Should the Brainerd Council read letters aloud during the council session or simply acknowledge the receipt?
That was an issue before the Brainerd City Council Monday. The letter issue came up in response to a Jan. 17 council meeting when a letter called for an investigation of Council member Kevin Goedker, his possible suspension and removal from office if a violation of state law and city policy occurred related to the ongoing airport commission turmoil.
“I had a lot of people ask me why that was allowed,” Goedker said at a committee meeting. But Goedker said if roles were reversed and he was in the president’s seat he would probably have read the letter himself as Mary Koep did. Goedker was absent for that meeting. He previously served as council president and said it’s hard to say no to public input.
Council member Dale Parks said if someone provides a letter at the council meeting, it could be distributed with the meeting packet materials.
“I don’t think it would be fair to be blindsided,” Parks said, noting if the letter writer had been in the audience, the public may not have been able to speak to the issue. Writing the letter could be a way to get around that, Parks said.
Personnel and Finance Committee Chair Bonnie Cumberland said the council could note the letter writer’s position for or against an issue without reading the letter aloud. If they wanted more than that, Cumberland said the letter writer could seek time on the agenda.
Brainerd Mayor James Wallin, who attended the personnel and finance committee meeting along with Koep, said in the past the council hasn’t allowed late entries to be part of the meeting. “I don’t care if it’s a good or bad letter,” Wallin said. Letters to the council could be placed in the regular packet unless there was a need for immediate action, Wallin said.
Cumberland said the solution may be to keep it simple and note any letter received, but not read its contents as part of the meeting record.
At the full council session, Koep said she could see someone making a legal challenge because they couldn’t attend a meeting and were denied the ability to speak. Governmental bodies typically have a designated period for public comment and may choose to allow public comments or not on specific discussions. Koep said the committee needed to reconsider and get the city attorney involved. Koep said she’d like the committee to address accepting anything at the last minute. Cumberland said they’d reconsider the issue.
RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at 855-5852 or renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com.
