04-29-2024
Joint City Council and Charter
Commission Meeting
April 29, 2024
7:00 PM
Fridley Civic Campus, 7071 University Ave N.E.
Agenda
Call to Order
Roll Call
Approval of Agenda
Approval of Meeting Minutes
1.Approval of March 18, 2024 Charter Commission Meeting Minutes
Administrative Matters
2.Revised Bylaws
Old Business
New Business
3.Discussion with the Fridley City Council
Future Meeting Topics/Communications
4.Future Meeting Topics
Adjournment
Upon request, accommodation will be provided to allow individuals with disabilities to participate in
any City of Fridley services, programs, or activities. Hearing impaired persons who need an interpreter
or other persons who require auxiliary aids should contact the City at (763) 572-3450.
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AGENDA REPORT
Meeting Date:April 29, 2024 Meeting Type: Charter Commission
Submitted By:Beth Kondrick, Deputy City Clerk
Title
Approval of March 18, 2024Charter Commission Meeting Minutes
Background
Attached are the minutes fromMarch 18
Recommendation
Staff recommend the approval of the March 18, 2024Charter Commission Meeting Minutes.
Attachments and Other Resources
March 18, 2024 Charter Commission Meeting Minutes
Vision Statement
We believe Fridley will be a safe, vibrant, friendly and stable home for families and businesses.
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4:
Charter Commission
March 18, 2024
7:00 PM
Fridley City Hall, 7071 University Avenue NE
Minutes
Call to Order
Chair Nelson called the Charter Commission meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Present
Audrey Nelson
Clifford Johnson
Doug Schmitz
Nikki Karnopp
Pam Reynolds
Rick Nelson (remote)
Ted Kranz
Mohammed Barre
Steven Kisner
Donald Findell
Valerie Rolstad
Kelli Brillhart
Greg Gardner
Absent
Ibsen Gabriel
Others Present
Beth Kondrick, Deputy City Clerk
Approval of Agenda
Motion to approve the amended agenda by Commissioner Rolstad, seconded by Commissioner Brillhart.
Upon a rollcallvote, all voting aye, Chair Nelson declared the motion carried unanimously.
Approval of Meeting Minutes
1.Amendments toJanuary 9, 2024, Charter Commission Meeting Minutes
Commissioner Schmitz noted his attendance was mistakenly omitted from the January 9, 2024 meeting
minutes. Commissioner Kranz noted his attendance was listed twice.
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Charter Commission 03-18-2024 Minutes Page 2
Commissioner Reynolds made a motion to approve the January 9, 2024 meeting minutes as amended.
Seconded by Commissioner Gardner.
Upon a roll call vote, all voting aye, Chair Nelson declared the motion carried unanimously.
Administrative Matters
2. Resignation of Commissioner Granroos
Staff received an email from Commissioner Granroos resigning from the Commission. Staff noted the City
has one application on file from an interested candidate.
Commissioner Rolstad made a motion to accept Commissioner Granroos' resignation and invite the
applicant to the May meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Findell.
Upon a roll call vote, all voting aye, Chair Nelson declared the motion carried unanimously.
The Commission asked staff to send a certificate of appreciation will be sent to Commissioner Granroos.
3. Preparing for the April 29, 2024 Joint Meeting with the Fridley City Council
Ideas shared by the Commission included:
!Chapter 10 (franchises and related activities)
!Review of Chapter 5, so far
!Any resident feedback received by Council pertaining to the Charter
!Discussion of the Council's 2024 goals, objectives and budget priorities
!Councilmember Dave Ostwald's role as liaison to Charter Commission.
4. Charter Commission Training
An attorney from the League of Minnesota Cities will provide a presentation on the roles and
responsibilities of a Charter Commission at the May 20 meeting.
5. Commission Appreciation Dinner
The annual Commission Appreciation Dinner will be held on April 15 at Springbrook Nature Center at
6:00 PM. Official invitations forthcoming.
6. Election of Officers
The Nominating Committee presented the following slate of candidates:
!Chair: Rick Nelson
!Vice Chair: Clifford Johnson
!Secretary: Audrey Nelson
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Charter Commission 03-18-2024 Minutes Page 3
With no additional nominations from the floor, Commissioner Findell made a motion to elect the slate of
candidates as presented. Seconded by Commissioner Reynolds.
Upon a roll call vote, all voting aye, Chair Nelson declared the motion carried unanimously.
Old Business
7. Chapter 5 Review
Staff presented the updated draft of Chapter 5 with the revisions and formatting as requested by the
Commission at the February meeting.
Staff reviewed the substantive changes proposed by staff as are outlined in the Agenda Report.
Actions directed by the Commission included:
Section 5.01 Definitions
!Added definitions discussed at previous meeting.
!Agreed to change "proposed initiative" to "proposed action" in the definitions of recall and
referendum to avoid confusion with the defined term "initiative."
Section 5.02 Powers Reserved by the People
!Reformatted into bullet points per previous discussion.
