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2026.01.15 Charter Commission Meeting Agenda Packet4141 Douglas Drive North • Crystal, Minnesota 55422-1696 Tel: (763) 531-1000 • Fax: (763) 531-1188 • www.crystalmn.gov Posted: Jan. 9, 2026 Charter Commission Meeting Agenda Annual Meeting Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. Conference Room A 1.Call to order and roll call. 2.Approval of the minutes from the April 17, 2025 meeting. 3.Reports of the Chair.* 4.Unfinished business.* 5.Election of officers. 6.New business. a.Proposed charter amendments regarding: 1)Emergency ordinance requirements. 2)Council representation and primary requirements. 3)Council and city environmental stewardship. 4)Modernizing meetings and public accessibility. 7.Adjournment. *Denotes no supporting information included in the packet. Auxiliary aids are available upon request to individuals with disabilities by calling the city clerk at (763)531-1145 at least 96 hours in advance. TTY users may call Minnesota Relay at 711 or 1-800-627-3529. Page 1 of 1 City of Crystal Charter Commission Meeting Minutes April 17, 2025 1. Call to order and roll call Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the meeting of the Crystal Charter Commission was held at 6:31 p.m. on April 17, 2025, in conference room A at city hall, 4141 Douglas Dr. N., Crystal, MN. Commission Chair Jeff Kolb called the meeting to order. Attendance Commissioners present: Jeff Kolb, Joe Selton, Jeff Munson, Naomi Davidson, Joel Franz, Wade Girard, Holly Knox, James Oathout and Tony Sumnicht. City staff present: City Manager Adam R. Bell, City Attorney Rachel G. Tierney and City Clerk Chrissy Serres. 2. Approval of the minutes from the Jan. 16, 2025 meeting Moved by Commissioner Oathout and seconded by Commissioner Davidson to approve the minutes from the Jan. 16, 2025 meeting. Motion carried. 3. Reports of the Chair There were no reports of the Chair. 4. Unfinished business There was no unfinished business. 5. New business items for April 17, 2025 meeting a. Discuss amending bylaws to remove “Reports of the Chair” as a business meeting agenda item. The Commission postponed this item to a future meeting pending additional bylaws discussion. b. Review election costs related to filling a council vacancy. The Commission reviewed a proposal to amend the City Charter to require that all city council vacancies be filled by special election, replacing the current process that allows vacancies to be filled by appointment depending on their timing. In evaluating the proposal, the Commission examined the existing charter language, relevant election laws, election costs and financial impacts, as well as voter education and the training needs of staff and election judges. Moved by Commissioner Davidson and seconded by Commissioner Franz to retain the current Charter provisions regarding special elections and council vacancies. Motion carried. 6. Adjournment Moved by Commissioner Franz and seconded by Commissioner Oathout to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 6:54 p.m. Memorandum DATE: Jan. 6, 2026 TO: Crystal Charter Commission FROM: City Clerk Chrissy Serres SUBJECT: Election of officers ______________________________________________________________________________ BACKGROUND Article II, Section 9 of the Charter Commission’s bylaws require the annual election of commission officers (Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary): • Section 9. Election of Officers. The Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary are elected at the annual meeting of the Commission from among the members of the Commission. The elected officers hold office for one year or until their successors are elected and qualified. Current Commission officers are: • Chair: Jeff Kolb • Vice-Chair: Joe Selton • Secretary: Jeff Munson RECOMMENDATION Consistent with its bylaws, the Commission needs to elect officers. Dear Members of the Crystal Charter Commission, I regret that I will be unable to attend the 2026 annual meeting on January 15 due to unchangeable travel. I want to express my appreciation for the work each of you continues to do on behalf of the commission. Please know that I remain interested in and willing to continue serving as chair, should the commission choose to vote in that direction. Thank you for your dedication and for your understanding. I look forward to continuing our work together. Sincerely, JeƯ Kolb From:Tony Sumnicht To:Chrissy Serres Subject:Re: Crystal Charter Commission updates Date:Friday, December 19, 2025 12:08:46 PM Attachments:image005.png New Business - January 15.docx Hello Chrissy, I would like to propose 4 items for the New Business section of the January 15 agenda. Attached are the charter amendments in detail. Proposal 1 Emergency Ordinance Requirements: A proposal removing “Peace" and "Morals” from the emergency ordinance section and requiring a 2/3 majority vote for the passage of any emergency ordinances. Proposal 2 Council Representation and Primary Requirements: A proposal to transition from wards/sections to at-large districts for City Council members. Additionally, to facilitate this change a primary election section would be amended to require a primary only when the number of candidates exceeds twice the number of available seats. Proposal 3 Council and City Environmental Stewardship The purpose of this amendment is to formally recognize the city's commitment to environmental sustainability and to ensure that the long-term health of the local environment is considered in the city’s legislative and administrative actions. Proposal 4 Modernizing Meetings and Public Accessibility The purpose of this amendment is to authorize the use of interactive technology for meetings of the City Council and all city boards and commissions, ensuring alignment with the Minnesota Open Meeting Law, and to mandate the recording and digital publication of these meetings to enhance public transparency. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you and Happy Holidays! Tony Sumnicht On Wed, Dec 3, 2025 at 12:55 PM Chrissy Serres <Chrissy.Serres@crystalmn.gov> wrote: Greetings, Charter Commissioners – Please find below a few updates: Commissioner resignation: Jim Oathout has resigned from the Commission. 