Saint Augusta To Discuss Extending The Mayoral Term To 4 Years

Saint Augusta's city council will be discussing on Tuesday night whether to extend the Mayoral term from 2 years to 4 years. Currently, the term is set at 2 years, but it has been brought up in general discussion that extending it to 4 years allows the opportunity for leadership to oversee larger projects, like street projects, and the possibility of adding additional city services, like water down the road.

Longer Mayoral Term Up For Discussion

The Tuesday night meeting will include discussion and a possible vote on an ordinance that would see the mayoral term lengthened to 4 years, according to the agenda for the May 5th city council meeting.

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The possible ordinance states that it would: "change the term of office of the Mayor
of the Mayor of the City of St. Augusta from a term of two (2) years to a term of four (4) years beginning with the term of office to commence on January 1, 2027, said changes to be in accordance with Minnesota Statutes Section 412.022."

According to notes on the agenda, the 4-year term "is common in many cities." The new term length would be listed on the next ballot and would go into effect when the winner of that election takes office.

Thoughts From Mayor Schmitz On Possible Longer Term After 2026

I reached out to Jeff Schmitz, the current Mayor of St. Augusta, and the thought behind the possible term change would allow the elected mayor "to focus on city business and not have to campaign every other year."

Mayor Schmitz went on to state that the "current council term is 4 years", and the possible term extension would make both elected positions the same length.

Other Items On The Agenda

The other item of significance on the agenda for tomorrow night's meeting is proposed zoning ordinance updates. You can learn about those here. 

*Paul Shea, the author, is a member of the Saint Augusta Planning Commission

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