Charter Commission Meeting Date: September 10, 2026
To: Chair and Members of the Charter Commission
From: Ben Martig, City Administrator
Title
Consider Proposed Amendment to Charter Section 12.1 Franchise Required.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield Charter Commission is asked to review a proposed amendment to Charter Section 12.1 Franchise Required.
Summary Report:
The Charter Commission is asked to consider amendments to Charter Section 12.1 Franchise Required. Section 12.1 lays out the requirements for granting franchises.
Section 12.1. - Franchise Required.
No person shall operate a public utility in the City of Northfield without a franchise. The City of Northfield shall grant a franchise only by ordinance. Every ordinance granting a franchise shall contain all the terms and conditions of the franchise.
The City Administrator has identified this section of the Charter as an area that may benefit from more clarity of terminology for what is currently subject to franchise regulations and requested a review from the City Attorney. A City Attorney memo is attached (Attachment 1) and identifies concerns with the current Charter language, which limits the applicability of Chapter 12 to “public utilities.” The memo notes that this terminology may have originally been intended to encompass all users and occupants of the public rights-of-way but, as currently written, does not extend beyond public utilities. The proposed amendment would broaden Chapter 12 to reflect the City’s authority to require a franchise of all users and occupants of the public rights-of-way, rather than limiting its applicability to public utilities.
A draft ordinance is attached for review (attachment 2). If the Charter Commission chooses to propose amendments to the City Council, it will be via a motion. However, the City Council will consider the amendment as an ordinance. Therefore, it is the practice to send the amendments in ordinance form to the Charter Commission w...
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