!Motion by Commissioner Gardner, seconded by Commissioner Rolstad to accept Section 5.02 as
revised. Upon a roll call vote, all voting aye, Chair Nelson declared the motion carried unanimously.
!The Commission later directed further clarification to the last sentence in Section 5.02 (Powers
Reserved by the People) regarding the role of State law and the State Constitution as authorizing
actions related to petitions for initiatives, referendums or recalls.
Section 5.03 Initiative, Referendum and Recall Regulations
!The Commission directed further revision of Section 5.03 (Initiative, Referendum and Recall
Regulations) to examine:
o!The $200 expenditure limit
o!Section 5.03.3, as it compares to the last sentence of Section 5.02.
!Commissioner Reynolds made a motion to table further discussion on Section 5.03 until the
September meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Rolstad. Commissioners Brillhart, Karnopp, Rick
Nelson and Rolstad voting no, all others voting aye, Chair Nelson declared the motion carried.
Commissioner Brillhart made a motion to table further review of Chapter 5 until the September meeting.
Seconded by Rolstad. Upon a roll call vote, all voting aye, Chair Nelson declared the motion carried
unanimously.
8. Annual Review of Bylaws
As required in the bylaws, the Commission conducts an annual review of its bylaws.
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Charter Commission 03-18-2024 Minutes Page 4
Commissioner Brillhart made a motion to accept the bylaws for another year. Seconded by Commissioner
Rolstad. Upon a roll call vote, all voting aye, Chair Nelson declared the motion carried unanimously.
Future Meeting Topics/Communications
9. Future Meeting Topics
!Chapter 5
!Review of Chapter 10
!Interview with candidate Dave Linton
!Charter Commission training.
Adjournment
Adjournment Motion by Commissioner Karnopp to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Commissioner
Rolstad. Upon a roll call vote, all voting aye, Chair Nelson declared the motion carried unanimously. The
meeting adjourned at 8:49 p.m.
Disclosure: This document was created with the help of an AI System, Claude-3 and was reviewed for accuracy by Melissa Moore
and Beth Kondrick.
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AGENDA REPORT
Meeting Date:April 29, 2024 Meeting Type: Charter Commission
Submitted By:Melissa Moore, City Clerk/Communications Manager
Title
RevisedBylaws
Background
On March 18the Commission reviewed and unanimously approved a motion to approve the
Bylaws(attached).
Recommendation
None.
Attachments and Other Resources
Commission Bylaws
Vision Statement
We believe Fridley will be a safe, vibrant, friendly and stable home for families and businesses.
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Fridley Home Rule Charter Commission
Bylaws
Approved March 18, 2024
1. Name the name of the organization shall be the Fridley Home Rule Charter Commission
(Commission).
2. Mission To collaboratively evaluate and propose changes to the Fridley City Charter
(Charter) that reflect the importance of the Charter, to enable effective government
operations and reflects the values of the residents of Fridley.
3. Strategic Values
Strategic Value Attained Through
Collaboration 1.!Active communication with the City Council.
2.!Respecting differing opinions on matters and working to find
consensus.
3.!Continuous refinement and improvements to the Charter to
ensure it is a document which best serves the residents and
City government.
Stewardship 1.!Maintaining responsibility for the applicability and efficacy of
the Charter.
2.!Ensuring the directives of the Charter reflect the will of Fridley
residents.
Engagement 1.!Educating the residents of Fridley on the role of the City
Charter and Charter Commission.
2.!Participating in community events to listen and learn how
residents feel about certain issues.
3.!When Commission openings occur, actively recruit new
voices that reflect the changing demographics of Fridley.
4. Meetings
(a) Commission meetings will be held at Fridley City Hall or a designated public location
upon proper notice.
(b) The annual meeting of the Commission shall be held in March of each year. The
election of officers of the Commission shall take place at the annual meeting.
(c) Special meetings may be called by the Chair. In addition, the Chair shall call a special
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meeting within 10 days upon receipt of a written request signed by at least five members.
Such special meeting shall require proper notice to the commissioners and the public as
required by Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13D.
(d) A quorum to conduct business shall be determined according to the following
schedule:
Number of appointed Charter Commission members Quorum
15, 14, 13 7
12 or 11 6
10 or fewer 5
(e) Except as provided in these Bylaws, all meetings shall be governed in accordance with
(Revised 2011).
(f) The meeting shall be called to order by the Chair. If there is not a quorum within 10
minutes after the time of the meeting is to commence, the Commission members shall
be dismissed by the Chair. However, if in the sole discretion of the Chair, there is
business that should be addressed, the Chair may require that the Commission members
stay up to an additional 10 minutes in order to see if a quorum can be met. If no quorum
is met within the additional 10-minute timeframe, the Chair shall dismiss the Commission
members.
5. Membership The membership of the Commission shall be 15 members.
(a) All Commission members shall be expected to attend all meetings and will inform the
Staff Liaison of their attendance.
(b) Any member missing three consecutive meetings without notifying the Liaison, or
failing to perform the duties of the office shall be subject to a discharge from the
Commission upon a written request to the District Court, supported by 2/3 of the
Commission members present and voting.
