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RESOLUTION SUBMITTING THE LESTER PARK INITIATIVE ORDINANCES TO THE VOTERS AT A SPECIAL ELECTION TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 3, 2026, AND DIRECTING CERTIFICATION TO THE ST. LOUIS COUNTY AUDITOR
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BY COUNCILOR DURRWACHTER
WHEREAS, on June 23, 2026, two initiative petitions were filed with the City Clerk pursuant to Sections 50 and 51 of the Duluth City Charter, each proposing an ordinance concerning the former Lester Park Golf Course - one concerning approximately 230 acres of the former golf course, and one concerning the approximately 37.5-acre parcel commonly known as the Lake 9 parcel - and each requesting, in its printed text, that its ordinance be submitted forthwith to a vote of the people at a special election; and
WHEREAS, the petitions bear the signatures of thousands of registered City of Duluth voters, and the Clerk’s July 8, 2026, report certifies 4,049 valid signatures for the Lake 9 petition - more than the 3,683 signatures constituting twenty percent of the 18,414 total ballots cast at the last preceding general municipal election; and
WHEREAS, whatever the final disposition of the pending questions concerning the examination and certification of the petitions, the Council has the authority to submit the proposed ordinances to a vote of the people, and the public interest is served by allowing the voters of Duluth to decide these questions at the earliest election the law allows; and
WHEREAS, a special election on these ballot questions may be held on November 3, 2026, the same day as the state general election, in which case the questions appear on the same ballot used at that election - the same polling places and the same Election Day - at little or no additional cost to the City; and
WHEREAS, to appear on the November 3, 2026, ballot, the ballot questions must be certified to the St. Louis County Auditor no later than August 11, 2026, pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 205.16, subd. 4;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Duluth, that:
1. A special election is hereby called and shall be held within the City of Duluth on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, in conjunction with the state general election, at which the proposed ordinances set forth in the two initiative petitions filed June 23, 2026, shall each be submitted to a vote of the qualified electors of the City;
2. The City Clerk, with the assistance of the City Attorney, is directed to prepare the title and language of each ballot question, consistent with the text of the proposed ordinances as set forth in the petitions, and to present the same for any approval required by law without delay;
3. The City Clerk is directed to certify the date of the election and the title and language of each ballot question to the St. Louis County Auditor as soon as practicable, and in all events no later than August 11, 2026, pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 205.16, subd. 4, and to give all notices required by law;
4. This resolution is adopted pursuant to Charter Section 51 and every other authority of the Council supporting it, and its validity does not depend upon the completion of any pending or corrected certification of the petitions; and
5. Nothing in this resolution limits or supersedes any resolution directing the completion of the examination and certification of the petitions, or the Council’s authority to pass either proposed ordinance without alteration before the election.
Statement of Purpose
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: More than 4,000 Duluth voters petitioned to decide the future of the former Lester Park Golf Course at the ballot box. This resolution places both questions before the voters at the November 3, 2026, election - on the same ballot as the state general election, at little or no additional cost - and directs the certification required to meet the county’s August 11 deadline. It takes no position on the merits of either ordinance: it lets Duluth decide.