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269992 � �NF�IITE - CITV CLERK �����i�� PINK - FINANCE COl1I1C1I ��' �' o��'g��"� CANARV - DEPARTMENT G I TY .OF SA I NT PALT L File� NO. BLUE - MAYOR Cou cil esolutio Presented By LICEIvSE COlt�iffTT� ./ Referred To Committee: Date Out of Committee By " Date RESOLVED: That Application P 11�.87 for Class C3-Drive-In H�staurant License, a�plied for by Gilbert and Beryl i�,osenthal at 1��0 :1. Lexin.gton Avenue, be and the same is hereby granted, subject to the followin� conclitions� that the debris be picked up and re- moved daily from the premises, tl�at the grounds be prepared and maintained so as to be dustless and that the sidewalks around the property be cleared of snow and ice during the wi.nter. Drive-In i3.estrictions COUNCILMEN Requested by Department of: ' Yeas Nays Butler Hozza [n Favor Hunt � Levine __ Against BY Roedler Sylvester . Tedesco Adopted b ouncil: Date �CT 2�7 �977 Form Approved by City Attorney Cer ied Pas by Coun i Secretarhr BY 5977 Appr d by Mayor. Dat , ��C+T 3 i Approved by Mayor for Submission to Council B By 4�J3LiS�it� �`�v'd 5 1977 � - „ �� � -- CITY OF SAINT PAUL C�� � � � � �Z r�i� � - . a�, ' .� �1 .� ;. OFFICE OF THE CITa.' COIINCIL -^��:��, ���r� . � . :� �, . � t : �,� z.: :; �� � � �:; �}:: �a t e ; November 8, 197? �-'l:� ..-A.� . . . . ;.V . . � . . . � COMNil1"TEE REP � F��' TO : Saint Paut City Council FROM � Committee on Le�;i�latlon David Hozza , chairman, makes ihe to[Iowing . report on C. F. [�] Ordihance ❑ Resolution � Other . TtTLE : On October 21, 1976 the City Council referred to the Legislation Committee a letter from Council President Sylvester and an opinion from the City Attorney relatin� to the position of constable. . The Legislation Committee 'did discuss the matter, then laid it over pending action from the Charter Commission. The Charter Commission recommended that the offices of constable at lar�,e and for the sixth ward be abolished. On November 8, 1977, the City Council gave final . approval to an ordinance which abolishes the offices of constable, so no further action from the Le�,islation Committee is needed. CITY HALL SEVENTH FLOOR SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA SSi02 �., ,v�.,� FILED No� 8 3 s� PH '�1 c�rr ci�a�fs oF��c� &1" PAUI.MlNN. ��; "�A�ar ( .�"'; t t #: �} �� °t�` a:r + '��;` . # a`,� t, °.a'k � rt K`,�`"4r ,�,,a�.� � $, 3 } j,.n- $�'��r,�4�Y+ ."�"� -r.� . i:r a ae: F� f�4 1 f ra' t � i.�!`��i r� fi.} '` f: ki ,` 1 � � �1 + �� ��� � da� ' ��t,�� 3* ��t ?���, � ,: y3 ;� r���j k yry,�,. E i 't° �,�'y� i+��f ,��& '" �,`��"� ��yi_p V+ ��� �`d � � � 1�. � �.ti � ��� h ����'� .�-a• � �j Y�`,, xv,� � "� �� y ah'` yWi 1 � � a �M > �" r i +, �� +' ,� '�i , i� �, i p ���' �n�d � f i ��' �,F� �� . � Y � r � �1 �� �F + � ,p' �y -���j � F°�ga �; . P� o � '� � v � a Y rr �,�xM � � � � ��7i� KN �n f '� ,�y � ,�" 1 X,� _` ,� � �t �A�'.� � �t �r �'Lk ��d�v��' t � y ,���1 yt ► �" c ; � � ;�r � � p. 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'�s�.�.�;� . ���_,�,'!+r_. z�r�f,rsa,.Sa. �..�.°„5�_�, ��_,��;�v .a,�,ti.�s .a� .,_�'�iy..�.t.t;,.,,. . .�ta.��t �.,._z.s, . ,�' ,,�.���"�s...� .�� � • CITY OF �AINT PAUL � OFFIOE OF THE CITY COIINCIL -�� - ROBERT SYLVESTER Councilman Octobex 18, 1976 Mx. A1 Olson City C1erk's Office Room 386 City Hall Dear A1: Wou1d you please place tfiis letter and the attached City Attorney's opinion relating to the position of constable on the Council's agenda at the earliest possible date. T would suggest that this matter be referred to the Legislation Co�nittee. Cordia ours, o er ylvester Council President RS:da� CITY HALL SEVENTH FLOOR SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA 55102 612/298-4475 O .> �• � ., . ,� . . • C tTY �F SAi NT PAUL ! QF�ICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY Septemhe"r, 23,; 1976 HARRIET LANSlNG � Council President Robert Sylvester Saint Paul City Council ��� 719 Ci ty Ha.l l � � Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102 SEP 2�= ►�i d ; Re: 6th Ward Constable ' CL�tJl�lCiL PR�S3�ti�y� Dear Council President Sylvesters �Q��}r�' SY�,��1�Si�R In the recent municipal election. held April 27, 1976; no person filed for the pasition of constable of the 6th ward pf our city. A write-in ca.ndidate won this position and by letter, dated June 15,. 