08/16/2010 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Regular Council Meeting Minutes 8-16-10 Page 5 Mr. Diemert replied, 2010-24 has always been on. This was part of the recommendations of the Charter Review Commission. 2010-34 is the Marquardt/Parker introduction that is going to be introduced tonight. It's on the agenda for the first time. Is that the one you're suggesting not be rushed? Ms. Butler replied, yes. That is the one that I would suggest that not be rushed. We don't really know the - Mayor Rinker replied, you get no argument from me on that, but I don't vote. Ms. Butler continued, one of the things that strikes me is I feel like our Village and our Council have gotten along well together. And I'm rather confused about how these outrageous amendments really are being presented. And I think to add, if you rush the process of that amendment, the Marquardt/Parker amendment, and put it on the ballot, I think it would heed more distrust and it's not good for the relationship between Council and the citizens to feel rushed on these big decisions. We have time to make big decisions. We can make them at the next election. Finally, I hope before you endorse the amendments that were suggested by the committee, The Charter Review committee, that you will check to see if you are legally required to endorse them. I think you are legally required to put them on the ballot, but I don't tlunlc you are legally required to endorse them. I checked with a lawyer-friend of mine who's involved in city government and he said that the Ordinance committee and the Council are different legal entities and they do not necessarily have to follow in lock step. Thank you. Council President Buckholtz thanked Ms. Butler. Mr. Diemert asked, Mr. President, perhaps I should answer some of her questions. Mr. Diemert stated, first of a11, it was a shame you weren't here last Tuesday because there was a great deal of information, background, constitutional explanations, history explanations, as to why the Charter Review Commission has the authority it does. The voters of this community in the '70's adopted this Charter. It was a vote of the people adopting the requirement that the Charter Review Commission meet every five years, make recommendations and those must go on the ballot. So it's the voters who adopted that requirement. We can't unilaterally override them. This isn't meant to be a debate ma'am, I'm just responding to your questions [stated when Ms. Butler approached the podium]. So this isn't meant to be something that we can say to the Commission, well, some people don't like what you do, so we're going to overrule you and not allow you to put these on the ballot. That's contrary to our Constitution. We have to follow the law. We are a country of law, not of inen. So we follow our laws. Also, you have been misinformed. The Charter Review Commission had 7 out of 8 of their members. There was only one absent person when they made a vote on these recommendations, so at the time that they made this, the 7 who were there, there was one absent and it was unanimous, 7-0. These are all citizens. They are all voters. Many of them have been in this community a long long time. They