City Council Meeting Date: September 4, 2018
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Ben Martig, City Administrator
Title
Consider Response to Northfield City Charter Commission Request.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council approves a motion that the City Council has received the Charter Commission’s opinion and related request as outlined in the Memorandum from Scott Oney, Secretary of the Northfield Charter Commission dated July 28, 2017, and the Council hereby acknowledges and recognizes that the City Attorney’s response to the Charter Commission dated September 25, 2017 is the official response of the City to the Charter Commission.
Summary Report:
This item was originally on the August 21, 2018 agenda and was postponed to the September 4, 2018 Council Meeting.
See attached email from Charter Commission Chair Lance R. Heisler requesting a response from the Northfield City Council regarding their original opinion and correspondence from Scott Oney, Secretary of the Northfield Charter Commission dated July 28, 2017.
On September 22, 2017, City Administrator Martig provided the City Council the City Attorney’s memorandum on the above -referenced Charter Commission opinion, including the intended response to the Charter Commission opinion. This communication to the City Council is consistent with the memo subsequently sent by the City Administrator to the Charter Commission dated September 25, 2017. As a reminder to Council, City Administrator Martig previously informed the City Council on July 22, 2017 through another City Attorney memo of the intended correspondence regarding the Charter Commission’s action and the intent to share the non-privileged portions of the legal opinion on the issue as a response to the Charter Commission’s opinion and inquiry. Additionally, at that time I advised no further council response or action on the matter was required, and I received no response back from the Council on the subject. As a direct result, the City Attorney’s September 25, 2017 memo was then provided to the Charter Commission and I informed the Charter Commission in 2017 that this was the City’s response to their opinion and inquiry.
The Charter Commission brought this issue forward again on the July 2018 agenda. City Administrator Martig reiterated to the Charter Commission at their July 2018 meeting that the City Attorney’s response relates to their request for a response. The Charter Commission did not recognize this response as they indicated and again responded with similar action as presented in the email referenced earlier seeking direct response from the City Council rather than through the City Administrator or City Attorney.
Staff recommends the motion as outlined in the “Action Requested.”
Alternative Options:
None recommended.
Financial Impacts:
None.
Tentative Timelines:
Not applicable.