1976, has resigned tha.t post. This action creates a vaca.ncy in the position. The Council has inquired of us as ta the historical backgr.ound of this position, whether it is necessary to appoint a person to fill the position and the process of doing so. - : The office of constable was first forma.lized in medieval times during the reign of King Edward I of England. For the preserva- tion of the King's peace, it was necessary ta have a resident peace officer �n the growing townships and precincts that co�n- prised the then basic unit of government, the eounty. Most states of the Union carried over this concept .and the position of constable as town and villages grew in America, but most - often made the office an elected position. Minnesota, follow- ing this pa.ttern as to the City of Saint Paul, by Special Laws of 1874, Cha.pter l, created a constable' s pQSitior� for each of the then five wards of the city. Fourteen years later by Special Iaws of 1889, Chapter 423, our present constabulary �ras established with twa constable posi- tions elected at-large for the city and one consta.ble position elected for the 6th ward. This structure still exists although the need for and duties of such a position have been preempted by the rise of our modern police and sheriff departments . The developzn�nt of radio and the telephone system, along with the invention of the automobile, led the public to depend on the police and sheriff departments and use tI�.em for law enforcemen.t protection. Dependency on a resident peace afficer has thus rapidly declined. City 1-�alt, Saint Paul, Minnesata 55102 612 298-512� •� ,. _ i � f Robert Sylvester Page Two t September. 23,. 1976 ; The statutes of Minnesota still vest duties and obliga.tions in ' constables. Du.ties range from enforcing game and -fish laws ` (Minn. Stat. � 97.52, Subd. 1) ; to enforcing Metropolitan Air- f: ports Commission ordinances and regulations (rlinn. Stat. � § 473.608, Subd. 17(2 ; to serving summons and complaints (Minn. Stat. � 357.12� . Our research reveals, however, that each duty of the constable as set forth in various laws is sha.red by other law enforcement officers, such as police, �ame wardens, highway patrol and sheriffs. Even the constables chief source of income, that of serving legal process, has Zon.g been sha.red by countless law clerks, office clerical help, and, indeed, any adult person. Yet the office of constab}.e continues to exist with 'its duties ha.ving been cha.nneled by Zega1 alterna- tives and public expectations and dependency to other agencies, departments and persons. Since the position is provided by statute for the Ci:ty of Saint Paul, it is an elective office under Section 2.0I of the City Cha.rter. Accordingly, when a vacancy in such a municipal office exists, procedures for filling such 'vacanczes are found in Sections 2 .04 and- 2.05 of the Cha.rter, which read as follows: Sec. 2.04. Vacancy. An elective office becomes vacant when the incumbent dies, resigns by a writing filed with the city clerk, is convi�ted of a felony, ceases to reside in the city, or is adjudged incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction. Sec. 2.05. Filling of Vacancies. If an elective office becomes vacant, t e council shall elect a qua.lified voter of the city to fill the same for the rema.inder of �he unexpired term. If a tie vote occ�u.rs in the filling of a vacancy in the office of councilma.n, the mayor shall vote to break the tie. The question arises as to whether the Council must appoint a �erson to fill the constable vacancy, given the use of the verb sha.11" in Section 2.05 of the Charter, or whether the Council properly ma.y leave the position unfilled. The Minnesota Supreme Court, in the case of In re Trus�tee�shi vf First Minnea olis Trust Co. , 202 Minn. 187,��Si3� , state t t provisions which are ma.ndatary in farm .. � . � Robert Sylvester Page Three . 5eptember 23, 1976 : are often held to be directory and those which are dir�:ctory in form are often held to be ma.ndatory, because such wards as 'ma.y, ' 'sha.11, ' 'must' and 'will' are often used without dis- crimina.tion. All of them are elastic and frequently treated as intercha.ngeable." Further, in State ex rel. Laurisch v. Pohl, 214 Minn. 221, 8 N.W. 2d 227 , t e our� sai t t in resolving the problem of the mandatory or directary meaning of a pa.rticular statute, "consideration must be given to the legislative history, the langua.ge of the statute, its subject ma.tter, tlze importance of its provisions, their relation to ' the general object intended to be accomplished by the act, and, finally, whether there is a public or private right involved." Most importantly, the Court stated that "there is no universai rule by which directory provisians in a statute may, under all circumstances, be distinguished from those which are mandatary.:'' The multiple considerations as set forth in Pohl have given the courts wide latitude in deciding various fact s tuatians, and, <- accordingly, it is difficult to predict which factors wi Tl be accented in a particular case and which will not. 0ur research