Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-13-2011 Minutes' Charter Commission October 13, 2011 Page 1 CITY OF LINO LAKES CHARTER COMMISSION DATE: October 13, 2011 TIME STARTED: 6:39 P.M. TIME ENDED 9:35 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: Aldentaler, Bretoi, Carlson, Dahl, Lyden, Minar (arrives at 7:40 pm), Penn, Storberg, Sutherland, Trehus, Williams, Zastrow EXCUSED: Gunderson, Turcotte MEMBERS UNEXCUSED: Drennan STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: None OTHERS PRESENT: Dale Stoesz, Candidate for City Council; Ivy Cavegn, Candidate for Mayor of Lino Lakes CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chair Dahl called to order the meeting of the Lino Lakes Charter Commission at 6:39 pm October 13, 2011. SETTING THE AGENDA There were no additions of deletions OPEN MIC Dale Stoesz indicated he is a candidate for City Council and was attending the meeting of the Charter Commission as part of his process of self- education on city governance. Commissioners had a chance to question Mr. Stoesz regarding his knowledge of the work of the Commission. RECORDING OF THE MINUTES In the absence of the Secretary, Chair Dahl asked for a motion to have Commissioner Penn take the minutes until the end of the year. She indicated there were still several sets of minutes that were outstanding and that she has asked Commissioner Gunderson to complete all of them in as timely a manner as possible. MOTION by Commissioner Trehus, seconded by Commissioner Sutherland that Commissioner Penn take minutes only for this meeting. Motion passes unanimously. Chair Dahl expressed her concerns about getting the past minutes completed and indicated she had made numerous attempts to secure a commitment from Commissioner Gunderson on a completion date. MOTION by Commissioner Sutherland, seconded by Commissioner Lyden that Commissioner Lyden be asked to get all of Commissioner Gunderson's notes so that the Commission can make any necessary corrections to past minutes. Motion passes unanimously. Charter Commission October 13, 2011 Page 2 UNFINISHED BUSINESS Approval of Minutes — July 14, 2011 meeting Chair Dahl stated the importance of capturing in the minutes comprehensive detail of conversations with city officials or any members of City Council. She was of the opinion that the minutes as submitted did not provide the necessary level of detail and provided the content she believed had been omitted. MOTION by Commissioner Sutherland, seconded by Commissioner Sutherland to table the July 14, 2011 minutes until they can be corrected to reflect more details of the conversation with the City Clerk. Motion passes unanimously. Charter Amendments submitted to City Council Commissioner Trehus recounted the results of the City council meeting of September 12, 2011 where the Council considered the two amendments that had been submitted to them for review and adoption. Those were Amendments to Chapter 1, sections 1.04 and 1.05 and Chapter 7 section 7.13, the proposal for a tax cap. He indicated the Council did not vote on either one and the net affect is that there will be no adoption this year. In spite of opinions of experts retained by the Council he believes that the language is acceptable as prepared. Commissioner Sutherland offered a recommendation that the Commission's attorney be asked to review the comments from the City attorneys to see if she would make any changes to the language. Commissioner Minar arrives at 7:40. MOTION by Commissioner Sutherland, seconded by Commissioner Zastrow that the Commission's attorney Karen Marty be asked to review the comments from the City attorney in 2012 for potential revisions to the language. Motion passes unanimously. Commissioner Penn asked if Ms. Marty would have foreseen the reaction from the City attorney. Commissioner Trehus indicated that Ms. Marty's language was adequate. Commissioner Dahl stated that the City's attorneys are working for the Council and not for the Charter and that it might be advisable to have the Commission's attorney review the language. Commissioner Storberg questioned the need for a review by the Commission's attorney. Chair Dahl stated that it would be beneficial to ensure the language was a tight as possible before being placed on the ballot in 2012. Chair Dahl also indicated that she had been contacted by a City Clerk from another city which could not be named asking to be provided with the tax cap language drafted by the Charter Commission. At this point in the meeting, Ivy Cavegn, candidate for Mayor of Lino Lakes entered the meeting. Commissioners had an opportunity to hear her perspectives on the Charter form of government. ^ Charter Commission October 13, 2011 Page 3 Meeting Rules/Bylaws An informational item only. Chair Dahl indicated she wanted to ensure that all commissioners had a correct set. Upcoming Charter Appointments/Re-appointments/Applications Commissioner Carlson asked about the process to be followed for the submission of applications and whether it is in alignment with the process that was voted on at the July 14th meeting. Commissioner Trehus asked whether the Chair had received any applications as yet and Chair Dahl indicated she had received one. Commissioner Minar stated that he would not be reapplying as he believes in term limits for elected officials. Chair Dahl she will be writing the letter that accompanies the submission of applications to the Judge. Charter History Commissioner Storberg revised her draft and since Commissioner Sutherland was not familiar with it she asked for time to read and review it. Commissioner Sutherland made some revisions which she read to the Commissioners. Her perspective is that for the web site the language should be as factual and neutral as possible MOTION by Commissioner Sutherland, seconded by Commissioner Bretoi that a sub committee of Commissioners Sutherland, Drennan and Storberg review the draft and capture content that would be important to the City's web site. A friendly amendment was proposed that once the draft has been reviewed and approved by the Chair it should be loaded onto the web site as soon as possible. Motion passes unanimously. Charter Agreement with Karen Marty There was no new information to report. NEW BUSINESS Goals for 2012 Chair Dahl proposed as goals the intention to raise the limit on Charter Commission funding and the intention to meet with legislators in February. Commissioner Storrberg noted that waiting until February would be too late in the legislative session and that the Commission needed to be prepared in January to set up the meeting. Chair Dahl asked if there were any other commissioners who would be available to meet with Legislators. Commissioners Lyden and Trehus indicated they would be interested and available Additional goals proposed by Chair Dahl were a review of exempt zones and transparency in government. The later topic generated discussion about the process used to manage the discussion during the Sept. 12th City Council meeting and whether the Council can mandate the process. Chair Dahl indicated that the Bylaws allow the Council to determine the rules for discussion. Charter Commission October 13, 2011 Page 4 Next Meeting Date The next meeting date is January 13, 2012. ADJORN MOTION by Commissioner Minae, seconded by Commissioner Zastrow to adjorn the meeting at 9:35 p.m. Motion passes unanimously. Respectfully submitted. Marg Penn Acting Secretary