Charter Amendment_one-pager_dts.pdf

ONE PAGER

GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE—EXECUTIVE MAYOR-LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

CHARTER AMENDMENT PROPOSAL (QUESTION #1)

Note: most wording from Charter4ChangeMpls.org website

by Margit Berg

The Need:

The Charter Commission did an extensive study of Minneapolis city government structure interviewing

former mayors, current and former city council member, and current and former department heads. It

revealed that:

no defined executive results in confusion, conflict, and chaos in our city;

lines of authority are unclear and accountability is blurred in a city run by a Mayor and 13 Council

Members;

department heads and city staff struggle with whose direction to follow; and

the structure is inefficient, inequitable, complex, and costly.

The Fix:

The Mayor maintains current veto authority and nomination of department heads for Council approval.

The amendment clarifies the Mayor as the city’s chief executive officer, in whom the general executive

and administrative authority resides.

The council maintains its current substantial responsibilities: to set city policy and ordinance; approve

budget and labor contracts and charter department head appointments; and appoint more than 700

people to 57 boards and commissions.

In addition, the amendment requires the City Council to expand the office of City Auditor to provide

financial and performance oversight of city services.

The Result:

The 15-member Charter Commission voted unanimously to propose an the amendment modeled after

our state and federal governments, to clarify the roles of the Mayor as executive of city operations and

the City Council as legislators who are also responsible for constituent services.

They believe the amendment improves Minneapolis government:

provides better and more equitable services;

improves constituent services;

results in better use of our money;

insures accountability;

helps the city attract and retain highly qualified department heads and staff;

consolidates all public safety functions under the administrative authority of the Mayor and with the

Council retaining its policy role; and

doesn’t eliminate the Police Department.