indicates tha.t the courts will hold a particular Iaw to be man- datory rather than permissive if facts are established to support one of the three following (and overlapping) argvments: 1. Tha.t the obvious meaning of the Iaw compels some action to be taken; or 2 . Tha,t the facts involving applica.tion of a law reveal a clear attempt to contravene it; or 3. That the failure to take some action under the Iaw results in the loss of a vital governmental operation. For example, in Brand v. Common Council of Cit of Detrait, 271 Mich. 221, 261 N.W. , t e Commissioner of Par s d the power to appoint a secretary under Detroit's city cha.rter which stated that, "the commissioners shall appoint a secretary. . . ." ' (Emphasis supplied) . The city council did not appropriate funds for the position, and the commissioners assumed the secretary's duties without additiona.l comgensation. The discha.rged secre- tary sued. The argument was advanced tha.t the appointment was mandatory and was beyond interference hy the council. .The court held that .. � ' � . . _ • . P.obert Sylvester . Page Four .September. 23, 1976 the cha.rter was permissive on this point because the action represented "a laudable Endeavor by way of doubling U:p services of essential employees, to the elimination af the nonessential, and thereby adjust expenditures to available means. . . . Such a pos�tion is not an office with salary as an incident, but art employment with compensation fixed by the council." � In Crariak v. Link, 219 Nlinn. 112, 17 N.W. 2d 359 (1944) , our Ifii.nnesota upreme Court dealt with a case where the Secretary � of the Board of Estimation and Taxation of Minneapalis, a civil 7 service position, had to retire because of age. Rather tha.n ` fill the vacancy by civil service procedures as it was a civil ` service job, the board hired the retiree as _"technical consul- tant" with the same duties he ha.d as secretary. The argument was ma.de tha.t the ap�ointment was permissive and not ma:ndatory, : and, therefore, the 'technical consulta,nt" contract was proper. The court, however, said tha.t the cha.rter required that as all checks issued by the board "sha.11 be drawn by the president and secretary of the board," it is mandatory that a proper appoint- ment be ma.de if such checks are to be binding and valid. In State ex rel. Sa � er v. Ma.n ini, 23I Mi�.n. 457, 43 N.W. 2d 775 , our state court dea t with a case involving the non-appointment of the plaintiff-lawyer to the position af first assistant city attorney in Minneapolis. The position was c�v- ered by civil service. The cha.rter provided that "the city: � appoint an assistant city attorneyt� who sha11 be designated as the first assistant �ity attorney. (Etnpha.sis supplied} . Fur- ther, the first assistant was empowered by charter to act as the city attorney in his absence or inability. The court held that while the appointment appeared to be permis- sive in form, it was actuaZly mandatory in tha.t if there were no first assista.nt, there would be no one at all to lead the legal department if the ci�y attorney were absent or unable to act. These cases reflect the court's concern with examining the totality of the circumsta.nces involved before decidin.g the obligatory na.ture of the verbs "sha.11" and "ma.y." Apglying this test to �the issue of whether the Council must` �ill the 6th ward constable pasition, we are of the opinion tha t such action is discretior�ary. Given the histary af the positi.on, _. its apparent lack of importance in servicing present-day needs .: �' w �' • ' . . , . : � t � ' � - � � ' � - � . " _ . , . • . , . . . � . , � Robert Sylvester Page Five September 23, 1976 and the obvious intention that Sections 2 .04 and 2 .05 of the Charter were intended pr'imarily to apply to vacancies in the offices of Ma.yor or Council, we see no obligation to fill this position. Perha.ps the most telling factor is the lack of in- terest among residents of the 6th ward to see the position filled, and it is , accordingly, appa.rent tha.t no public or private interest is left wanting by not filling the vacancy. The Council may wish to request that the two constables-at-large appear before it to exglain wha.t duties, if any, they still per- form. Such information would enable the Council to determine whether failure to ma.ke an appointment wil� impair any vital government services or result in any penalty to anyone. If the Council decides that the position" should be filled, the candidate_ must be a resident of the 6th ward. If e can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. . Y urs truly, � . RRIET LANSING Attorney c i , � PAUL F MC OSKEY � Assistant ity Attorn HL:PFM:er cc:Mayor La.timer City Council Members