## Charter Commission Meeting September 8, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. ## 7071 University Avenue NE ## Agenda ## Call to Order ## Roll Call ## Approval of Agenda ## Approval of Meeting Minutes ## 1. Approval of May 4, 2026 Charter Commission Meeting Minutes ## Administrative Matters ## 2. Updated Member List ## Old Business 3. Chapter 5 Update ## New Business ## 4. Commission Interview Process ## Future Meeting Topics/Communications ## 5. Future Meeting Topics ## Adjournment ## Accessibility Notice: If you need free interpretation or translation assistance, please contact City staff. Upon request, accommodations will be provided to allow individuals with disabilities or those needing interpretation services to participate in City of Fridley services, programs or activities. If you are in need of an interpreter or require auxiliary aids, contact the City at 763-572-3450 at least five business days in advance to ensure arrangements can be made. A solicitud, se darán adaptaciones para permitir que las personas con discapacidades o las que necesiten servicios de interpretación participen en los servicios, programas o actividades de la Ciudad de Fridley. Si necesita un intérprete o requiere ayudas auxiliares, comuníquese con la Ciudad al 763-572-3450 al menos cinco días hábiles de antelación para asegurar que se puedan hacer los arreglos. Markii la codsado, adeegyo caawimaad ah ayaa la siin doonaa dadka naafada ah ama kuwa u baahan adeegga turjumaadda si ay uga qayb qaataan adeegyada, barnaamijyada, ama hawlaha magaalada Fridley. Haddii aad u baahan tahay turjubaan ama qalabka caawiya dadka naafada ah, kala xiriir Magaalada taleefankan 763-572-3450 Page 1 of 14 ugu yaraan shan maalmood oo shaqo kahor, si loo hubiyo in qabanqaabada laguu sameeyo. Raws li kev thov, yuav muaj kev pab tshwj xeeb rau cov neeg xiam oob qhab lossis cov uas xav tau kev pab txhais lus kom lawv tuaj koom tau nrog Nroog Fridley (City of Fridley service) cov kev pab cuam, cov kev kawm, los sis cov dej num sib txawv. Yog koj xav tau neeg txhais lus los sis xav tau lwm yam kev pab, thov hu rau lub Nroog ntawm 763-572-3450 kom tsis pub tsawg tshaj tsib hnub ua hauj lwm ua ntej, xwv kom peb thiaj li npaj tau rau koj raws li lub sij hawm ntawv. Page 2 of 14 ## AGENDA REPORT ## Meeting Date: September 8, 2026 ## Meeting Type: Charter Commission ## Submitted By: Beth Kondrick, Deputy City Clerk Title: Approval of May 4, 2026 Charter Commission Meeting Minutes ## Background Attached are the minutes from the May 4, 2026 Charter Commission meeting for the Commission's consideration. ## Recommendation Staff recommend the approval of the May 4, 2026 Charter Commission Meeting Minutes. ## Attachments and Other Resources ## 1. May 4, 2026 Charter Commission Meeting Minutes ## Vision Statement We believe Fridley will be a safe, vibrant, friendly, and stable home for families and businesses. Page 3 of 14 ## Charter Commission Meeting May 4, 2026 ## 7:00 PM ## Fridley City Hall, 7071 University Avenue NE ## Minutes ## Call to Order Chair Bremener called the Charter Commission meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. ## Present Commissioners Bremener, Gardner, Kisner, A. Nelson, R. Nelson, Reynolds, Rolstad, Schmitz, Smith ## Absent ## Barre, Findell, Karnopp, Linton, Seefeld ## Others Present ## Gary Olsen, Applicant ## Richard Coleman, Applicant ## Approval of Agenda Motion to approve the agenda as presented by Commissioner R. Nelson, seconded by Commissioner Rolstad. Upon a voice call vote with all commissioners voting aye, Chair Bremener declared the motion carried unanimously. ## Approval of Meeting Minutes 1. Approval of April 6, 2026 Joint Charter Commission and City Council Meeting Minutes Motion to approve meeting minutes with correction of adding Councilmember Vescio’s attendance and removing extra listing of Councilmember Evanson’s name by Commissioner Reynolds, Seconded by Commissioner Rolstad. Upon a voice all vote with all commissioners voting aye, Chair Bremener declared the motion carried unanimously. ## Administrative Matters ## 2. Letter