19880414 Charter Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

. __ c: •, v.^:i;D1i IT.c.I''i y -- %~-i~r1i~I~i.4_Zi- STxTEI'~'.~T•iT - D. Winton Hartman April 14, 1988 rreliminar,y-• to the consideration of the next item on the agenda, L erish to make the following statement for recording into the minutes of this meeting. Since the reactivation and reorgar_ization of the Hastings City C'r_arter Commission eight years ago, two fundamenial principles have guided the deliberations and decisions of the Commission 1) The Commission orould fulfill its responsibilities exactly according to the law and orithin the perimeters imposed by that law. 2) The Commission erould carry out its responsibilities for monitoring the observance of the conditions of the astings City Charter and for recommending improvements to that charter solely on a non partisan basis vrithout any concessions to the political consequences or interests of what, in its opinion it deemed to be in the best interests of the City of Hastings. In the light of those t~•ro principles and in consideration of the question of the need for adjusting ward boundaries, I have requested tine folloi•~ing for the information of the Commission and the people of the City of astings: 1) I requested that the City Attorney prepare a legal opinion as to vrhat are the legal responsibilities of the Charter Commission as regards the matter of adjusting Z~lard Bounda~^i es and urhat, if any legal constraints the Commission must observe in any attempt to achieve the desirable, eo.ual representation of voters and the fulfillment of the United States Supreme Courts decision of "one person one vote" in the case of Reynolds vs Sims and any subsequent decisions. 2) I requested that the Committee on 47ard Boundaries prepare an updated information on the current status of the relative populations of the wards in Hastings and provide any pertinent information on the impact of any significant population variences between t~rards on equal representation of the voters of Hastings as reflected in the votes of the Cit~,r Council.