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1996-02-29 Agenda~~ CITY OF RICHFIELD CHARTER COMMISSION MEETING THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 29. 1996 7:00 P.M. LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM #1 CITY HALL 6700 PORTLAND AVENUE . AGENDA 1. Roll Call 2. Meet with City Attorney regarding amendment to City Charter 3. Adjournment ,,f., TI,.~ i r ~T~S-'. ~~96 ~1 _ FR0~1 F'EE ~~ , ~, S 4 - d~ K~N~1~`~' & GRpV~N Ativrnc76 .n iw~ AGatsr A. A:~ Saucx ns. y.~rr~sa~v Sra~u~ d- ~ueut Jow+ Ek OrwM DwrjaJ. KRh1NFAY CAS G. i.RPEVaazu 3cusrr M. i.tJ~'~L. JR. Ru>~T J. LII~DSbi. 8oustT C. WMG JAMS fkL S'Y>QUAq~~ ~EN3~IEly~ ~ GRAVEN cr~na rsa~ d74 Pflisb~rr (:xattr, ~+1lawnepoYls, h7innraaR~ *S+iv3 ~e>.tl 33T-9~30p Fxcslmtle E6lZ) 3J9-~3!$ WIifFS~'S i?Iririt"£ DiKl• 3;i?'~}2 ~'~ $Y 1H A~ t~NIU MAIf. February 5, 1 X96 Jim Prosser Gity of 12ichfieid 67Q(} 1?artlxnd Avenue South RiChtleld, MST 55423 P. ~ ~~ ~'vxittt~P, ii. Ttk~s~Gx Jr~a J. 'ii[oF7€v~ !~A>urr ~s. W~sxFat~t ~OMIVIL t,. '1vn..1~i.~vN Jt3~ X. Y,~dts 1iA~sa 1.. tiRa'~iwm {~de~.~~u iiNGPVd~~L LLUi6NT C- ~wBl36ri Raag~x Y.. r~.wwax,~ w16bGiaaTOx FI. i,AWY CURrig A. PEA118t5E1 T..~AY 3tALMIEri Rj~; Fropo~d Charter Amcnflmerts Lk~r 3irn: YQc+ asked ottr a€fice ~o review and coinntenz on the Charter Comsrtission's proposal to amend SeCticrn 2..05 of the Riclsfield C:t'y Charter, The ~rnertdrr~enz. -if a~dopteci, would provide that a vacancy in the office of council r~:ember ~h~.ll ex' ~; if a caurn;il member fails to attert~l si,~c regular council rr!resings cl~tring ~ six ;raorlth ~riod. (`E'lsro:sgh ageratiort of S€tiaon 2.06, subd. ~. the lZro~a nt~ment would d'.sa app#y ro the vfficc t~f mayor.) 'I`he prvp~ed amerrdmertt a~lsoo nnake• minar chn~ges to Sect~,3r 2.U5, sesbd '. para. 2. ire ottr t~pinivn. °hc propasecl ~sment3r~tent, if acaoptccl and sCcictly enforced, woudc! be subjece to challenge ~ a vivlattat! of Article VIII, Section 5 of the Ntinney-7~e Constitution. That section provides chat "~slhc legislasuxe at this state may provide for the removal cif inferior vfFtcecs for ': malfeasance ar r-anfeasance in the perfarmrazu:e at choir :.luties." City charter prCyvisittrts pcrtastYiug to the rertc~vai of elected officials from office mast c;c~mply with this ccanstitucian~ retluirert~tnt. Jacvbs~v~, ~~ N.'W.2,ci S~fi~, 571-572 ~iViintY. 1~5~). '['hcrcftrte, the proposal u~ remove a caucl~;il member for trot a~ttendina c:auncil meetings may only lx enforced if the cae~rc:il rrtemb~,r`s e~+srduct s:or~siiESxtes malfeasance or nonfeasance. Malfeacenee re. _. eti -t condue:t br an illegal deed,,: Cla v. Collins, 518 I~T,VV.2d 838_ $42 ~.~~-., (,'~4izrn. 1990 lcluatui~ ~a4crbs n, 9`6 ?V.W.2d at 573). It is doubtful whether failure co atteri~ six caunci; r~~tingj in six montha ~~~=uld be considered "GVil c;anduct." ~ Nnnfea.~nce, vn the orlxer hand, is the reiusa~ or neglect, without ~uiequa~ excslse, so pe~rfarrrt a legal duty. Id. Nar~r-ir ~~ c~ tyi; , i:.~ly inc:lu~ics an elemcs'st of ~+illfulness. Id. at 458; , also <_usiuor;a: rc:FO-. -~ ,~,-- ! ~~e u : ~.~~,r~ r mum ~," r tti iJ^• ' 'fib l~: 4i~J itE iVlV~11Y ~ I,k1~V~N p. ~_ ~!II1 1'rt~C k'ebrtl;Fry S, I~~S ' Wage 2 In re bison, 3E?(} ~.W ~~~. 4(3() (~tinrt. 