From Mayor Ostwald Chair Bremener asked for feedback on the joint meeting with the City Council and how Commissioners felt about Mayor Ostwald’s letter. Page 4 of 14 ## Charter Commission 05-04-2026 Minutes Page 2 Motion for Chair Bremener to draft a letter responding to the Council by Commissioner R. Nelson. Seconded by Commissioner Rolstad. Upon a voice call vote with all commissioners voting aye, Chair Bremener declared the motion carried unanimously. ## 3. Prospective Commissioner Interviews The Commission interviewed two candidates for the open seat vacated by Commissioner Kranz. Motion to appoint Gary Olsen to the open seat on the Commission by Commissioner R. Nelson. Seconded by Commissioner Kisner. Upon a voice call vote with seven commissioners voting aye, one voting nay and one abstaining, Chair Bremener declared the motion carried. ## Future Meeting Topics/Communications ## 6. Future Meeting Topics • Candidate Interview Process and application • Next Chapter to Review – Chapter 6 and Chapter 2 ## • Commission Onboarding Manual • Meeting schedule cadence Motion to add Chapter 5 as number one topic by Commissioner Reynolds. Seconded by Commissioner Kisner. Upon a voice call vote with all commissioners voting aye, Chair Bremener declared the motion carried unanimously. Motion to add review of Chapter 3 by Commissioner Smith. Seconded by Commissioner Reynolds. Upon a voice call vote with all commissioners voting aye, Chair Bremener declared the motion carried unanimously. ## Adjournment Motion by Commissioner Reynolds to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Rolstad. Upon a voice all vote with all commissioners voting aye, Chair Bremener declared the motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:32 p.m. Page 5 of 14 ## AGENDA REPORT ## Meeting Date: September 8, 2026 ## Meeting Type: Charter Commission ## Submitted By: Beth Kondrick, Deputy City Clerk ## Title: Updated Member List ## Background Attached is an updated Member list. ## Recommendation None. ## Attachments and Other Resources ## 1. 2026 Fridley Charter Commission Member List ## Vision Statement We believe Fridley will be a safe, vibrant, friendly, and stable home for families and businesses. Page 6 of 14 ## Charter Commission Membership -OVER- Updated: 12-15-2025 Name/Address Ward Phone Email Appointed Term Exp. ## Mohamed Barre ## 7509 Lyric Lane NE ## Fridley, MN 55432 1 (h) 612-242-1513 (w) 612-348-4997 Junlay99@aol.com 02-06-23 02-06-27 ## Brad Bremener ## 6831 East River Road ## Fridley, MN 55432 3 (h) 574-276-0485 Brad.bremener@gmail.com 1-13-25 1-13-29 ## Donald Findell ## 6850 Siverts Lane ## Fridley, MN 55432 2 (h) 763-571-0467 (c) 612-867-9954 donfinder@aol.com 06-16-97 02-21-01 05-04-05 02-04-09 05-24-13 05-03-17 05-01-21 05-01-25 05-11-01 05-01-05 05-01-09 05-01-13 05-01-17 05-01-21 05-01-25 05-01-29 ## Gregory Gardner 5829 Hackmann Ave. N.E. ## Fridley, MN 55432 2 (c) 901-517-3254 gardnergregg@msn.com 03-01-22 02-02-26 03-01-26 02-02-29 ## Nikki Karnopp 482 Rice Creek Terrace N.E. ## Fridley, MN 55432 1 612-709-6452 nikkikarnopp@gmail.com 02-03-20 02-03-24 02-03-24 02-03-28 ## Steven Kisner ## 5871 W. Moore Lake Drive ## Fridley, MN 55432 2 763-300-8888 spkisner@yahoo.com 01-10-23 01-10-27 ## Dave Linton ## 6521 Clover Place NE ## Fridley, MN 55432 1 (h) 763-571-7431 (c) 763-843-3415 Dwlinton99@gmail.com 05-20-24 05-20-28 ## Audrey Nelson 250 61 st ## Avenue NE ## Fridley, MN 55432 1 763-574-1388 audmnelson@gmail.com 01-10-24 01-10-28 ## Rick Nelson 4624 2 ½ Street N.E. ## Fridley, MN 55421 3 (c) 612-963-2487 rickvan16@hotmail.com 05-12-11 02-13-12 05-27-16 02-21-20 02-21-24 02-13-12 02-21-16 02-21-20 02-21-24 02-21-28 ## Gary Olsen 491 61 st ## Avenue Ne ## Fridley, MN 55432 1 763-377-3717 gary@anokalawn.com 05-05-26 05-05-30 ## Pam Reynolds 1241 Norton Avenue N.E. 2 (c) 763-222-9386 fnpam@hotmail.com 05-12-05 03-22-07 04-04-11 05-01-07 05-01-11 05-01-15 Page 7 of 14 ## Charter Commission Membership -OVER- Updated: 12-15-2025 Fridley, MN 55432 05-04-15 11-04-19 10-02-23 05-01-19 11-04-23 10-02-27 ## Valerie Rolstad ## 1100 Lynde