Common Council of the City of Rochester, MN – Controlling Regulatory Framework

In the State of Minnesota, organized municipalities consist of only three basic classifications below the County level: Cities, Townships, and unorganized territories. The only unorganized territory in MN is Fort Snelling, which largely contains the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP).  

Under these three headings, additional divisions exist for how a City or a Town/Township can be organized. To learn more about township structures, visit 2023 Minn. Stat. Ch. 366. 

Cities in the State of Minnesota have two available ways via State law to organize, via Statutory City framework, or via Home Rule Charter City.  

The State of Minnesota Constitution in Article XII allows for the formation of Home Rule Charter Cities. Cities that do not adopt a Home Rule Charter are then Statutory Cities by default and must follow Minn. Stat. Ch. 412. STATUTORY CITIES. Out of the 853 cities in the State of Minnesota, 107 have adopted Home Rule Charters.  

The City of Rochester, MN, is a Home Rule Charter City. Check out the City’s Charter.   

A Home Rule Charter, in the simplest terms, is a constitution for a city. Home Rule Charters have some parameters and cannot conflict with incorporated state and federal law (meaning laws passed that apply to everyone and cannot be legislated over). Home Rule Charters do have the ability to define many aspects of the way an individual city conducts business and serves its residents.  

The City of Rochester’s Charter establishes the Common Council, the Mayor, and the key officers necessary to run the City along with other foundational provisions like corporate powers and boundaries, establishment of Wards, Election regulation, Legislative Process, Police and Fire, Charter Boards with delegated authority overseeing the Library, Parks, and Public Utilities, and more.  

The Common Council has the prescribed power to set its own rules and procedures. The Common Council has adopted the Council Rules of Procedure and Code of Conduct as their guide to effective governance. These rules are rooted in standard practices of parliamentary procedure, as dictated by Robert’s Rules of Order. The Common Council does utilize Robert’s Rules in cases where their adopted rules do not specifically address a procedural or meeting conduct issue.

The Council is comprised of six ward representatives and one at-large representative. The At-large representative also then serves as the Council President and the presiding officer over all meetings of the City Council. Elections are staggered for the body every two years, with Wards 1,3, and 5, along with the Mayor, being elected in the same year, and Wards 2, 4, and 6, along with the Councilmember-at-large being elected in the alternate cycle.

The Common Council’s key policy-making duties include the passing of a bi-annual budget, and the corresponding mid-cycle supplemental budgets, along with setting the Strategic Priorities of the City, which in turn guide all City policymaking down the line. These high-level priorities help guide City Teammates and Administration in prioritizing the vast array of potential projects and initiatives, along with the day-to-day workings of City infrastructure.