On Tuesday night, the Fergus Falls City Council rejected a proposed spending ordinance brought to the Council by a group of five residents.
During a 15-minute closed discussion with the Fergus Falls City Attorney, Rolf Nycklemoe, the Council came to an almost unanimous decision.
The Council voted 7 to 1 to reject the proposed ordinance, with Randy Synstelien voting in favor.
Last October, a group of five residents formed the Fergus Votes committee in which they had a petition drive, where they collected over 900 signatures, to get the proposed ordinance on the Council’s agenda. Their purpose was to draft a spending ordinance for the city of Fergus Falls, using the Initiation of Measures as outlined in Chapter Six of the City Charter The committee delivered a certified copy of the ordinance to the City Administrator on December 2, 2009.
Even though the Council rejected the proposed ordinance, its not over yet for the Fergus Votes committee. In a blog post on Tuesday night, Daryl Synstelien, the committee leader, they’re just getting started.
As of now, there are several possibilities, all of which will end in Fergus Falls residents voting on the issue, either during a special election between March and July, or during the general election in November.
The special election would be required by the proposed ordinance, and the November general election ballot question would follow the petition for referendum which would occur when the City Council passes an ordinance approving the issuance of bonds by the Fergus Falls Port Authority – likely in August.