1943)(t:>wgiect of duty justi#'ying rerrvva! of shr~riff deferred a8 CdrelCss of ARtent3t9T'1'a. ~<iture to e~er~cise due diligence) Airh~ugh it is passible that failure to atte~ui s;x cor~nci) rr~._-.rind, in six months ~:vuld co>~stitut+'~ n+~~fo~x~a~.ce, there may also be cizc~eanc:es wtt~r~ is ~y :and where application of the pxapp5ed azncridrnent ~wa~zld be unconsurutio~al. fine of the diffice~liiGS with the propo~ad amesic#ment is that the tsrnentlriztnt is made tt~ paragraph i of Session 2A5. subci. I. inxtea+d of u,? paraga~apk~ 2. ,4lxhiaugh paragraph 2 rccluixcs a determination that a vat;ar:cy exists, paragraph z purports to operate autorrxauca:!!y. Talcor~ lit+e=rally; the propvsect emenctrnert woalci not provide an opportunity far the afftrd council rr~mbar to I~ hoard, nor rvpstld it allow ft-r a dGtermit~tivn that the failure tv attend n~etin$5 _~on.tituted nonfeasance of duty. !t wc~uid be preferab#e if the amCndrnent ,were rrsade to ~at~~;raph ? anti iiiCarpvrateti 2hG rccluirernent of nonfe~-satice; e,~., "or (viii} failure of the i':'raurtci! member zo attend sax r,M~,ular Council rr~etings during a six month period, when tdze artendance constitutes n©nfeasanc+v, ...~~ ,'„r revision xug;~eted atscve, enforcemcret of the aruencinzeat mill require the Coufzcii ~r~t~rni.zarian that rtaay be iega33y complex atzd will be fact-dep~crYdent. tt is li~ceiy that, mow. size Councik ooulci becattke eng;~led izi a heavily €act-ridden discussion aver 5ences amounted tri na:~,Feasant;e ar nat. 1;.~.., a case where a CcttznCii umber misses .3r melting per rttas~th far six rranths (but attends ail ether rGgtalar and spcciat council _:_:;~ ~~.~si, due t©a c:ornbirzat+on Qf iiincss anti work-reiatul absences. There is unclaubtetily a paistt at which failure to attend coixncil meetings, re~;arciless of the CxcuSC, ~sau'~'~ cons~tute nanfedsaazCe. 1~lc~wGVer, it is not cl~r that the six ctleetiregs iri six months rule would ::;.. .that standard. A rnc~re defensible rule w0aid 'be one than allows a detetmirtatian i of vacancy ,~ hen a member ttzisses all cvutzs:il mcetin~s in a six month period, Cf. Mitza. Stet. i ~ 37S.lOl, sub3. 3, which provides that absence of S county board r.-sember frarr, the county for more than six coresevudve months creates a vacancy itz the board rnembex'e: office. Cif course, uz3tii the matter is lirigated, it :s not pt~ssiblr~ to sa,y whether even that standard watzld be upheld regardless of the absent rnamber's reason for being absetzt. Tease call if you have further s~uestions. Sinc:rrely, ~~ - - Corrine H. 'r`homsan c;c: 3ohn l~.an r_ ~ ~:atiar~uonF act SO 2 • January 16, 1996 James D. Prosser, City Manager City a~ Richfield 5700 Portland Avenue Richfield MIV' 55423-2599 Re: Amendment of Section 2.45 to Richfield City Charter Dear Mr. Prosser: ~n Janua 9, 1995, die Rich~'ield Charter Commission met and discussed a pare attached changes in the Richfield City Charter to Section 2.05. The proposed changes hereto as Exhibit A. Eleven members of the Charter Conunission were present and the proposal for changes to Section 2.05 was adopted by a 9-to-2 vote. The Charter Commission recornrnends the Ca.ty Council adopt the proposed changes to Section 2,05 of the Richfield City Charter as described in Exh~brt A. Very truly youXS, ~~'l. Shirley J n " Richfield Charter Con,missian. • PRt]POSAL FOR CHANGES IN RICHFIELD CITY CHARTER Section 2.05. Vacancies. gubdivisi.on i• Existence. (1) A ~2eaney shall .exist asor failure~of aeCOUnci~. Member1to of a Council. Member ( eriod.) attend 6 regular Council meetings during a 5 month p (2) (vii.} by reason. of .the failure of the CvunGi]. Member without goad cause to perform -a-F~}~~~ the duties of a Cauncil_M ~mthe fvr a period of 90 days. (as determinedby the Council, Council shall, by re$olutidn at--a- (the next} regular ar special Council meeting, declare a vacancy -~n--the~eu~~~l~~ ~~~~ . words tv be eliminated are dashed cut, new language is in brackets.(} Gordon Anderson, Chm. Sub'Committee Richfield Charter commission • • EXHIBIT "?~" L %L ._ ~ 6~L6 T98 ZT9 ~tiOQZ~HS \OS2I~A3S ~ y1d68 ~ T ~ 96-6~-5 ~ AS ,L:~f3S i