E-mailed response to the Ramsey County Attorney’s opinion on our proposed Initiative Petition language.

Dear John,

Thank you for your opinion on our petition.  Your proposed language change would make our petition totally meaningless; it would allow the County to go to another entity to issue the debt, but it would still have to be paid for with Ramsey County Taxpayer's money.  The County has already wasted over $342,000 of our taxes on the proposed stadium.  Our petition is intended to stop this wasteful spending.

We contend that number 8 under Section 5.01.A of the Charter allows for the language as we originally submitted it:

"8. Adopt, with or without amendment, ordinances proposed under the initiative power."

Additionally, under Section 1.02 of the Charter, "Construction of Powers," the second sentence includes the following:

"... This charter shall be liberally construed within the limits imposed by this charter or the constitution or laws of the United States or the State of Minnesota..."

The opinion clearly is not construing the charter "liberally."  Our petition is intended to restrict only one area, that being expenditures for a stadium to be used for professional sports.  It does not affect anything that the County is normally expected to do. 

Furthermore, there is nothing in the Charter under Section 8.03, "Determination of Sufficiency," that allows the County Attorney and the County Board to render an opinion on the wording of an ordinance proposed by petition.  

We ask you to reconsider your opinion.

Respectfully,

Ady Wickstrom

Rod Halvorson

Dave Brudevold