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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCAC.2022.0209.Minutes Sister Cities Advisory Commission Meeting of February 9, 2022 1 of 4 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS SISTER CITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION FEBRUARY 9, 2022 1. CALL TO ORDER — Vice Chairman Stumpf Vice Chairman Stumpf called the Regular Meeting of the Sister Cities Advisory Commission held February 9, 2022, to order at 4:07 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL—Vice Chairman Stumpf Present: Nicholas Stumpf, Vice Chairman; Lisa Ristuccia, Commissioner; James Wilson, Commissioner; Zarrin Caldwell, Commissioner; Bev Tall, Commissioner Absent: Enrique Melendez, Commissioner; Carol Carroll, Chairman Staff Grady Miller, Town Manager; Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Present: Assistant 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 September 15, 2021, Meeting Minutes. Moved by Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia, seconded by Commissioner Bev Tall to APPROVE the September 15, 2021, Meeting Minutes. Vote: 5-0- Unanimously 5. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Approval of 2022 Meeting Schedule. Sister Cities Advisory Commission Meeting of February 9, 2022 2 of 4 Moved by Commissioner Bev Tall, seconded by Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia to APPROVE the 2022 Meeting Dates of the Sister Cities Advisory Commission. Vote: 5 - 0- Unanimously 6. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION:Appointing a Commission Chair. Moved by Commissioner Zarrin Caldwell, seconded by Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia to APPROVE Vice Chairman Stumpf as Chairman of the Sister Cities Advisory Commission. Vote: 5 -0- Unanimously 7. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Appointing a Commission Vice Chair. Moved by Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia, seconded by Commissioner Zarrin Caldwell to APPROVE Commissioner Tall as the Vice Chairman of the Sister Cities Advisory Commission. Vote: 5-0- Unanimously 8. UPDATE: Arizona Sister Cities State Conference. Executive Assistant Padgett-Espiritu reported that the conference will be held at the Community Center on April 30, 2022, between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Online registration for the event is available via a link on the town's website. The registration fee of$95 per person includes the conference day, breakfast bar, lunch, and a closing event. The Town will pay the registration fee for any Sister Cities Advisory Commissioner who wishes to attend. 9. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Strategies to involve and engage Fountain Hills Residents Commissioner Caldwell expressed surprise that no members of the general public attend commission meetings. She inquired how to get more residents involved and if there is a specific event at the Sister City Conference to which residents could be invited. The Town Manager responded that the Town can certainly promote the event and try to attract community members. According to him, those who are interested in international relations or travel would find the conference itself to be quite intriguing. He stated that they will collaborate with Bob Burns of the local newspaper and the Community Relations Manager to distribute a press release promoting the event and encouraging people to attend. Sister Cities Advisory Commission Meeting of February 9, 2022 3 of 4 10. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Formation of an International Club. Commissioner Caldwell reported that she and Chair Stumpf were both at the Fountain Hills Leadership Academy and, for the final project, they proposed the idea of forming an international club in Fountain Hills because they realized there are so many people here from different countries and how to generate more interest in all things international. She said they consulted with Town Manager Miller and he suggested starting informally by collecting a group of people in Fountain Hills that are interested in activities and programs related to an international club. She said she and Chair Stumpf created a group on Facebook called the International Club of Fountain Hills. A few of the purposes were to welcome residents to meals from different countries, increase global interest in Fountain Hills, build ties across divides, get to know each other on a one-on-one basis about our common interests, travel, and raise the international IQ for young people. 11. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Decommissioning Belgium as Sister City. Town Manager Miller recommends bringing this item to a future commission meeting with the proper language to terminate the partnership agreement with Kasterlee, Belgium for the commission to act on a recommendation to the Council. 12. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Search for Another Potential Sister City. The Town Manager reported that he, Carol Carroll, and the Mayor met with Paola Vojnovic of Florence, Italy to discuss the potential Sister City designation of Viareggio or Pietrasanta, Italy. When Paola returns to Italy, she will be able to present these Mayors with a letter of introduction from the Mayor describing our city and the commitments we can make through our Sister City relationship. Paola, according to the Town Manager, suggested copying the US Consulate officer so that they are aware, as they help promote relations between the US and Tuscany. 13. ADJOURNMENT Moved by Commissioner Lisa Ristuccia, seconded by Commissioner Bev Tall to adjourn at 5:18 p.m. the Regular Meeting of the Sister Cities Advisory Commission held on February 9, 2022. Vote: 5- 0- Unanimously Sister Cities Advisory Commission Meeting of February 9, 2022 4 of 4 SISTER CITIES DVISORY COM SION Nic as Stumpf, Chairman TTEST AND EP RED BY: Angela Pa ett-Espir u, Execut ssistant 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 9th day of February 2022. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED this 18th day of May 2022. 113,1,. .\( ..0-\_ ti tc21 , Angela dgett-Espirit , Executiv Assistant