Shall the Minneapolis City Charter be amended to adopt a change in its form of government to an Executive Mayor-Legislative Council structure to shift certain powers to the Mayor, consolidating administrative authority over all operating departments under the Mayor, and eliminating the Executive Committee?  YES ___  NO  ___

SD63 Recommendation: Vote YES on this Amendment

This will correct the current 14-boss problem at City Hall. (Executive Mayor = Mayor; Legislative Council = City Council)

• The Mayor, who is elected citywide, would be the chief administrator for the city government.
• The City Council, composed of 13 Council members each representing one of the 13 Wards in Minneapolis, will the legislative body for the city government.
• The Mayor will nominate all department heads and with the City Council’s consent, the department head will take office. This does not apply to the City Clerk who will be appointed by the City Council and will report to the City Council. All other department heads will report to the Mayor.
• The City Clerk will provide staffing to the City Council to research and prepare city legislation.  
• The Mayor may veto city legislation proposed by the City Council, but the City Council can override the veto by a 2/3 vote of the City Council.
• City Council members who have a constituent complaint, must work through the Mayor to talk to department heads about the complaint or citizens can talk to the Mayor directly to voice their complaint.
• The City Council must establish an Auditing Commission which will appoint a City Auditor whose department will monitor the Mayor’s implementation of the Council’s legislation and will audit the city’s finances. The Audit Commissioners may be appointed by the City Council and a majority of the Commissioners must never have served on the City Council. The Council can set the term of office for Audit Commissioners.
• All department heads, except the City Clerk, will serve for the four years the Mayor is in office. The City Clerk will serve at the pleasure of the City Council. The Mayor can discharge or discipline any department head except the City Clerk and the Civil Service Commissioners.
• Because department heads, except the City Clerk, are nominated by the Mayor and have received City Council’s consent, the Executive Committee is abolished.

Shall the Minneapolis City Charter be amended to remove the Police Department and replace it with a Department of Public Safety that employs a comprehensive public health approach to the delivery of functions by the Department of Public Safety, with those specific functions to be determined by the Mayor and City Council by ordinance; which will not be subject to exclusive mayoral power over its establishment, maintenance, and command; and which could include licensed peace officers (police officers), if necessary, to fulfill its responsibilities for public safety, with the general nature of the amendments being briefly indicated in the explanatory note below, which is made a part of this ballot?   YES ___  NO  ___

Explanatory Note:

This amendment would create a Department of Public Safety combining public safety functions through a comprehensive public health approach to be determined by the Mayor and Council. The department would be led by a Commissioner nominated by the Mayor and appointed by the Council. The Police Department, and its chief, would be removed from the City Charter. The Public Safety Department could include police officers, but the minimum funding requirement would be eliminated.

SD63 Recommendation: Vote NO on this Amendment

This amendment would change the following:

• Abolishes the Police Department and substitutes a Department of Public Safety in its place.
• Abolishes the Chief of Police and substitutes a Commissioner of Public Safety in its place.
• Abolishes the three year term for the Chief of Police and the Commissioner of Public Safety will have a two year term of office.
• Abolishes the Mayor from being in charge of the department and makes the 13 City Council members and the Mayor in charge of the department.  
• Abolishes the specific number of employees that need to be in the department based on the population of the city.
• Abolishes the requirement that the City Council must fund the department with the number of employees based on the population of the city.
• Abolishes the Mayor’s ability to appoint Temporary Police Officers in the event of a riot or emergency.
• Establishes a Department of Public Safety that is “responsible for integrating its public safety functions into a comprehensive public health approach to safety.” Does not spell out what that means.
•  Permits the Department of Public Safety to include “licensed peace officers [police officers] if necessary.” Only licensed peace officers may carry firearms, conduct traffic stops, detain or arrest citizens, and more.
• Continues to have Fire Police.

Shall the Minneapolis City Charter be amended to authorize the City Council to regulate rents on private residential property in the City of Minneapolis, with the general nature of the amendments being indicated in the explanatory note below, which is made a part of this ballot?  YES ___  NO  ___

Explanatory Note:

This amendment would:

1. Authorize the City Council to regulate rents on private residential property in the City of Minneapolis by ordinance.
2. Provide that an ordinance regulating rents on private residential property could be enacted in two different and independent ways:
   a. The City Council may enact the ordinance.
   b. The City Council may refer the ordinance as a ballot question to be decided by the voters for approval at an election. If more than half of the votes cast on the ballot question are in favor of its adoption, the ordinance would take effect 30 days after the election, or at such other time as provided in the ordinance.

SD63 Recommendation: Vote NO on this Amendment

• The proposed Charter Amendment conflicts with State Law.
• MN Statutes 471.9996 states that rent control ordinances passed by the City Council become law if approved by the voters in a general election.
• The Charter Commission proposed language to make the Amendment legal, but the City Council did not adopt the Charter Commission’s language.