##VIDEO ID:vXytBAegrgk## e e e e e e e e e e e e it comes back on hello everyone um and welcome to the sister cities Commission meeting on Monday evening uh December 2nd 2014 we're in the council chambers here at City Hall um beginning at 5:15 p.m. uh my name is Tom schmidtz and uh I have official called this meeting to order we will begin um and the first item on the agenda is a big thank you we want to go on record um in thanking commissioner Jeremy Reid uh Jeremy is not here at the moment but Jeremy Reid has served the citizens of this community uh more than an entire term on the sister City's commission and he is uh not going to be on the commission beginning in January of 2025 so a big thank you shout out to Jeremy Reid for your all your past help thank you um the next item on the agenda is a roll call and we'll begin on my far left uh with Jane everyone please introduce your name and your position for the record please Jane mday hcky dick SEO Vice chair Carn Marty Smith Larry Mack Tom Schmid's uh chair of the commission at this time Ellie Sweeney John boror Ron wendinger Brian philson Kathleen backer mayor wonderful thank you we've got a lot of Commissioners here and appreciate the mayor mayor's attendance also this evening so next item on the agenda 3.1 we're going to work on the election of officers for next calendar year of 2025 um and how we'll do this is I'll call for nomination from the floor a few times and then we'll do a a vote and so forth the first one on the agenda appears to be chair uh I would call for any nominations um from the floor of Commissioners here for chair of the sister cities commission next year in 2025 I nominate Tom schmidtz I'll second that I think he would do an excellent job I think I think so too me too okay so we have one nomination from the floor um any other nominations uh for chair next year on the commission please step to the podium gentlemen um we have a spectator with us this evening state your name and address for the record please I'm Terry Sweeney I live at 904 North Minnesota in new home my question is can a city counselor be the chair of a commission cuz you will be a city counselor come the first of the month Ah that's a great question we think the answer is yes um and if for some reason uh the things change uh we will address that in the future all right that's what I needed to hear thank you all right our final call for nominations from the floor for chair next year any other nominations from the floor please okay we will uh call U we we'll close the nominations for chair um so I think um we'll go right into voting on that um so motion to cast a unanimous ballot from Mr schmidtz second okay all those in favor of that motion please signify by saying I I I oppose same sign motion carries okay thank you we'll move on to Vice chair of the commission for 2025 next year dick seuth has been our vice chair this past year in 2024 I'd call for nominations from the floor for vice chair please I nominate Dixie booth for vice chair sister cities do we have a second for that nomination I'll second that okay so we have uh consummated one nomination any other uh nominations for vice chair uh next year please any other nominations for vice chair Final Call for other nominations of Vice chair next year okay so we have one um and then I think what we'll do is we'll call for a vote on that we've got a nomination in a second for dick SE booth next year as Vice chair all those in favor of that nomination please signify by saying I I iose same sign motion carries thank you very much dick and the final um nomination for next year election of officers is uh secretary uh notetaker we've got a vacancy for that position in uh 2025 so I would entertain any nominations from the floor for Secretary of our fine commission for next year I nominate um my our newest adoped Miss Ellie Sweeney for uh Secretary of sister have we have a nomination any seconds to that nomination second from dick SE Booth Okay so we've got one nomination any other nominations from the floor for secretary next to your final call for another nomination for 2025 secretary okay so we have one nomination um we will then call this to a vote all those in favor of the nomination on the floor signify by saying I hi hi oppose same sign motion carries unanimously thank you very much Ellie appreciate it everyone appreciates it D Kern all right we'll move on to item four approval of the minutes uh you they've been in the packet I would entertain a motion to approve the November 4 2024 um general meeting minutes of the sister cities commission all up for a motion to approve the minutes as presented second please uh there's a correction oh I have a correction okay I was absent how about if we get a second and then we'll make the corrections I think okay um I'll second but let school all right now we're on the discussion phase what uh sort of uh under absent I should be listed I can't get mine I was in Germany okay let's take a look at that um absent yes so we've got the members um the roll call uh Jane is not on there right so absent from last month's meeting we should uh change those minutes and duly denote thank you very much um we will have make sure that Jane mday hulky is mentioned as absent from last month's meeting any other disc discussion that answered my question that I had earlier you do want listed who was absent from the meeting m in yeah I think so so who do we have today absent just so I have it right right great question uh Jeremy Reid okay and Tony berick 2 4 six 8 nine yes cuz there's 11 Commissioners on this commission and then do I just let Lisa pelo know to correct it to at last month's minutes thank you very much any other discussion on the motion on the floor which is to approve the minutes from last month with this uh correction okay no more discussion then we'll call it to a vote all those in favor of the motion on the floor please signify by saying I I oppose same sign motion carries unanimously thank you very much we'll move on to item five the financial report you've seen that in the packet um I have nothing uh additional to point out uh so I would entertain a motion to approve the financial report um with the date ending November 30 2024 I'll move the financials as presented there's a motion do we have a second please I'll make a second Jane second wonderful any discussion on that motion we have here related to the financials any discussion no okay then we will call it to a vote all those in favor of the motion please signify by saying I I I opposed same sign motion carries unanimously the financials are approved we'll move on to item six the hos cultural Exchange program uh we do have one application that has been submitted to uh City Administration here up at City Hall um in uh we saw that information come out previously by email to us I read through it all and it looks very