Drive ## Fridley, MN 55432 2 (c) 612-799-5993 valerier13@gmail.com 02-15-17 05-03-17 05-01-21 05-01-25 05-01-17 05-01-21 05-01-25 05-01-29 ## Douglas Schmitz ## 7311 Tempo Terrace NE ## Fridley, MN 55432 1 612-430-5055 schmitzdouglas@gmail.com 01-10-24 01-10-28 ## Natividad Seefeld ## 1106 Onondaga Street NE ## Fridley, MN 55432 2 763-494-1119 Mexicali3367@yahoo.com 11-03-25 11-03-29 ## Kathy Smith ## 7350 Melody Drive NE ## Fridley, MN 55432 1 612-590-4721 Ksmith1883@gmail.com 05-20-24 05-20-28 Page 8 of 14 ## AGENDA REPORT ## Meeting Date: September 8, 2026 ## Meeting Type: Charter Commission ## Submitted By: Beth Kondrick, Deputy City Clerk ## Title: Chapter 5 Update ## Background Chair Bremener will provide an update to the Commission on Chapter 5 and discussions with the City Council and City Manager. ## Recommendation None. ## Attachments and Other Resources ## 1. June 22 City Council Conference Meeting Agenda Packet ## Vision Statement We believe Fridley will be a safe, vibrant, friendly, and stable home for families and businesses. Page 9 of 14 ## City Council Conference Meeting June 22, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. ## 7071 University Avenue NE ## Agenda ## 1. Transportation Funding Requests - Status Update ## 2. Chapter 5 of the City Charter, City Council Discussion ## Accessibility Notice: If you need free interpretation or translation assistance, please contact City staff. Upon request, accommodations will be provided to allow individuals with disabilities or those needing interpretation services to participate in City of Fridley services, programs or activities. If you are in need of an interpreter or require auxiliary aids, contact the City at 763-572-3450 at least five business days in advance to ensure arrangements can be made. A solicitud, se darán adaptaciones para permitir que las personas con discapacidades o las que necesiten servicios de interpretación participen en los servicios, programas o actividades de la Ciudad de Fridley. Si necesita un intérprete o requiere ayudas auxiliares, comuníquese con la Ciudad al 763-572-3450 al menos cinco días hábiles de antelación para asegurar que se puedan hacer los arreglos. Markii la codsado, adeegyo caawimaad ah ayaa la siin doonaa dadka naafada ah ama kuwa u baahan adeegga turjumaadda si ay uga qayb qaataan adeegyada, barnaamijyada, ama hawlaha magaalada Fridley. Haddii aad u baahan tahay turjubaan ama qalabka caawiya dadka naafada ah, kala xiriir Magaalada taleefankan 763-572-3450 ugu yaraan shan maalmood oo shaqo kahor, si loo hubiyo in qabanqaabada laguu sameeyo. Raws li kev thov, yuav muaj kev pab tshwj xeeb rau cov neeg xiam oob qhab lossis cov uas xav tau kev pab txhais lus kom lawv tuaj koom tau nrog Nroog Fridley (City of Fridley service) cov kev pab cuam, cov kev kawm, los sis cov dej num sib txawv. Yog koj xav tau neeg txhais lus los sis xav tau lwm yam kev pab, thov hu rau lub Nroog ntawm 763-572-3450 kom tsis pub tsawg tshaj tsib hnub ua hauj lwm ua ntej, xwv kom peb thiaj li npaj tau rau koj raws li lub sij hawm ntawv. Page 1 of 4 Page 10 of 14 ## AGENDA REPORT ## Meeting Date: June 22, 2026 ## Meeting Type: City Council Conference ## Submitted By: Wally Wysopal, City Manager Title: Chapter 5 of the City Charter, City Council Discussion ## Background The purpose of this agenda item is to provide the Council an opportunity to deliberate on the proposed amendments to Chapter 5 of the City Charter as recommended by the Charter Commission. The Charter Commission spent approximately two years reviewing Chapter 5, which governs the initiative, referendum and recall powers reserved to the people of Fridley. In October 2025, the Commission formally recommended Ordinance No. 1435 to the City Council. The ordinance proposes language modernization throughout the chapter as well as a substantive reduction in the signature threshold required for initiative and referendum petitions from 15% to 5% of total votes cast in the last Presidential Election, a reduction of approximately 67%. The City Council conducted a public hearing and first reading of Ordinance