The Minneapolis lawyer who advised the city council when it changed the city charter in 1994 spoke to the charter commission Monday regarding a new round of proposed changes to the charter.

His thoughts on the proposal?

David Kennedy said the point of a charter should be to provide a document of long-term substance, something that can be interpreted in the same way through good and bad times. It should be &uot;general principles,&uot; he said.

He said he thinks Albert Lea’s charter, the document that is the basis for city government, is good as it is, but also provided the framework for how changes can be made.

First, the commission can approve the amendments and send them to the city council. Then, if the city council votes non-unanimously to pass it, it is sent for a public referendum. If it passes those three steps, it can be changed. If the council passes it unanimously, then the amendment is put on, only to be taken off by reverse referendum.

The proposed changes, which have been offered by a group known as the &uot;Think Tank,&uot; would give the mayor a four-year term instead of two years; allow the mayor to communicate with city employees at any time; require performance reviews twice a year for the city manager; have terms of appointment for the city manager to be renewed after performance appraisals; have the city manager do bi-annual reviews of department heads and officials; and have a long-term plan for the city that includes business, people, community and revenue.

Think Tank members were positive about Monday night’s meeting, which was a follow-up to one a month before.

Tony Trow, who spoke on behalf of the group, answering questions from the committee, said that his group’s focus is to make the city council more accountable and increase the communication between the city, the community and within the city government.

Commissioners Mark A. Anderson and Niles Shoff both made arguments against the changes. Anderson, a two-time candidate for mayor, argued that a charter needs to be definite in all times and that putting a long-term plan into the charter would defy that role. He argued that times change and the charter should be able to stand those changes.

Shoff, a former mayor, argued that the two-year mayoral term should stand. City Manager Paul Sparks explained that having the mayor on two-year terms gives the public the ability to change the majority of the council every two years &045; something that is important, especially if the public isn’t happy with the direction of the city.

Though other commissioners also argued against he proposals, Trow said he felt positive about the meeting.

&uot;We did see some of the commissioners are interested in our changes,&uot; Trow said. He said he thinks the commission could approve the proposals and send them to the council, but, if not, he’s not going to go down without a fight.

&uot;We’re not going to quit,&uot; he said.

Trow and others from the group have said they will collect signatures for a petition for charter changes. If they collect at least 5 percent of the total number of voters from the last election, they can bring it to a referendum.

Trow said a referendum, which would take place in November, would give he and others ample time to campaign for the changes.

The commission will meet again, likely within the next 30 days, to discuss the proposals further and possibly take action.