impressive I think to me um we don't need to take any action on this item but we could certainly discuss it any comments or discussion related to the one official application we have in so far when does that subcommittee meet to address the uh applicant or applicants yes I think it's open until is it the end of the year or the end of December end of December December so so the subcommittee needs to meet early in January for correct discussion purposes yes that is correct maybe should be meet at the end of December so it can be brought forth at the January meeting let's see here that would be the 6 is our meeting January 6 um well what is the deadline is the deadline the end of the year the application deadline is let's try to figure that out so you really can't meet before then correct so you're you're you're almost looking at February meeting before you're going to they'll have to meet in January sometime to discuss it to give them some time set up interviews with them yeah well it's possible for the subcommittee to meet before our meeting on the 6th there are some days before then and you're going to be kicking it down the street till February for sure if well I mean if they have application deadlines not till the end of the year you got to set up appointments with or interviews well you got to at least look at them and if you know you can't say at the end of the year okay can you come here in the next two days I mean I I think February is a reasonable timeline corre oh I believe it yeah what I would say at the February meeting have an idea before we well I mean we'll have the applications you know on the 6th of January and then but that's when the committee do interview stuff and then they bring to the February meeting their recommendation correct yeah and then hopefully you know on the 6th we can give some dates to Lisa to hopefully line up some interviews whether they're in person or or through zoom and we'll line up to see what uh meeting spaces available here at City Hall so well I think the committee can at least schedule any applicants for an interview before the February meeting and bring your recommendation to the February meeting correct okay that that I think that's reasonable okay yeah that will keep the process rolling yes sounds great and I'm bringing up okay the applicant I don't know if we can say this over the air or not um but we do have everyone has received that information on the commission um her name is Martha Bal Bal baly yes what was that name again sir I didn't hear you Martha baly B ALG and she has applied in the past um and the information we've received so far is very uh impressive I thought so what what I'm saying is we've got one strong applicant and uh we've got time available yet for the other applicants to come in if there's any other applicants for the outbound and then we did receive a little information from Al n Al deand about the uh potential inbound participant that we be hosting next year and they're working on that and they've got some ideas and uh things seem to be coming together with our sister city over there in deuts sister cities maybe this would be a good time to put in we have an article remember we talked about putting an article in to Lifestyle magazine lifestyle section at the journal and you all got my letters I wrote to Kurt he he answered back back so he has all of the things that I sent to all of you and then Travis Ros now is going to be writing the article for us so he called me and he asks some questions about it so we kind of need to decide exactly what we want to have in it he certainly liked the pictures and he liked the little writeups that each kid gave you you all read that right we good okay so is is that what we want because we're going to have to have a section in there about how to apply don't you think we should have that what do we send okay so where do we get that letter from cuz I haven't given him that yet how does that go the uh so so we summer language Camp no not for this is for somebody applying applicants right so we talk about sister cities and we have the intervie we have all the written interviews that I got from the interns that sent me things I which I thought were fabulous I hope you all read them and then but definitely we need to have at least a paragraph on how to apply right and who has that and have that information okay yeah so the focus is going to be the hos Exchange program to the article so we will and they're giving us a full page that's fantastic well we could ask Lisa to submit that de clay for the journal oh that's a good idea keep me out of it the information that we're requesting for all the applicants and and tie it to the story okay yeah that sounds great we're going to have a big push here for the hos Exchange program a promotion and advertising um so dick this is what dick said to me he gave him all the information of the backstory but it was 10 pages long so Travis didn't exactly know where to go with it so dick said he would get back to him and tell him what parts to select about the about how this came into being and he was going to put that in then he adds the section of all of our interns where they wrote all those little lovely letters and then if we add the last part this is how you would apply does that sound like a complete that sounds reasonable we're good with all of it okay yes yes do we have a timeline for what week of the no he didn't know yet he said in when I talked to him last week I suppose before Thanksgiving he said in two weeks he'd be getting out so we need to do that this week sometime I think okay and the hos subcommittee consists of council Mack myself and then of course the vice chair dick SE Booth um we along with Carolyn we can make sure that the journal has plenty of information for this uh um feature article and if anybody has any pictures that I don't have like from the oldest the people who been you know I only have since I've been involved which is 2012 so that's when the pictures start sounds great so uh big push on this if you have information or photos please forward those uh to myself or Lisa pel or both we'll make sure it gets uh funneled to the journal okay any other comments or topics related to the hos Exchange program if not we can move along to Old business 7.1 is the uh potential German language day Camp um that in the past has been for youths there's a lot of information in the packet we haven't conducted this summer day camp for quite a number of years uh possibly a decade um and we have a subcommittee um which of course Carolyn's on I think Ellie is on also Ellie Sweeney there could be room for another um and of course Dixie booth and I are are interested in how things pan out um so it's really a matter of continuing leg work on whether or not this is possible uh we don't have to do things like we've done in the past I think it's