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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDApacket__01-18-23_1116_438       NOTICE OF MEETING REGULAR MEETING SISTER CITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION      Chairman VACANT  Vice Chairman Bev Tall Commissioner Zarrin Caldwell Commissioner Marlene Fahrenbach Commissioner VACANT Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia Commissioner James Wilson    TIME:4:00 P.M. – REGULAR MEETING WHEN:WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2023 WHERE:FOUNTAIN HILLS COUNCIL CHAMBERS 16705 E. AVENUE OF THE FOUNTAINS, FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ Commissioners of the Town of Fountain Hills will attend either in person or by telephone conference call; a quorum of the Town’s Council,  various Commission, Committee or Board members may be in attendance at the Commission meeting. Notice is hereby given that pursuant to A.R.S. §1-602.A.9, subject to certain specified statutory exceptions, parents have a right to consent before the State or any of its political subdivisions make a video or audio recording of a minor child. Meetings of the Commission are audio and/or video recorded and, as a result, proceedings in which children are present may be subject to such recording. Parents, in order to exercise their rights may either file written consent with the Town Clerk to such recording, or take personal action to ensure that their child or children are not present when a recording may be made. If a child is present at the time a recording is made, the Town will assume that the rights afforded parents pursuant to A.R.S. §1-602.A.9 have been waived.    REQUEST TO COMMENT   The public is welcome to participate in Commission meetings. TO SPEAK TO AN AGENDA ITEM, please complete a Request to Comment card, located in the back of the Council Chambers, and hand it to the Executive Assistant prior to discussion of that item, if possible. Include the agenda item on which you wish to comment. Speakers will be allowed three contiguous minutes to address the Commission. Verbal comments should be directed through the Presiding Officer and not to individual Commissioners. TO COMMENT ON AN AGENDA ITEM IN WRITING ONLY, please complete a Request to Comment card, indicating it is a written comment, and check the box on whether you are FOR or AGAINST and agenda item, and hand it to the Executive Assistant prior to discussion, if possible.             Sister Cities Advisory Commission Meeting of January 18, 2023 1 of 2 1.CALL TO ORDER – Vice Chairman Tall     2.ROLL CALL – Vice Chairman Tall     3.CALL TO THE PUBLIC Pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.01(H), public comment is permitted (not required) on matters NOT listed on the agenda. Any such comment (i) must be within the jurisdiction of the Commission, and (ii) is subject to reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions. The Commission will not discuss or take legal action on matters raised during Call to the Public unless the matters are properly noticed for discussion and legal action. At the conclusion of the Call to the Public, individual commissioners may (i) respond to criticism, (ii) ask staff to review a matter, or (iii) ask that the matter be placed on a future Commission agenda.     4.CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Approval of the minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 21, 2022.     5.CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Appoint of a Commission Chairman.     6.CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Appoint of a Commission Vice Chairman.     7.DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Selection of a New Sister City.    8.NEXT MEETING DATE: Wednesday, May 17, 2023.    9.ADJOURNMENT     CERTIFICATE OF POSTING OF NOTICE The undersigned hereby certifies that a copy of the foregoing notice was duly posted in accordance with the statement filed by the Sister Cities Advisory Commission with the Town Clerk. Dated this ______ day of ____________________, 2023. _____________________________________________  Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant   The Town of Fountain Hills endeavors to make all public meetings accessible to persons with disabilities. Please call 480-816-5199 (voice) or 1-800-367-8939 (TDD) 48 hours prior to the meeting to request a reasonable accommodation to participate in the meeting or to obtain agenda information in large print format. Supporting documentation and staff reports furnished the Commission with this agenda are available for review in the Town Manager's Office.    Sister Cities Advisory Commission Meeting of January 18, 2023 2 of 2 ITEM 4. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT    Meeting Date: 01/18/2023 Meeting Type: Sister Cities Advisory Commission Agenda Type:                   Submitting Department: Administration Prepared by: Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant to Manager, Mayor/Council Staff Contact Information: Request to Sister Cities Advisory Commission (Agenda Language):  CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Approval of the minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 21, 2022. Staff Summary (Background) The intent of approving meeting minutes is to ensure an accurate account of the discussion and action that took place at the meeting for archival purposes. Approved minutes are placed on the town's website and maintained as permanent records in compliance with state law. Staff recommends the APPROVAL of the minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 21, 2022. Attachments September 21, 2022 Meeting Minutes  Form Review Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 01/09/2023 09:25 AM Final Approval Date: 01/09/2023  TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS