Minnesota Attorney General Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of attorney general opinions issued in Minnesota, with full citations and the original source on every page.
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In a Minnesota home rule city where the mayor votes only to break a tie, how do you compute a two-thirds majority for a zoning amendment under Minn. Stat. § 462.357?
Three affirmative votes (out of the four non-mayor council members). The AG concluded the mayor is not counted in computing a two-thirds majority unless an actual tie vote arises. The Minnetonka Beach…
After Minnesota lowered the council-vote threshold for most zoning amendments to a simple majority, can a home-rule charter city still require a two-thirds council vote by its own ordinance?
No. The AG concluded that after the 2001 amendment of Minn. Stat. § 462.357, subd. 2, the statutory majority-vote rule for most zoning ordinances preempts any inconsistent charter or local ordinance. …
Can a Minnesota home-rule charter city vote a council member out of office for missing too many meetings, without taking the question to the voters?
No. The AG concluded that under Minn. Stat. § 410.20 and Art. VIII, § 5 of the Minnesota Constitution, a charter may provide for removal of an elected city official only by vote of the electors, and o…
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Attorney general opinions in Minnesota are written by the Minnesota Attorney General's office in response to questions from state agencies, legislators, and prosecutors. They are not binding like court decisions, but courts and agencies treat them as persuasive guidance on how state law applies. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the full original text.