Hopkins boards address ranked-choice voting petition, downtown zoning changes

The Hopkins Charter Commission took up a citizen petition that could bring ranked-choice voting to city elections, while the Planning and Zoning Commission held public hearings on reclassifying cannabis sales and other businesses downtown. The actions came during recent meetings for which minutes were not yet published.

Charter Commission: Ranked-choice voting petition

The Charter Commission met July 1 and considered transmitting a petition to the City Council. The petition seeks a charter amendment to implement ranked-choice voting for Hopkins city elections. To move forward, the petition must contain at least 479 valid signatures from voters in the 2024 state election. The City Clerk will certify the signatures, and the City Council could consider ballot language as early as July 14, according to the agenda.

Planning and Zoning: Cannabis, short-term rentals

The Planning and Zoning Commission held public hearings June 23 on two development code amendments. One would reclassify cannabis sales, off-sale liquor stores, and tobacco shops as conditional uses in the MX-D downtown district, adding a public review process. The other would make short-term rentals a permitted use in neighborhood zones. The commission also planned to elect officers for 2026-2027 and recognize outgoing members. No votes were reported because minutes had not been published.

Park Board: Central Park groundbreaking and field plans

The Park Board met June 22 to review park updates. Members discussed the May 4 Central Park groundbreaking ceremony and saw a construction map. They also considered a possible 4-plex ball field at Maetzold Field that could involve relocating playground equipment. Burnes Park received new field and playground sand. Upcoming events include a garden plot kickoff May 9 and a garlic mustard removal and native planting at Shady Oak Pond on May 17.

Coming up

No city meetings were listed on the Hopkins municipal calendar for the next 14 days.

Generated from official meeting agendas and minutes — every underlying document is linked from the city page. Read the primary source before you rely on a detail.