SISTER CITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION SEPTEMBER 21, 2022            1.CALL TO ORDER – Chairman Stumpf    Vice Chairperson Tall called to order the meeting of the Sister Cities Advisory Commission at 4:01 p.m.   2.ROLL CALL – Chairman Stumpf Present: Bev Tall, Vice Chairman; Zarrin Caldwell, Commissioner; Marlene Fahrenbach, Commissioner; Lisa Ristuccia, Commissioner; James Wilson, Commissioner  Absent: Nicholas Stumpf, Chairman; Enrique Melendez, Commissioner  Staff Present: Town Manager Grady E. Miller; Executive Assistant Angela Padgett-Espiritu  3.CALL TO THE PUBLIC Pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.01(H), public comment is permitted (not required) on matters NOT listed on the agenda. Any such comment (i) must be within the jurisdiction of the Commission, and (ii) is subject to reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions. The Commission will not discuss or take legal action on matters raised during Call to the Public unless the matters are properly noticed for discussion and legal action. At the conclusion of the Call to the Public, individual commissioners may (i) respond to criticism, (ii) ask staff to review a matter, or (iii) ask that the matter be placed on a future Commission agenda.    No one from the public spoke.   4.CONSIDERATION OF Approving the May 18, 2022, Meeting Minutes       MOVED BY Commissioner Marlene Fahrenbach, Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia to APPROVE the minutes of the May 18, 2022, regular meeting of the Sister Cities Advisory Commission.   AYE: Vice Chairman Bev Tall, Commissioner Zarrin Caldwell, Commissioner Marlene Fahrenbach, Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia, Commissioner James Wilson    5.CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION on Proposed 2023 Meeting Dates       MOVED BY Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia, Commissioner Marlene Fahrenbach to APPROVE the 2023 meeting dates of the Sister Cities Advisory Commission.   AYE: Vice Chairman Bev Tall, Commissioner Zarrin Caldwell, Commissioner Marlene Fahrenbach, Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia, Commissioner James Wilson    6.UPDATE on Council Action to Terminate Sister City Status with Kasterlee, Belgium       Town Manager Miller noted that the action to end Sister City status with Kasterlee, Belgium began with the commission and then went to Council with the Sister Cities Advisory Commission's recommendation to discontinue the relationship. He stated that a letter was completed and sent to the Mayor of Kasterlee informing him of the intention to end the Sister City association. He stated that the Fountain Hills Sister Cities Corporation had been notified and that a copy of the letter had been provided to Arizona Sister Cities and Sister Cities International. He stated that the Town has done all of the follow-ups from the time it was recommended to Council to take action and then following up on the action. He indicated that the Town will remove all Kasterlee-related street signs and that the Community Relations Director will strive to remove any references from websites. Commissioner Caldwell expressed her support for the decision but inquired whether the town had heard from anyone at Kasterlee. Town Manager Miller responded that the Town, along with the Sister City Corporation, had made several attempts in the eight years that he has been here, and the only time they heard from Kasterlee was when their current Mayor informed them of the passing of Kasterlee's former Mayor, who was instrumental in establishing the Sister City relationship.     7.DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION on New Sister City Selection Matrix       The Sister City Selection Matrix was discussed by Commissioner Wilson. He explained that he felt it was crucial to develop such a tool and that it was essential to bring objectivity to the decision-making process. He suggested that a more effective tool could assist them in determining whether a city is a true match. He indicated that the Fountain Hills Sister Cities Corporation and this Commission are discussing replacing Kasterlee with a new sister city partnership. He noted that the matrix contains five potential categories of evaluation criteria for comparing and contrasting cities. He cited demographic, geographical, environmental, cultural, civic, educational, economic, commercial, political, and governmental parallels. He stated that he wanted to guarantee that there were sufficient categories to support the selection procedure. How to identify and evaluate the long-term potential of the partnerships was added as a potential action item for the commission by Commissioner Wilson. This is the subjective portion of the matrix, he added. Someone may weight something more or less than another individual, and they would need to reach a consensus on the weighting ratings for these various aspects. Commissioner Wilson noted that the next version will include not just all the data he has collected thus far, but also data for Pietrasanta. He stated that he will conduct data mining and collect as much information as possible for Pietrasanta and include it here. He noted that he could add another city under consideration in Canada, apply the same thing, and compare the two cities side by side.  He stated that another version of the matrix will be distributed by Executive Assistant Espiritu. Among the commission's comments were "it is always beneficial to have both objective and subjective tools" and "they appreciate what Commissioner Wilson has done and believe this is a tool they can employ." No Action was taken.   