Minutes_Sister City Relationships Advisory Commission 11 16 16 Sister City Relationships Advisory Commission
DATE: Wednesday, November 16, 2016
TIME: 4:00 PM
PLACE: City Hall — Conference Room I, City Hall ANNEX, 1300 Main Street
Minutes
Present: Chairperson Jeff Jochum; Commissioners Sheila Castaneda, Bob Felderman, Dick Landis,
Phyllis Lee, Rachel McDermott, Patrick McNamara, Louise Thum, Annalee Ward Qoined at 4:10 p.m.)
Excused: Council Members Kevin Lynch and Joyce Connors; Commissioner Dik Van Iten
1 . Approval of Minutes from September 14, 2016: Motion by Felderman to approve the minutes
as submitted. Seconded by Thurn. Motion carried 8-0.
2. Financial Report — Firnstahl reported an opening Fiscal Year 2017 amount of$5,680. Less
unpaid expenses of$198.25 (ICMA Fellows dinner), and $765 Sister Cities International dues
leaves a closing balance of$4,716.75. Anticipated expenses include framing of the translation
piece for the two Handan silk scrolls and possible creation of Sister City street signage as
discussed under Item No. 5.
3. Sister City Commission Restructuring: The Commission discussed and edited the presentation
to City Council coming up on November 21 , 2016. Firnstahl will make the revisions and
redistribute the presentation. Jochum, McDermott, Landis and Lee will represent the
Commission at the Council meeting. Jochum and Landis will present. Commissioners Sheila
Castaneda, Louise Thum and Annalee Ward will attend if schedules permit.
4. Handan, China Update and Potential 2017 Delegation: Landis reported on recent
correspondence from Pan Shusheng, Handan Foreign Affairs International Office, conveying
greetings and expressing an interest in sending a delegation to Dubuque in 2017 for exploring
a variety of topics. The Commission discussed opportunities for any events taking place in
2017 such as October's Growing Sustainable Communities conference or educational events.
Firnstahl will look into potential city events.
5. Sister City Street Signage: Firnstahl distributed a rough cost estimate from the Public Works
department for the creation of signage displaying Dubuque's Sister Cities' names and
distances for placement in several approved city locations. Firnstahl noted that any signage
with more involved color or graphics, such as the existing tourist directional signage would
need to be created out-of-house and could cost around $1500. Any proposal would need
Council, City Manager and/or Leisure Services approval. Locations considered are Mississippi
Riverwalk, exterior of City Hall and the interior of the Historic Federal Building. The
Commission thought any unveiling of approved signage could be an opportunity for an
invitational event for the three Sister Cities. Firnstahl will explore information on expanded
designs and costs.
6. Items from Commission - none
7. Items from Staff
a. Library Display Status: The Library Staff has informed Firnstahl that the display could be
removed or updated any time. Currently the Library has nothing scheduled to follow it.
Jochum and Landis will consider a consolidated theme of how our Sister Cities
celebrate the holidays.
b. Francophone/Francophile Cities Network Update: Firnstahl reported that the network
has finalized Dubuque's French Heritage page with information that he submitted.
Firnstahl will distribute the link to the page for review before it goes live.
c. ICMA Fellowship Exchange November 2, 2016: Thurn, Lee and Firnstahl reported on
the recent visit by ICMA Fellows Siegfred Flavino of the Philippines and Kongkeo Sivilay
for Laos. Lee and Thum provided homestays and tours of Dubuque during the stay. A
dinner with some members of the Sister City Commission was held on November 2 at
the Hotel Julien Dubuque.
8. Next Meeting: Tentatively scheduled for January 18, 2017 at 4:00 p.m.
9. Adjournment: Upon motion by Felderman, second by Lee, the Commission adjourned at 5:10
p.m.
Submitted by Kevin S. Firnstahl, City Clerk