2015.11.10 CC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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November 10, 20 1: effective until it had been placed on the ballot and been approved by a majority of voters at the next election held at least 60 days after the petition's submission. i. As 3,649 New Brighton residents voted in the last municipal election (2013), a minimum of 365 New Brighton residents would need to sign such a petition in order for it to be effective. b. Should no such petition be submitted, the ordinance would become effective 240 days after its publication. 8. The City Clerk would need to keep the County Auditor and Secretary of State apprised of the status of the proposed election date changes. If the City Council decides to move to even -year elections in time for the 2016 elections, the following timeline would need to be followed. City Clerk Haarstad reviewed the expense of odd year elections versus even numbered year elections. The approval timeline was reviewed. Staff recommended the Council adopt an Ordinance changing the City elections to even -numbered years. Councilmember Stnrb thanked staff for the thorough report from staff. He discussed the expense of municipal elections held in odd numbered years. It was his hope that by making a change to even -numbered year elections that the public would be more fully engaged in local politics. He supported the Council moving municipal elections to even -numbered years. Councilmember Bauman reviewed the voter turnout numbers in New Brighton from 2010 to 2014. She believed that the residents that attend an odd -numbered year election were well informed voters. She feared that local elections would be lost if moved to even -numbered years. For this reason, she was in favor of keeping elections as is. She asked how the City would be charged for this year's election, considering the new ballot boxes were not in place. City Clerk Haarstad reported she had not received the invoices from Ramsey County to date. Councilmember Bauman was in favor of putting this item on the 2016 ballot versus the Council making a decision regarding this matter. Councilmember Strub questioned if the Council had the authority to place this matter on the ballot. City Clerk Haarstad reported Minnesota State Statute would not allow the City Council to place this item directly on the ballot. Mayor Jacobsen supported the Council remaining non-partisan. He discussed the amount of valuable work completed by local governments. He provided comment on the number of residents in New Brighton that were aging in place. He explained that this group was becoming the majority and the voice for the community. He feared that the vocal minority would take over if a change were to be made to the election situation. Councilmember Burg reviewed a letter the Council received from Dr. Ryan Jerome LeCount from Hamline University regarding odd and even year voter turnout. She reported that his findings led him to believe that lower voter turnout led to a greater level in influence from organizations and special interest groups. He found that higher voter turnout led to a more diverse demographic and wider interest of voters. She was in favor of moving municipal elections to even -numbered years, as it would provide a better representation of the community. Mayor Jacobsen commented he too read the letter from Dr. LeCount and he did not believe it was unbiased. Councilmember Burg reported she was unaware the letter was partisan in nature. Councilmember Bauman understood local elections were to remain non-partisan. It was her hope that the entire Council would support a petition that would place this item on the 2016 ballot. Councilmember Jacobsen discussed his 32 years of military service and the value he placed on each resident having the right to vote. He supported moving elections to even -numbered years, as it would provide for a more clear representation of what New Brighton residents truly wanted given the fact there would be a larger percentage of voters. Mayor Jacobsen commented that he would support changing the City elections to even -numbered years. It was his hope that voters would become more involved in local elections, and for local elections to become non-partisan. Page 6 of 9