6. Officers
(a) Election of Officers
(1) The officers of the Commission shall consist of Chair, Vice Chair, and a Secretary.
(2) The Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary shall be elected from the membership of the
Commission by the Commission members.
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(3) The Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary shall be elected by the Commission at the
annual meeting. No officer of the Commission shall serve more than
two consecutive full terms in the same office.
(4) All officers shall begin their terms of office immediately upon election to that
office.
(5) Election to vacant offices shall be made from the floor at the next meeting of the
Commission following the meeting at which the vacancy is declared. Members of the
Commission who are elected to vacant offices shall serve until the next annual
meeting of the Commission.
(6) Officers of the Commission shall be declared duly elected by a simple majority
vote of those members of the Commission who are present and voting. Any
contested race for an office shall be done by a written ballot. The acting Chair will ask
for a committee of two Commission members to count the ballots. If at all possible,
the members of the committee shall not include members of the Commission who
are running for an officer position.
(b) Duties of Officers and Liaison
(1) The Chair shall have the following responsibilities to:
((a)) call all regular and special meetings;
((b)) preside at all meetings;
((e)) set the agenda;
((d)) implement the decisions of the Commission; and
((e)) participate in all Commission decisions as a voting member.
(2) The Vice Chair shall assist the Chair in the performance of these duties. In the
event the Chair is unable to perform their duties, the Vice Chair shall discharge such
duties.
(3) The Secretary shall be responsible for presiding at meetings in the absence of the
Chair and Vice Chair.
(4) The Liaison shall be designated by the City Clerk and serve as the recording
secretary at all meetings of the Commission. The Liaison, with the direction of the
Secretary, will have the following responsibilities:
((a)) serve in an advisory capacity at all Commission meetings as a non-voting
member;
((b)) assist the Commission by providing research information as requested by
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Officers of the Commission;
((c)) prepare proposed Charter changes for submission to the City Council;
((d)) retain records of Commission proceedings as required by State law;
((e)) keep an accurate record of attendance;
((f)) recording of minutes at all meetings;
((g)) distributing notices of upcoming meetings, minutes, and agendas to
Commission members within a reasonable time;
((h)) giving notice to Commission members who have missed two consecutive
meetings pursuant to Section No. 4 (b) of the Bylaws; and
((i)) transmitting all correspondence and related resource material concerning the
Commission to the City Clerk for retention.
7. Committees
(a) The Chair shall have the power to create committees consisting of members of the
Commission, appoint members of the committees, and designate chairs of those
committees.
(b) In January of each year the Chair shall appoint a Nominating Committee of three or
more Commission members who shall nominate one or more candidates for each office
of the Commission. A written report of such nominations by the Nominating Committee
shall be transmitted electronically or by mail by the Liaison to each member at least 10
days before the annual meeting.
8. Voting
(a) A majority vote of Commission members present at a Commission meeting shall be
sufficient to pass motions and resolutions except as provided elsewhere.
(b) There shall be no secret votes.
9. Order of Business The Commission shall follow the following order of business at its
meetings:
(a) Call to Order by the Chair
(b) Roll Call
(c) Approval of the Agenda
(d) Approval of the Minutes
(e) Administrative Matters
(f) Old Business
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(g) New Business
(h) Future Meeting Topics
(i) Adjournment.
10. Amendment of Bylaws
These Bylaws can be amended at any regular meeting of the Commission by 2/3 vote of
those present, provided that the contemplated amendment has been properly noticed
in writing electronically or by mail to all Commission members.
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AGENDA REPORT
Meeting Date:April 29, 2024 Meeting Type: Charter Commission
Submitted By:Melissa Moore,City Clerk/Communications Manager
Title
Discussionwith the Fridley City Council
Background
The Fridley Charter Commission (Commission) established three strategic values: collaboration,
stewardship, and engagement. Related to its value of being collaborative, the Commission asserted it
could be successful in demonstrating this value by engaging in more active communication with the
meetings to support this strategic value.
At its March 18meeting theCommissioncontemplated topics to discuss withtheCouncil. Selected topics
are as follows:
Chapter 5 (Initiative, Referendum and Recall), which is currently under review bythe Commission
Chapter 10 (Franchises)
informal role as liaison to the Charter Commission
Ifthe Councilheardfeedback from residents on any matters related to the Charterand
Are there any other areas or items the Council would like to discuss with the Commission?
Recommendation
Attachments and Other Resources
Vision Statement
We believe Fridley will be a safe, vibrant, friendly and stable home for families and businesses.
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AGENDA REPORT
Meeting Date:April 29, 2024 Meeting Type: Charter Commission
Submitted By:Beth Kondrick, Deputy City Clerk
Title
Future Meeting Topics
Background
Future meeting topicsrequested by commissioners:
Review of Chapter 10.
Recommendation
None.
Attachments and Other Resources
Vision Statement
We believe Fridley will be a safe, vibrant, friendly and stable home for families and businesses.
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