HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDApacket__09-21-22_1139_368
AMENDED
NOTICE OF MEETING
REGULAR MEETING
SISTER CITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION
Chairman Nicholas Stumpf
Vice Chairman Bev Tall
Commissioner Zarrin Caldwell
Commissioner Marlene Fahrenbach
Commissioner Enrique Melendez
Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia
Commissioner James Wilson
TIME:4:00 P.M. – REGULAR MEETING
WHEN:WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2022
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 September 21, 2022 1 of 2
1.CALL TO ORDER – Chairman Stumpf
2.ROLL CALL – Chairman Stumpf
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 OF Approving the May 18, 2022, Meeting Minutes
5.CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION on Proposed 2023 Meeting Dates
6.UPDATE on Council Action to Terminate Sister City Status with Kasterlee, Belgium
7.DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION on New Sister City Selection Matrix
8.DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION on Pietrasanta, Italy Delegation
9.REPORTS BY COMMISSIONERS AND TOWN MANAGER
10.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 13 day of September 2022.
_____________________________________________
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 September 21, 2022 2 of 2
ITEM 4.
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: 09/21/2022 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
OF Approving the May 18, 2022, Meeting Minutes
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 Recommendation(s)
Staff recommends approving the minutes of the meeting on May 18, 2022.
SUGGESTED MOTION MOVE to approve the minutes of the meeting on May 18, 2022.
Attachments
May 18, 2022 Sister Cities Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes
Form Review
Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 09/12/2022 12:37 PM
Final Approval Date: 09/12/2022
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS SISTER CITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION
MAY 18, 2022
1.CALL TO ORDER – Chairman Stumpf
Chairman Stumpf called to order the meeting of the Sister Cities Advisory Commission at
4:05 p.m.
2.ROLL CALL – Chairman Stumpf
Present: Chairman Nicholas Stumpf; Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia; Commissioner
James Wilson; Commissioner Marlene Fahrenbach; Vice Chairman Bev Tall
Absent: Commissioner Enrique Melendez; Commissioner Zarrin Caldwell
Staff
Present:
Town Manager Grady 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 AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Approval of the February 9, 2022, Meeting
Minutes
MOVED BY Vice Chairman Bev Tall, SECONDED BY Commissioner Marlene
Fahrenbach to APPROVE the February 9, 2022, Meeting Minutes
Vote: 5 - 0 - Unanimously
5.UPDATE: New Commissioner
The Commission welcomed new Commissioner Marlene Fahrenbach.
6.UPDATE: on the April 30, 2022, Arizona Sister Cities State Conference
Among the comments made by commissioners on the Arizona Sister Cities State
Among the comments made by commissioners on the Arizona Sister Cities State
Conference are:
The Honorable Mayor of Cusco, who captivated the audience with his speech,
added an international dimension.
The Diplomatic Core introduced a dimension not before seen at conferences.
Required extra breaks
Appreciated that the conference was a one-day affair.
Overcame obstacles using Keynote Speaker alterations
Commendations for Sister Cities Corporation
We would propose to avoid serving appetizers at the conclusion of the event.
Could have benefited from more time to interact with the presenters.
7.DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Discontinuing Relationship with Sister City
Kasterlee, Belgium
MOVED BY Vice Chairman Bev Tall, SECONDED BY Commissioner Marlene
Fahrenbach to APPROVE discontinuing the relationship with Sister City Kasterlee,
Belgium.
Vote: 5 - 0 - Unanimously
Town Manager Miller reported that the Commission makes a formal recommendation to
discontinue the relationship. Next, the town Manager would add language to the
Council’s agenda advising the of the attempts that have been made to regenerate the
relationship and that Sister City Kasterlee, Belgium has not demonstrated any interest,
and therefore the Sister Cities Advisory Commission is recommending to terminate that
relationship. After an action has been taken by the Council, the Mayor sends a letter
from herself on behalf of the Town of Fountain Hills to the Mayor of Kasterlee advising
them of this. Next, there is a waiting period of approximately four to six weeks to allow
for a response from the Sister City. Then, we notify Sister Cities International after we
have gone through the process with a copy of the letter sent to the Mayor of Kasterlee,
along with a letter requesting that they remove the Sister City partnership between the
two cities from their directory.
