2011 Hopkins Charter Commission Annual ReportHopkins Charter Commission
Annual Report
2011
The Hopkins Charter Commission met on May 2.
Commission members included:
Dorothy Boen
David Day
Roger Gross
Fran Hesch
Karen Jensen
Roger Johnson
Steve Lewis
Jerre Miller
Emily Wallace-Jackson
The Commission discussed Instant Runoff Elections. Mr. Genellie said that St. Paul will be
conducting its next election using instant runoff voting. He also said that there is a possibility that
Hennepin County will be seeking to replace the current voting machines in the County. New voting
machines may well have the ability to process instant runoff voting.
Mr. Genellie suggested that the Commission consider several technical amendments to the City
Charter. The first concerned Section 3.03, Ordinances, Resolutions and Motions. This section
contains some outdated language regarding amendments to ordinances. The second issue involved
filing periods for Council elections. An amendment was suggested that would bring the Charter into
compliance with State Law.
The Commission authorized Mr. Genellie to prepare a draft ordinance adopting these changes to the
Charter and scheduled a meeting for May 16. Unfortunately, the Commission did not have a
quorum on the 16th. The decision was made to carry over these amendments until 2012.