AgdaPkt 2017-10-23 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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6.1.F. - Page 2 Sister City delegations, interns and other visitors; promoting international understanding as a member of Sister City International, the non-profit membership organization which registers and coordinates Sister City linkages between communities in the U.S. and cities worldwide; and advancing cultural, educational, economic and social awareness. The City has been very fortunate to collaborate with RCI to facilitate the City's Sister City and Friendship City relationships. The City of Redwood City has been active with Sister Cities and Friendship Cities since the 1990s. In 1992, with the help of RCI, the City affiliated with its first sister city, Zhuhai, China. Since then, the City has affiliated with two other Sister Cities: Colima, Mexico (1998) and Ciudad Guzman, Mexico (2013), and two Friendship Cities: Aguililla, Mexico (2013) and Quinyuan, China (2015). The City has sent delegations and have hosted Sister City and Friendship City delegations over the years. ANALYSIS Staff believes that it is appropriate to establish Sister City and Friendship City guidelines to formalize and define best practices and processes. City staff has historically followed an informal process in establishing and managing its Sister City and Friendship City relationships based on best practices from Sister Cities International and Redwood City International processes. Sister City and Friendship City affiliations involve official City evaluation, recognition and participation. To better establish the duties and responsibilities of the City, RCI, and community sponsoring organizations, City staff has developed Sister City and Friendship City Guidelines (Attachment 1). These guidelines address the following topics: • Proposal and selection process in establishing new Sister City and Friendship City affiliations; • City recognition of collaboration with RCI; • City responsibilities and staff support for programs; • Official visits, travel and gifts; • Terminating Sister City and Friendship City affiliations; and • Placing a Sister City affiliation under emeritus status. Once adopted, staff will refer to these guidelines for future Sister City and Friendship City initiatives going forward. This will strengthen our community partnerships and will enhance the overall program. ALTERNATIVES The City Council may elect not to approve the Sister City and Friendship City Guidelines or may provide edits to the guidelines. FISCAL IMPACT No fiscal impact.