8.DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION on Pietrasanta, Italy Delegation       Town Manager Miller reported that the Mayor's Assistant Valentina reached out to Mayor Dickey, Christine Colley, and a few other individuals regarding the possibility of their Mayor visiting our town in November 2022. He stated that the town had an internal discussion over the visit of the mayor of Pietrasanta and if a translator would be required. He stated that before they could answer to Valentina, she sent an email noting that the visit had not yet been confirmed and that the mayor still needed council approval. Valentina suggested that three artists might join their mayor on this trip, and an exhibition would be part of their itinerary. According to Mr. Miller, it made sense for them to participate in the Fall Festival hosted by the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce. He stated that they had suggested this to Valentina and are currently expecting a response. Town Manager Miller, proposed the idea of sending a small group of representatives from the Town to Pietrasanta, possibly in the months of February or March 2023. The Mayor, the President of the Fountain Hills Sister Cities Corporation, and the Chair of the Sister Cities Advisory Commission might make up the delegation in such scenario. No action was taken.     9.REPORTS BY COMMISSIONERS AND TOWN MANAGER       Among the items addressed were the following: Asia and Africa are two continents that I believe should be considered for inclusion among the potential sister cities, in addition to western Europe. Young people who participate in school exchanges may develop a perspective that alters their lives forever as a result of seeing the diversity that exists in the world. Even though their social and economic systems might not be comparable to ours, some countries may really be able to help as well with exchanges and everything else; it all simply depends on which country and which systems those might be. The humanitarian implications of having sister cities are something that can be a very positive thing. It might even provide stability for a country that hasn't been stable just to have support, and it helps with a better understanding, which is what it's all about, so it's a win-win situation.   10.ADJOURNMENT    MOVED BY Commissioner Marlene Fahrenbach, Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia to ADJOURN the regular meeting of the Sister Cities Advisory Commission at 5:04 p.m.   AYE: Vice Chairman Bev Tall, Commissioner Zarrin Caldwell, Commissioner Marlene Fahrenbach, Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia, Commissioner James Wilson    SISTER CITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION ____________________________ Bev Tall, Vice Chairman             ATTEST AND PREPARED BY: ______________________________  Angela Espiritu, Executive Assistant    CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Regular Meeting held by the Fountain Hills Sister Cities Advisory Commission in the Town Hall Council Chambers on the 21st day of September 2022. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED this 18th day of January 2023.                                                                                         _________________________________                                                                                          Angela Espiritu, Executive Assistant ITEM 5. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT    Meeting Date: 01/18/2023 Meeting Type: Sister Cities Advisory Commission Agenda Type:                   Submitting Department: Administration Prepared by: Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant to Manager, Mayor/Council Staff Contact Information: Request to Sister Cities Advisory Commission (Agenda Language):  CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Appoint of a Commission Chairman.  Staff Summary (Background) Form Review Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 01/09/2023 09:31 AM Final Approval Date: 01/09/2023  ITEM 6. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT    Meeting Date: 01/18/2023 Meeting Type: Sister Cities Advisory Commission Agenda Type:                   Submitting Department: Administration Prepared by: Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant to Manager, Mayor/Council Staff Contact Information: Request to Sister Cities Advisory Commission (Agenda Language):  CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Appoint of a Commission Vice Chairman.  Staff Summary (Background) Form Review Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 01/09/2023 09:33 AM Final Approval Date: 01/09/2023  ITEM 7. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT    Meeting Date: 01/18/2023 Meeting Type: Sister Cities Advisory Commission Agenda Type:                   Submitting Department: Administration Prepared by: Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant to Manager, Mayor/Council Staff Contact Information: Request to Sister Cities Advisory Commission (Agenda Language):  DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Selection of a New Sister City. Staff Summary (Background) Attachments New Sister City Selection Criteria  Form Review Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 01/09/2023 09:47 AM Final Approval Date: 01/09/2023  ITEM 8. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT    Meeting Date: 01/18/2023 Meeting Type: Sister Cities Advisory Commission Agenda Type:                   Submitting Department: Administration Prepared by: Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant to Manager, Mayor/Council Staff Contact Information: Request to Sister Cities Advisory Commission (Agenda Language):  NEXT MEETING DATE: Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Staff Summary (Background) Form Review Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 01/09/2023 10:14 AM Final Approval Date: 01/09/2023