Receive Recommendation from the Charter Commission to Amend Chapters 2, 3 and 12 of the Charter.

Purpose: The purpose of this case is to receive the recommendation from the Charter to amend Chapters 2, 3 and 12 of the Charter. 

Background: The proposed amendments to the City Charter are mainly some housekeeping items, efficiency items that mirror general practices by the City Council and to consider a cost-savings measure related to the newsletter. The proposed ordinance with the recommendation from the Charter Commission, and a full version of the charter with redlined edits are attached to this case for reference. Below is a brief rationale behind each proposed change.

Vacancies to a city council seat currently do not establish a vacancy when a member moves outside their ward but remains in the City of Ramsey. Staff proposes to recognize that a councilmember elected to a ward seat is expected to represent residents who live within their ward. By moving to a new house within Ramsey but in a different ward would not allow this direct representation as a ward resident.

The process to consider ordinances by council is generally a two-month process. Furthermore, there are some unique steps required through the charter that may be outdated as technology has advanced and been implemented into our operations. The Charter Commission is proposing to eliminate the requirement for a roll call vote on ordinances. The rationale being, a roll call vote may be requested at any time. We have a regular practice of video recording our meetings, which can be viewed by the public on local TV or the internet, and if there is confusion on a voice vote, we can clarify the vote to ensure accurate records reflect the vote. A further recommendation is to allow for an ordinance to be placed on the consent agenda for final consideration so long as it was unanimously introduced by the City Council. The rationale behind this is only if the roll call vote requirement is supported, and this allows for more efficient meetings by eliminating redundancy. If council chooses, any consent agenda item may be removed and considered as a separate agenda item. Ordinances are still proposed to go to two city council meetings, with the introduction of the ordinance as a standalone agenda item with a brief presentation by staff outlining the parameters of the ordinance. The last proposal is to eliminate the requirement that the ordinance be read aloud before adoption. The City Council has historically utilized the charter provision to waive that requirement. With technology allowing full agenda packets to be posted to the internet typically six days before the meeting, there is ample opportunity for residents to review the ordinance ahead of time. Furthermore, from the first posting of an agenda with the introduction of an ordinance to final consideration, an ordinance is posted to the internet for approximately three weeks. Lastly, ordinances currently require a 30-day publication period before they become effective. This requirement is also fairly unique, and state statute simply requires publication prior to it becoming effective. The Charter Commission recommendation is to eliminate the 30-day waiting period. An added benefit to the near immediate effective date is that staff can provide direction to residents on the changes without having to delay the enforcement of the changes.

The last area the Charter Commission is proposing a change is related to the city newsletter. The charter requires six newsletters a year at regular intervals. The City publishes bi-monthly newsletters, with the first being issued in January. The newsletter is mailed to each parcel within the city limits, with extras available at City Hall. The annual budget is approximately $63,000 for the six newsletters. In addition to the newsletter, staff also prepares two recycling-related newsletters throughout the year that are mailed to every property. Staff considered recommending only electronic versions of the newsletter be produced. However, we recognize that many residents prefer a physical copy. The Charter Commission recommendation was to reduce the number of newsletters to four per year. The newsletters would generally follow the seasons of the year and still allow for important budget information to be published prior to final budget and levy adoption.

With an amendment proposed by the Charter Commission, the City Council may amend the charter by ordinance.  Within one month of receiving a recommendation to amend, the City must publish notice of a public hearing of the proposal.  Within one month of the public hearing, the City Council must vote on the proposed charter amendment.  If approved unanimously, the ordinance goes into effect 90 days after passage subject to no petition being submitted by voters forcing a referendum.

N/A

Staff recommends introducing the ordinance at the next regular meeting on February 11, 2025, with the Public Hearing and final vote to take place on February 25, 2025.
 

No action required.