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Jeff Karlson July 16. 2014 Page 4 over general laws, the more recent and more specific election laws require application of section 205.84. State law places sole control over ward boundaries with the City Council. The proposed amendment. on the other hand, requires that the Charter Commission draw ward boundaries in the City. As a result, the proposed amendment is in conflict with Minnesota law. II. The Proposed Amendment's Timing Provision Conflicts with State Law. Minnesota Election Law provides a window of time during which ward boundaries must be redrawn. This timing requirement is referenced in section 205.84. subdivision 2. and is applicable to charter cities. as discussed above. The proposed amendment conflicts with those statutory requirements. "[W]ards must be redistricted within 60 days after the legislature has been redistricted or at least 19 weeks before the state primary election in the year ending in two, whichever is first." Minn. Stat. § 204B.135, subd. 1. "[A] city that elects its council members by wards may not redistrict those wards before the legislature has been redistricted." Minn. Stat. § 204B.135, subd. 1. Legislative boundaries must be determined no "later than 25 weeks before the state primary election in the year ending in two." Minn. Stat. § 204B.14, subd. la. By statute, the state primary is "held on the second Tuesday in August in each even -numbered year." Minn. Stat. § 204D.03, subd. 1. By operation of these statutes, ward boundaries must he redrawn by the first week of April in a year ending in two. The proposed Charter amendment requires that the Commission file the ward boundaries "no later than the first Tuesday in June prior to the first City election after the Federal decennial census." If the City elections are on odd -numbered years. as they are currently, the proposed Charter amendment will require that the ward boundaries be filed far earlier than the legislative boundaries, which is expressly prohibited. Even if the City moved to elections on even -numbered years, statute would require the ward boundaries to be determined over two months earlier than the proposed Charter amendment would require. Consequently, the proposed Charter amendment conflicts with the state timing requirements.