Sister Cities

APPROVED 11/09/23 Sister Cities Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes October 12, 2023 14, 2023 ACTION ITEMS 5:30 PM Roll Call and Confirmation of Quorum - In attendance: Laura Combs, Lisa Armstrong, Jim Francis, Cindy Ozaki, Amanda Logan - Quorum reached at 6:00 pm Approval of September 14, 2023 Meeting Minutes - Laura motioned to table meeting minute approval. - Lisa seconded. - Motion passed unanimously. DISCUSSION ITEMS 5:35 PM* Open Seats, Potential New Committee Members - Discussed Non-voting positions and potential Voting positions - Discussed options: INL and business representative Review of FY23 Expenditures - The city finance department is examining the procedure for reimbursement to the associations. - The Sister Cities Advisory Committee maintains a file with lists of current expenditures in order of the receipt dates - The committee has overspent in some lines, but it was intentional. The loss will be recovered when some money from the youth association is redistributed to the adult association. - Reimbursements go to the Adult Sister Cities of Idaho Falls, Inc. or to the Sister Cities Youth Account. - City finance is also examining how to fund the Idaho Falls Sister Cities Advisory Council’s outreach expenditures. - Discussed adding an insurance policy for the Youth and Adult Associations as part of administrative costs. - Projected Cost ~ $395 for liability - Projected Cost ~$800-900.00 Director and Officers Insurance. - Considered ways to pay for the increase in administrative costs - The total cost of hosting the visit is $12,000 (excludes the $2,000 of donated materials) Report from Sister Cities Adult Association - The visit went well. City day was a success and appreciated the phenomenal exposure through the Post Register. Japanese guests enjoyed their visit. - The association intends to write a guide to record what it takes to prepare for a visit. - Discussed dates for future exchange. The association will begin discussing optional dates in January with the sister city. - Description of typical visit: 10 days long, delegations typically 15 members - Asked to consider reserving a slot for IF city directors. Report from Sister Cities Youth Association  APPROVED 11/09/23 - The Halloween virtual costume party for the Japanese Youth is coming up: 6:00 p.m. on Saturday 21st at the Comb’s home. - Interested youth should email Laura Combs so they can begin participating in the bi-monthly meetings. - The next meeting is on Monday, October 16, at the library. 7:00 pm - Description of a typical exchange: The last week of July and the first week of August are the typical dates for the exchange. - Winter Carnival (between Christmas and New Year)- don’t foresee expenses for the winter carnival. - Possible participation in multi-cultural events at the schools. Upcoming Outreach Opportunities for FY24 - Nothing immediately coming up Date and Agenda Items for Next Meeting - November 9th- 5:30 PM in City Hall Chief of Staff Conference Room - Update on the financial process - Discussion of potential committee members - Reflection on the year and set goals for the upcoming year - Discussion on recruitment - Consider the relationship with the JACL ADJOURNMENT 6:45 PM* Adjournment 7:04 pm