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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1-6-2026 Charter Commission Meeting January 6, 2026 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 Mohamed Barre Brad Bremener Greg Gardner Nikki Karnopp Dave Linton Audrey Nelson Rick Nelson (Remote attendance) Valerie Rolstad Natividad Seefeld Kathy Smith Absent Donald Findell Steve Kisner Ted Kranz Pam Reynolds Doug Schmitz Others Present Beth Kondrick, Deputy City Clerk Melissa Moore, Assistant City Manager Approval of Agenda Motion to approve the agenda as presented by Commissioner Gardner, seconded by Commissioner Linton. Upon a roll call vote, with Commissioners Barre, Bremener, Gardner, Karnopp, Linton, A. Nelson, R. Nelson, Rolstad and Seefeld voting aye, Chair Nelson declared the motion carried unanimously. Approval of Meeting Minutes 1. Approval of November 3, 2025 Charter Commission Meeting Minutes Charter Commission 01-06-2026 Minutes Page 2 Motion to approve the November 3, 2025 Meeting Minutes with one correction by Commissioner Karnopp. Seconded by Commissioner Bremener. Upon a roll call vote, with Commissioners Barre, Bremener, Gardner, Karnopp, Linton, A. Nelson, R. Nelson, Rolstad and Seefeld voting aye, Chair Nelson declared the motion carried unanimously. Administrative Matters 2. 2026 Nominating Committee Pursuant to the Bylaws, Chair Nelson asked for three members to serve on the 2026 Nominating Committee to nominate at least one candidate to each office. Commissioners Smith, Linton and Gardner volunteered to be this year’s nominating committee. They will provide a report to Staff for the February agenda packet. 3. Updated Member List Ms. Kondrick stated that an updated member list has been provided with the addition of new Commissioner Seefeld. 4. Upcoming Terms Expiring: Greg Gardner and Ted Kranz Commissioner Gardner’s appointment to the Charter Commission expires March 1, 2026. He has asked to be reappointed for another term. Commissioner Kranz’s appointment to the Charter Commission expires April 28, 2026, however he was absent from this evening’s meeting. Staff will follow up with Commissioner Kranz to ask if he wishes to be reappointed. Motion to reappoint Commissioner Gardner by Commissioner Rolstad, seconded by Commissioner Karnopp. Upon a roll call vote, with Commissioners Barre, Bremener, Karnopp, Linton, A. Nelson, R. Nelson, Rolstad and Seefeld voting aye, and Commissioner Gardner abstaining, Chair Nelson declared the motion carried. Old Business There were no items under Old Business. New Business 5. League of Minnesota Cities Charter Commission Training Ms. Moore introduced Josephine Rosene from the League of Minnesota Cities. Ms. Rosene is an attorney for the League of Minnesota Cities specializing in Charter Cities. She presented a training session explaining what a Charter City is and the role of a Charter Commission in a Charter City. Training materials were provided to all members for reference after the meeting. Charter Commission 01-06-2026 Minutes Page 3 6. Discuss Letter from Mayor Ostwald Regarding Chapter 5 Commissioners held a discussion regarding the letter received from Mayor Ostwald after the November th 10 City Council meeting where the Council voted not to approve the first reading of the proposed amendment to Chapter 5. 7. Subcommittee to document logic of proposed Chapter 5 changes Commissioners discussed forming a subcommittee to respond to the Mayor’s letter and who would draft written documentation of the logic behind the proposed changes to Chapter 5. Commissioners Bremener, Linton, Karnopp and Smith volunteered to be on the subcommittee. Motion to form the subcommittee with the Commissioners who volunteered by Commissioner Gardner, seconded by Commissioner Rolstad. Upon a roll call vote, with Commissioners Barre, Bremener, Gardner, Karnopp, Linton, A. Nelson, R. Nelson, Rolstad and Seefeld voting aye, Chair Nelson declared the motion carried unanimously. Future Meeting Topics/Communications 7. Future Meeting Topics  Candidate Interview Process and application  Next Chapter to Review  Commission Onboarding Manual  Meeting schedule cadence  Chapter 6  Updated response to Chapter 5  Reappointment status of Commissioner Kranz Adjournment Motion by Commissioner Rolstad to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Bremener. Upon a roll call vote, with Commissioners Barre, Bremener, Gardner, Karnopp, Linton, A. Nelson, R. Nelson, Rolstad and Seefeld voting aye, Chair Nelson declared the motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:53 p.m.