2025 Annual Report Letter: Please see attached. Annual Meeting – Jan. 15, 2026: The annual meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall in Conference Room A. If you have any items you would like to introduce under New Business at the Jan. 15 meeting, please email them to me by Friday, Dec. 19, so we can include them on the agenda to consider for future discussion. Agenda packets will be distributed the week prior to the meeting. Thank you. Chrissy Chrissy Serres City Clerk, City of Crystal 763-531-1145 | Main: 763-531-1000 | www.crystalmn.gov 4141 Douglas Dr. N. | Crystal, MN 55422-1696 Proposal 1 Emergency Ordinance Requirements: A proposal removing “Peace and Morals” from emergency ordinances and requiring a 2/3 majority vote for the passage of any emergency ordinances. Proposal 1 Charter Amendments: Section 3.04. Ordinances, Resolutions and Motions. Legislation must be enacted by ordinance. The "yes" and "no" votes on ordinances, resolutions and motions must be recorded unless the vote is unanimous. Except as otherwise provided by this charter or law, an affirmative vote of a majority of all the members of the council is required for the passage of ordinances, and an affirmative vote of a majority of a quorum of the council is required for the passage of resolutions and motions, and an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of all the members of the council is required for the passage of emergency ordinances as defined in section 3.06 Section 3.06. Emergency Ordinances. An emergency ordinance is an ordinance necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, morals, safety or welfare in which the emergency is defined and declared in the preamble to the ordinance. The passage of an emergency ordinance requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of all the members of the council. No prosecution may be based upon the provisions of an emergency ordinance until 24 hours after the ordinance has been filed with the city clerk… Proposal 2 Council Representation and Primary Requirements: A proposal to transition from wards/sections to at-large districts for City Council members. Additionally, to facilitate this change a primary election section would be amended to require a primary only when the number of candidates exceeds twice the number of available seats. Proposal 2 Charter Amendments: Section 2.03. Councilmembers: Qualifications and Terms. Subdivision 4. The mayor and all council members are is elected at large. A ward resident councilmember is elected by the eligible voters of the ward in which the councilmember resides. A section resident councilmember is elected by the eligible voters of the section in which the councilmember resides. Section 2.04. Resident Council Members (Reserved) Four of the councilmembers must be ward resident councilmembers and are qualified as follows: one councilmember must be, at the time of filing for election or appointment, a resident of Ward One; one councilmember must be, at the time of filing for election or appointment, a resident of Ward Two; one councilmember must be, at the time of filing for election or appointment, a resident of Ward Three; one councilmember must be, at the time of filing for election or appointment, a resident of Ward Four. Two councilmembers must be section resident councilmembers and qualify as follows: one councilmember must be, at the time of filing for election or appointment, a resident of Section One, consisting of Wards One and Two; and one councilmember must be, at the time of filing for election or appointment, a resident of Section Two, consisting of Wards Three and Four. Thereafter, continued residence in the ward or section in which the councilmember resided at the time of election or appointment is a required qualification to continue to hold office during the councilmember's term. Section 2.05. Wards(Reserved) The city is divided into four wards. Review of the wards must be made by the council and the wards reapportioned in the manner provided by law. Reapportionment is by ordinance. A change in ward boundaries does not disqualify a councilmember from serving the remainder of a term. The wards of the city are those described by ordinance. Section 4.03. Primary Election. If the names of more than twice the number of candidates to be elected to an office three or more persons have been filed as candidates for a ward or section election, or for any citywide office, the council must provide by resolution for a primary election to be held citywide or in the ward or section. Proposal 3 Council and City Environmental Stewardship The purpose of this amendment is to formally recognize the city's commitment to environmental sustainability and to ensure that the long-term health of the local environment is considered in the city’s legislative and administrative actions. Proposal 3 Charter Amendments: Section 1.04. Environmental Stewardship. The city shall strive to protect and enhance the natural environment for the benefit of current and future generations. In performing its duties and exercising its powers, the city shall consider the long- term environmental impacts and sustainability of its policies, programs, and operations. The council may, by ordinance or resolution, establish specific goals and standards to promote energy efficiency, waste reduction, the protection of natural resources, and resilience against environmental change. Proposal 4 Modernizing Meetings and Public Accessibility The purpose of this amendment is to authorize the use of interactive technology for meetings of the City Council and all city boards and commissions, ensuring alignment with the Minnesota Open Meeting Law, and to mandate the recording and digital publication of these meetings to enhance public transparency. Proposal 4 Charter Amendments: Section 3.01. Council Meetings. All meetings of the council and all boards and commissions established by this charter or by ordinance shall be public, and any person shall have access to the minutes and records thereof at all reasonable times. To the extent practicable, all regular meetings of the council, boards, and commissions shall be recorded and made available for public viewing on the city's official website. The council shall meet regularly at such times and places as it may determine by ordinance or resolution. Meetings of the council, boards, and commissions may be conducted in person, or through the use of interactive technology as permitted by state law. The council shall establish by rule or ordinance the procedures for remote or hybrid participation by members and the public. The mayor or any three members of the council may call special meetings of the council upon at least 24 hours' notice to each member. This notice shall be delivered personally to each member or left at the member's usual place of residence, or may be given by telephone or other electronic means. In the event of an emergency as defined in section 3.06, the council, boards, and commissions may meet by electronic means with such notice as is practical.