnesota Cities, is present this evening to provide information regarding charter cities. 25 26 Ms. Retzer advised Minnesota's two basic types of cities are home rule charter cities 27 (operating under a local charter) and statutory cities (operating under the statutory city 28 code. The major difference between home rule charter cities and statutory cities in 29 Minnesota is the kind of enabling legislation from which they gain their authority. 30 Statutory cities obtain and derive their powers from Chapter 412 of Minnesota Statutes. 31 Home rule charter cities obtain their powers from a home rule charter. The distinction 32 between home rule cities and statutory cities is one of organization and powers, and is not 33 based on differences in population, size, location or any other physical feature. 34 35 Ms. Retzer stated home rule charter cities could exercise any powers in their locally - 36 adopted charters as long as they do not conflict with state laws. Conversely, charter 37 provisions can specifically restrict the powers of a city. Consequently, voters in home 38 rule cities have more control over their city's powers. 39 40 Ms. Retzer advised home rule charters are, in effect, local constitutions. State laws give 41 cities a wide range of discretion in the contents of a charter when one is adopted. The 42 charter may provide for any form of municipal government, as long as it is consistent 43 with state laws that apply uniformly to all cities in Minnesota. 44 45 Ms. Retzer reviewed the advantages as well as the disadvantages of a home rule charter. 46 The essentials of a home rule charter include having a Model City Charter. A charter is a 47 basic form of government. 48