8.DISCUSSION OF: Ordinance Establishing Sister Cities Commission
Town Manager Miller reported on the history of the ordinance establishing a Sister Cities
Commission. He said that he had recommended forming a commission because sister
city relationships are between the cities, and typically the highest office holders play a
key role; the Mayors of both cities. He said that he thought it was very important
because when you do sister city relationships, they're intended to be for life. He said that
he met Sharon Morgan with the Sister City Corporation. He said that Sharon Morgan
used to head up the Sister Cities Corporation and was a previous Mayor of the town. He
said that when she was Mayor, a lot of these sister cities were formed and she was
cautious and skeptical, and he saw it as a nice balance. He said that he saw the great
history of the corporation and the wonderful things that they had done and that if it wasn't
for them and Mayor Jerry Miles at the time and then Sharon Morgan, when she was
mayor, we wouldn't have had these sister cities. He said that he wanted to continue that
tradition and ensure at the town level that they continued these relationships. He said
that this is why it mentions three members of the Association are also to be Commission
members. He said that he would like to keep that limited because there have been
occasions when our only business is talking about the corporation business. He said that
occasions when our only business is talking about the corporation business. He said that
they want to keep the communication going between the two, and so one of the things
that we do have on the agenda is the Reports by the Commissioners and Town
Manager. He said that is the opportunity, if there are any other board members from the
Sister Cities Corp or any of you to talk about anything that either you want on a future
agenda or if you want to give an update to the commission to hear about something that
the Sister City Corporation is doing or something that you think is something we need to
know. He said that if there's something that comes up that you think we need to have
action on or more of a formal discussion, then let the Chair know, and then the Chair can
put it on as a separate agenda item.
9.DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION on Pietrasanta, Italy as a potential Sister City
MOVED BY Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia, SECONDED BY Commissioner Marlene
Fahrenbach to APPROVE Pietrasanta, Italy as potential Sister City.
Vote: 5 - 0 - Unanimously
Town Manager Miller reported that they had met with a lady from Florence, Italy, and
sent her letters of a proposal from the town. He said that one was for the Mayor of
Pietrasanta, Italy. He said that the lady from Florence, Italy offered to bring an
information kit, plus a letter of introduction and interest on the part of our Mayor to the
Mayor of this community. He said that they were interested but we do not have anything
in writing at this time. He mentioned that they have a lot of artists and sculptures, like
our town. He mentioned that they would put together a delegation between the
Corporation and the Commission that could go there and see if it is a fit and to see if this
is something that they are truly interested in.
10.REPORTS BY COMMISSIONERS AND TOWN MANAGER
Vice Chair Tall reported that if they may want to do another exploratory sister city it
would help if they had criteria on how to choose.
Commissioner Ristuccia reported $35,000 or $37,000 for Ukraine and then, at the
conference, Mesa agreed to give the $500 from their board. She mentioned that there is
a fundraiser on the 26th at Mountain View Kitchen at 5:30 p.m. She said that they were
going to have a board meeting prior to the event. She said that it would be a thank you
to the community for their support and she believes that Christine Colley is paying for the
meals and suggested a donation of $35 that will go towards Ukraine. She said that it has
been mentioned that the US government will allow 100,000 refugees from Ukraine and
about possibly sponsoring a Ukrainian family. One of the places that we are sending
funds to is called Step by Step, which helps provide residential pavilions for the
refugees. She said that Victoria is a mother of seven children from Ukraine, with the
youngest refugee, her son, 10 months old, and the second oldest is Isaiah, who is 3
years old and has cerebral palsy, and they found shelter and support from Step by
Step.
Commissioner Wilson reported that he connected with a gentleman by the name of Bob
Burns at the Fountain Hills Times. He said that he connected him with a friend of his,
who, in the last month or so, took his two weeks of vacation and went to a border town in
Hungary and helped with putting together shelters. He reported that there is a small
Hungary and helped with putting together shelters. He reported that there is a small
subcommittee on the board that's meeting to talk about the modernization of their
website. He said that there are a lot of pros and cons associated with the current
system. He said that the team is putting together a statement of work that will go out for
a quote. He said that they are putting together a list of requirements so that the
developer, whoever they choose, knows exactly how they want this to lay out structurally,
as well as artistically, and functionally. He said that the design is centered on delivering
the message of who they are and what they do, as well as driving people to important
funding mechanisms. He mentioned that although they receive $10,000 from the Town,
it is not enough to get them to their dream and the vision that Christine Colley has going
forward with the group. Lastly, he said that he is working to build criteria that will help
with choosing a sister city.
11.ADJOURNMENT
MOVED BY Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia, SECONDED BY Vice Chairman Bev Tall to
ADJOURN at 5:28 p.m. the Regular Meeting of the Sister Cities Advisory Commission
held on May 18, 2022.
Vote: 5 - 0 - Unanimously
SISTER CITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION
____________________________
Nicholas Stumpf, 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 18 day of May, 2022. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a
quorum was present.
DATED this 21 day of September, 2022.
_________________________________
Angela Espiritu, Executive Assistant
ITEM 5.
