Minnesota Session Laws - 2005, Regular Session

                            CHAPTER 93-S.F.No. 1945 
                  An act relating to local government; requiring a city 
                  council to vote on charter commission recommendations 
                  for charter amendments by ordinance; amending 
                  Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 410.12, subdivision 7.
        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
           Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 410.12, 
        subdivision 7, is amended to read: 
           Subd. 7.  [AMENDMENT BY ORDINANCE.] Upon recommendation of 
        the charter commission the city council may enact a charter 
        amendment by ordinance.  Such an Within one month of receiving a 
        recommendation to amend the charter by ordinance, the city must 
        publish notice of a public hearing on the proposal and the 
        notice must contain the text of the proposed amendment.  The 
        city council must hold the public hearing on the proposed 
        charter amendment at least two weeks but not more than one month 
        after the notice is published.  Within one month of the public 
        hearing, the city council must vote on the proposed charter 
        amendment ordinance.  The ordinance, if is enacted, shall be 
        adopted by the council by if it receives an affirmative vote of 
        all its members after a public hearing upon two weeks' published 
        notice containing the text of the proposed amendment of the city 
        council and shall be is approved by the mayor and published as 
        in the case of other ordinances.  An ordinance amending a city 
        charter shall not become effective until 90 days after passage 
        and publication or at such later date as is fixed in the 
        ordinance.  Within 60 days after passage and publication of such 
        an ordinance, a petition requesting a referendum on the 
        ordinance may be filed with the city clerk.  Such petition shall 
        be signed by qualified voters equal in number to two percent of 
        the total number of votes cast in the city at the last state 
        general election or 2,000, whichever is less.  If the city has a 
        system of permanent registration of voters, only registered 
        voters are eligible to sign the petition.  If the requisite 
        petition is filed within the prescribed period, the ordinance 
        shall not become effective until it is approved by the voters as 
        in the case of charter amendments submitted by the charter 
        commission, the council, or by petition of the voters, except 
        that the council may submit the ordinance at any general or 
        special election held at least 60 days after submission of the 
        petition, or it may reconsider its action in adopting the 
        ordinance.  As far as practicable the requirements of 
        subdivisions 1 to 3 apply to petitions submitted under this 
        section, to an ordinance amending a charter, and to the filing 
        of such ordinance when approved by the voters. 
           Presented to the governor May 21, 2005 
           Signed by the governor May 25, 2005, 12:20 p.m.