By Rich Larson
The Northfield City Council unanimously approved the first reading of a City Charter amendment Tuesday night that aims to clarify the timing and process for swearing in newly elected council members and mayors.
Mayor Erica Zweifel said changes to the City Charter are significant and require careful consideration, noting that any amendment must receive a unanimous vote of the council.
“It’s always a big deal when we look at amending the Charter,” Zweifel said. “The Charter Commission has put a lot of thought and work into rewording how things are handled when a new set of councilors and mayors get sworn in.”
According to Zweifel, the previous charter language left room for interpretation. While the existing process was legal, different city officials could read the language differently, leading to variations in how swearing-in ceremonies were conducted.
“This is my fourth swearing-in,” she said. “Every time it’s a little different. It’s all been legal, but it’s how you interpret the language. The Charter Commission brought this forward and makes it very clear about how this should be handled.”
City Administrator Ben Martig said the amendment does not substantially change when elected officials take office, but instead makes the process more explicit and aligns the charter language with state law.
Under Minnesota statute, elected officials may take the oath of office following the first Monday in January. Martig said the revised charter language clearly establishes that if incoming officials have not already taken the oath before the first meeting of the year, the swearing-in will occur as the first item of business before the meeting begins.
“So it’s just much more explicit and also references state statute that calls that out,” Martig said. “This should be crystal clear going forward how it will be administered.”
Martig added that the clarification will help ensure the city has a quorum before conducting official business at the first meeting of the year.
The amendment was developed after extensive review by the Charter Commission, which also sought input from the city attorney. While one commission member expressed a differing opinion, the proposal ultimately received commission approval and unanimous support from the council on its first reading.
A second reading is still required before the amendment can take effect. To accommodate summer schedules and meet the charter’s unanimous voting requirements, the council will hold a special meeting next week prior to its work session to consider final approval.
Rich Larson is the owner and General Manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