No. 1435 on November 10, 2025. Staff recommended the Council not approve the first reading. The City Manager's recommendation raised a broader question about the Commission's authority to make this particular change. While the Commission has the power to propose Charter amendments, that power is bounded by the Charter's own definition of the Commission's role limited to changes that "enable effective government operations that reflect the values of the voters." The City Manager noted that the Charter does not grant the Commission the authority to determine what those resident values are. That determination rests either with residents themselves through a petition, or with the City Council as the duly elected representatives of the voters. The Commission, as an appointed body, is intended to collaborate in that process, not to act as the sole arbiter of community values. In this case, neither the Council nor staff had received any indication from residents that the existing petition threshold was a concern, making the threshold reduction difficult to ground in a demonstrated expression of resident values. The Council did not approve the first reading. Following the November meeting, Mayor Ostwald wrote to the Commission Chair, reaffirming the Council's interest in dialogue and clarifying that the Council's concern was limited to the signature threshold provisions, as the remainder of the proposed amendments were considered non-substantive. The Commission invited the Council to a joint meeting held in April 2026. At that meeting, the Commission Chair walked through the history of Chapter 5 and explained the Commission's case for lowering the threshold. The Commission argued that gathering signatures under the Page 3 of 4 Page 11 of 14 current requirement places too great a burden on residents, and that the existing threshold is unfairly higher than the 5% required by State law to amend the Charter itself. The goal of making the petition process easier is not a standard recognized by State law (M.S. Chapter 410) or the Charter as a basis for changing petition requirements. The Council should also weigh what a 5% threshold would mean in practice under that standard, a resident could initiate a petition with fewer signatures than the number of votes required to win a seat on the City Council, raising a fundamental question about the appropriate balance between direct citizen action and representative government in Fridley. The purpose of this agenda item is to facilitate a discussion among the City Council related specifically to the reduction to the petition threshold. ## Recommendation ## Attachments and Other Resources ## Vision Statement We believe Fridley will be a safe, vibrant, friendly, and stable home for families and businesses. Page 4 of 4 Page 12 of 14 ## AGENDA REPORT ## Meeting Date: September 8, 2026 ## Meeting Type: Charter Commission ## Submitted By: Beth Kondrick, Deputy City Clerk ## Title: Commission Interview Process ## Background Chair Bremener would like the Commission to consider formation of a subcommittee to discuss the current interview and application process for potential Charter Commission members. ## Recommendation Staff recommend forming a subcommittee to discuss this topic and an update to be presented at the next meeting. ## Attachments and Other Resources ## Vision Statement We believe Fridley will be a safe, vibrant, friendly, and stable home for families and businesses. Page 13 of 14 ## AGENDA REPORT ## Meeting Date: September 8, 2026 ## Meeting Type: Charter Commission ## Submitted By: Beth Kondrick, Deputy City Clerk ## Title: Future Meeting Topics ## Background Future meeting topics requested by Commissioners: • Chapter 5 • Candidate Interview Process and application • Next Chapter to Review - Chapter 6, Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 ## • Commission Onboarding Manual ## • Meeting Schedule Cadence ## Recommendation None. ## Attachments and Other Resources ## Vision Statement We believe Fridley will be a safe, vibrant, friendly, and stable home for families and businesses. Page 14 of 14