CITY CHARTER AMENDMENT - MINNESOTA

Samuels v. City of Minneapolis

Supreme Court of Minnesota - November 10, 2021 - N.W.2d - 2021 WL 5227155

Petitioners sought to correct the language city council had approved for a question on the ballot for a city election.

The District Court granted the petition and enjoined city from putting the question on the ballot as then framed. City council approved revised ballot language, and petitioner moved to strike the revised question from the ballot. The District Court granted the motion. City appealed and filed a petition for accelerated review, which was granted.

The Supreme Court held that petition that proposed to amend city charter to remove language requiring a police department and to establish a new department of public safety was not so unreasonable or misleading as to preclude voters from understanding the purpose of proposed amendment, and thus proposed amendment could be placed on ballot.

Petition that proposed to amend city charter to remove language requiring a police department and to establish a new department of public safety was not so unreasonable or misleading as to preclude voters from understanding the purpose of proposed amendment, and thus proposed amendment could be placed on ballot; the essential purpose of proposed amendment was fairly communicated as it indicated the police department would be removed from city charter and a department of public safety would be established, and the ballot language was not misleading or vague as it stated the department of public safety would use a “comprehensive public health approach,” the mayor and city council would decide the “specific functions” of new department, and the new department “will not be subject to exclusive mayoral power.”



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