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: 09/21/2022 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 on Proposed 2023 Meeting Dates
Staff Summary (Background)
Sister Cities Advisory Commission Proposed 2023 Meeting Dates
The Commission Meets on the Third Wednesday of the Month at 4:00 PM
January 18
May 17
September 20
Attachments
Proposed 2023 SCAC Meeting Dates
Form Review
Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 09/20/2022 09:19 AM
Final Approval Date: 09/20/2022
11/29/2021
Sister Cities Advisory Commission
PROPOSED 2023 Meeting Dates – Third Wednesday of the Month - 4PM
January 18
May 17
September 20
ITEM 6.
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: 09/21/2022 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): UPDATE on Council Action to
Terminate Sister City Status with Kasterlee, Belgium
Staff Summary (Background)
Town Manager Miller presented to the Town Council on the September 6, 2022 Town Council Regular
Meeting:
The Town of Fountain Hills established its first sister city relationship with Kasterlee, Belgium, in 1999.
Kasterlee was originally selected due to its similarity to Fountain Hills in population, community
characteristics, and location to a major metropolitan area. For a number of years, the sister city
relations between Kasterlee and Fountain Hills have become dormant, even with attempts by the
Fountain Hills Sister Cities Corp. and the Town of Fountain Hills to resurrect civic and cultural relations.
Due to the inactivity and unsuccessful attempts to resume relations, the Fountain Hills Sister Cities
Commission voted to recommend terminating the sister city partnership agreement at its meeting on
May 18, 2022. Assuming the Town Council wishes to terminate the sister city status, the next step
would be for the Town of Fountain Hills to formally communicate the termination of the sister city
status to the Mayor of Kasterlee, Belgium, and to Sister Cities International. There is interest on the part
of the Sister Cities Commission and Fountain Hills Sister Cities Corporation in developing sister city
relations with other potential sister cities, so it makes sense to formally terminate the sister city status
with Kasterlee.
The Town Council APPROVED.
Form Review
Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 09/12/2022 12:50 PM
Final Approval Date: 09/12/2022
ITEM 7.
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: 09/21/2022 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 on New Sister City Selection Matrix
Staff Summary (Background)
Commissioner James Wilson will review the New Sister City Selection Matrix.
Attachments
New Sister City Selection Matrix
Form Review
Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 09/12/2022 12:53 PM
Final Approval Date: 09/12/2022
Fountain Hills Sister Cities
New Sister City Selection Matrix
Purpose:
This tool is intended to capture the necessary selection criteria to judge one city against others in the selection process of matching
Fountain Hill's characteristics. It seeks to normalize and objectify otherwise subjective determinations of city matches based
on personal preferences or less than quantifyable measures.
Raw Score Normalized &
weighted score Raw Score Normalized &
weighted score Raw Score Normalized &
weighted score Raw Score Normalized &
weighted score Raw Score Normalized &
weighted score Raw Score Normalized &
weighted score
Population 25000 20000 6000 68000
Population Density
(residents per sq mi)1174 848 470 5400
Average age of residents 59 28 46 42
Ethnic diversity (Score
1= min, 10= max )9
Shared heritage or familial
ties
Primary/secondary
language familiarity
Distance to nearest
international airport (mi)25 90 53 43
Cost of travel ($ to/from)
Lakes, Mountains, Rivers
City to Consider
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Current Sister Cities
Judgement Criteria
Criteria Weighting
(1 least important
10 most important)
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Art or Historical Museums
or Sites (count)2
Theatres (count)1
Libraries (count)1
Music or Dance Groups
Civic Organizations (Rotary,
Lions, et)
Communications (radio,
newspaper, etc)
Sports (water, golf, etc)
Educational (pre‐K, K‐12,
post‐secondary)
Hospitals, health facilities,
social services
Chamber of Commerce
(Y/N?)
Dominant business
Tourism and attractions
Lodging (total rooms)
Restaurants (count)
Annual festivals/events
(count)
Wealth per capita
Annual Business Sales ($)
Future growth initiatives
Diplomatic Presence (Y/N?)
Visa to visit (Y/N?)
Type of national
government
Distance to Embassy (mi)
Political stability
Degree of cooperation with
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ITEM 8.
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: 09/21/2022 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 on Pietrasanta, Italy Delegation
Staff Summary (Background)
Form Review
Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 09/12/2022 04:01 PM
Final Approval Date: 09/12/2022
ITEM 9.
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: 09/21/2022 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): REPORTS BY
COMMISSIONERS AND TOWN MANAGER
Staff Summary (Background)
Form Review
Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 09/12/2022 04:02 PM
Final Approval Date: 09/12/2022