Minutes - 2000/05/08 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mounds View City Council May 8, 1999 Regular Meeting Page 15 Mayor Coughlin suggested, in light of the consideration of language changes, the Council • consider a matter that has been reported on in the press as pertains to Section 2.04 of the Charter, which deals with incompatibility of office for elected officials. He indicated that Item lOG of Council Business, The Adoption of Ordinances 649, 650 and 651, presents a situation wherein the Charter Commission and City Council both vote on an issue, and if there is unanimous agreement, it becomes part of the City Charter. He stated he saw the potential of voting twice on the same measure to be an incompatibility of office, which limits the ability of proper checks and balances. He offered for Council consideration that legal staff be directed to add the language necessary to the appropriate section, to delineate that elected officials shall not serve on any subordinate or other type committee of the City, including the Charter Commission, in order to provide clarification in this regard. Council Member Marty stated he was in agreement with this, and has stated so in the past. Council Members Thomason and Quick agreed. Mayor Coughlin requested the record reflect that Council Member Marty is also a member of the Charter Commission. Mayor Coughlin stated there was partial consensus to proceed in this regard. City Attorney Long stated staff would bring this item back to the Council in the form of a full ordinance at their next meeting, with all of the revisions that are required to be in place, as well as language reflecting the measure referenced by Mayor Coughlin. He advised that the matter would be scheduled for a first reading at that time. Council Member Quick stated discussion had taken place several years earlier with a different Council, and this Council had also lightly touched upon that discussion which pertained to terms of office. He explained that at that time, former Mayor Linke had raised the point that atwo-year Mayoral term was hardly adequate time to make a meaningful statement. He stated he would like the City Attorney to examine a means to amend the term of office for the Mayor and the Council. He indicated he believed there should be afour-year term for the Mayor, and asix-year term for Council Members. He advised that longer terms of office would increase the stability and due diligence of the Council, and this would certainly be beneficial to the community and the individual voter. Mayor Coughlin inquired if legal staff could obtain a survey from the League of Minnesota Cities to provide a sense of the average Council term lengths, and report on this matter. City Attorney Long stated he was not aware of six-year terms of office, however, he was aware that there were two and four-year term differences between Councils. Council Member Quick indicated his primary concern was with regard to the stability of the Council.