City Council Meeting Date: November 10, 2026
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Ben Martig, City Administrator
Sara Hoffman, Deputy City Clerk/Executive Administrative Assistant
Title
Consider Council Member Roles on Boards and Commissions for 2027-2028.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council considers a motion to approve which boards and commissions will have council representation on them for the coming year.
Various options are outlined in Alternative Actions below.
Summary Report:
Per City Code below, the Council will decide annually if any board, commission or committee will have Council representation, outside those required, for the coming year.
SECTION 4. Northfield Code, Chapter 2 - Administration, Article VI. - Boards and Commissions, Division 1. - Generally, Section 2-283 - Membership types and eligibility, Subsection (c) - City council ex-officio and liaison members:
(c) City council member roles. The mayor may appoint, with the confirmation of the council, council members to attend meetings of boards, commissions, committee, or like where state statute, agreements, or other enabling legislation or document indicates the requirement to do so or where the council deems a need. The council will decide annually prior to the appointment process for the following year what boards, commissions, committees, or like shall have representation by a member(s) of the council and if their role shall be voting or advisory. Unless specifically stated in state statutes, agreements, or other enabling legislation or document, only one council member shall serve as a voting or advisory member to a board, commission, committee, or like. Council members shall act as intermediaries between the boards and commissions and the council, facilitate a close working relationship with the council, and periodically report back to the council activities of such boards and commissions. Council members appointed as voting members shall serve as fully participating members of the board, commission, committee or like and be counted for the purpose of establishing quorum for a meeting. Council members appointed as advisory members shall serve as fully participating members of the board, commission, committee or like, but shall not have a vote and shall not be counted for the purpose of establishing quorum for a meeting.
According to city code, state statute, agreements, or other enabling legislation, the following boards, commissions, and committees are required to have a Council representative(s) as a member.
Required Council Representation
City/Hospital Governance Committee 3 members
Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB) Board 1 member*
Council Employment Committee 3 members
Economic Development Authority (EDA) 2 members
Mill Towns Trail Joint Powers Board 2 members*
Rice/Steele 911 Center Board 1 member
*One additional non-Council member also included in the agreement.
In previous years, Council has either regularly or occasionally placed Council representatives on other non-required boards, commissions, and committees.
Optional Council Representation
Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Services
Planning Commission
Hospital Board
Environmental Quality Commission
Library Board
Heritage Preservation Commission
Human Rights Commission
Friends of Downtown Northfield*
Hiawathaland Transit Advisory Committee*
Mayor’s Youth Council*
For 2026, the Council chose to appoint Council Members to the following boards and commissions, in addition to those required by code, statute, or other agreements.
2026 Optional Council Representation
Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Services 2 members (voting)
Hospital Board 1 member (voting)
Planning Commission 1 member (non-voting)
Friends of Downtown Northfield* 1 member
Hiawathaland Transit Advisory Committee* 1 member
Mayor’s Youth Council* 1 member
Rice/Steele 911 Center Board * 1 member
*The Council approved these appointments but did not debate overall Council representation.
Starting in 2026, Council made the decision to shift the primary board and commission timeline to an April-May term. However, some boards, commissions, and committees still need to be on a January-December term, including any with Council representation, since those align with Council terms.
Alternative Options:
See attached slides for summary view of the options. Staff suggests option #2 as explained below.
Option #1 The City Council places Council representation for the coming year (2027) on only required boards and commissions and not any additional optional ones.
Option #2 The City Council places Council representation for the coming year (2027) on required boards and commissions along with NAFRS and the Planning Commissions.
NAFRS is identified due to the importance of the budgeting process for there to be support of the Council in funding and the related importance of interdependency of the joint powers board. The other members do have elected leadership on their boards from their respective political jurisdictions.
The Planning Commission is identified due to the ongoing land development code review and updates and due to the number of items that come to the Council from the Planning Commission.
It is also important to note for 2027 that the City Council will have three new members. Staff suggest only appointing Council representatives to required boards, commissions, and committees and the two above to allow new members time to get oriented into their roles.
Option #3 The City Council places Council representation for the coming year (2027) on all required and optional boards or commissions.
Option #4 Some other combination the City Council may prefer.
Per City Charter and City Code, Mayor Zweifel would bring forward the actual individual to
serve for confirmation at an upcoming Council meeting dependent on Council determination of
which boards to include for 2027.
Financial Impacts:
N/A
Tentative Timelines:
December 1, 2026 Mayoral board and commission appointments brought to Council for select board and commission appointments on the January-December timeline.
April 6, 2027 Mayoral board and commission appointments brought to Council for board and commission appointments on the January-December timeline.