entirely up to the staff uh the the day camp director and and uh people helping with the director on this on how they want to frame this and how they want to set this up you know um I don't think we need to um Force anything on them as far as how it would be organized or set up or structured I think it's entirely dependent upon uh the staff that organizes this any other comments or topics on this or discussion on this topic somebody talked to me was it you Ellie somebody has a German kid coming is it Tom was it you that you have the oh that's right tell them that that's a good thing I have Kim and I have a niece coming from tubigan um the second half of the summer it's like August and September uh so she would very much be interested in assisting with this I don't think we would I know we would not place you know call her a director uh but she may be the lead instructor or something like that um so that's a possibility for a member of the staff yes I mean that's still we think it's going to happen but it's uh quite a ways off uh she's planning to come stay with us for a couple months but any other you know we certainly need Jane said she would join the committee with us okay all right Jane's willing to be on the committee thank you um and so it's really a matter of structuring it and uh you know determining how this thing is going to play out if it's a half a day for a week or two weeks you know however it you want to I would say continue working on it and you know call if if Calling official subcommittee meetings would have to go through leasa pelzel and administration and and uh publicize that in days in advance here um but a number of uh individual tasks can be worked on outside of an official meeting um is my understanding any other discussion related to the potential youth summer language Day Camp you know budget fully to be determined um and uh and so on um Mr chair do we have any other instructors that have an interest of being involved in it or I'm not aware of any at this point um I think we need to continue reaching out to this um the uh you know primary schools secondary schools postsecondary schools in the area in the region um and hopefully the subcommittee and others can work on that okay if there's nothing else related to that we will move on to 7.2 um our annual recognition award and I'll turn it over to that subcommittee of John voror and and Ryan philson to lead us on some discussion and potential action commissioner philson commissioner vork yes well we had we have set up uh the subcommittee subcommission um for the of this month um I know we want to have the award in January um we usually put the meeting just before that and then have the U recognition after that uh I don't know if we can if we still want to have it in January can still have it after the meeting still be in January a different date and we've done it later too yes so it's not I don't think that the month is is the big deal I don't so I mean if we want to do it in February we do it in February yeah but yeah we're meeting next week to to look at some nominees for that sounds good I think we'll need to schedule this room it needs to be an official published publicized meeting coordinate that with um Lisa pelzel up in the admin office um and then uh notice will get out to the public including the entire commission and uh the meeting will be led by the subcommittee yes members week members of the subcommittee wonderful thank you and was that date the 11th I believe it's the 11th that that Wednesday whatever that Wednesday is okay we did have some discussion on um uh we've had we've we've awarded it every year with the exception of one and I think that was Co um do we have to have somebody every year if we don't have enough how do I I don't know how to put it um well you look at the list I mean we've had a lot of great people that were recognized and a lot of those people are still heavily involved and uh I mean is it something we have to do every year or I mean is it a timely thing when we feel that we should recognize somebody I guess I or is it something that was set up that yes definitely every year we should recognize someone I don't know that's a great question um one of my comments would be not to duplicate um well no and that's where we have I know there there was one name being um discussed previously and I see that individual already on the list um and then the question about whether this award has to be a reped annually I have no idea I wonder if the mayor has any idea or anyone has any idea of whether this is mandatory award annually I don't know that it's mandatory the only observation I would make is that if this commission recommends that they want don't want to make that award this year I don't know who would oppose that decision but maybe we have to look through path records to find out what the what the Mandate is there is one sounds great thank you mayor I would charge um okay Ellie I had thought about um I and I don't know if you've done this in the past doing somebody after death but Keith Roloff family him we've done that before polyn y y yep um so I would charge the subcommittee to check with City Administration on whether there's rules or regulations required uh revolving around the mandatoriness of this award you're going to check on rules and regulations that's kind of not my area annual basis I don't deal with rules so got and then the commission certainly should forward ideas um to the subcommittee and to all of us which I've asked already and I can get some response but if there's any more we we'd certainly appreciate it yes correct we can't make a decision um in a vacuum or um you know online or through emails but ideas can certainly be shared uh via email so please forward those um thank you can I just say this about the one of the one of the people that I recommended I he got the ward back in 1999 that's like 25 years ago and this person I've been involved in s with sister city since 2012 this person has consistently done things besides that giant lion that he bought for that small lion he bought for us last time I I'm just not sure a reason why we couldn't award somebody something again is there a rule about not awarding somebody twice I mean it's not like 25 years ago you think anybody even remembers that except for having it written down I'm putting my word for him I I think that would be a although Ellie's suggestion was very good I didn't think of that suggestion either but 25 years ago is a long time person consistently helps with sister cities and does things for sister cities and if we decided to go with the people from Europe that I also suggested it would be nice since they're related to him ulie is to put it all together in a little packet and it wouldn't have to be done until I don't think there's anything that says we have to do it in the winter is there like couldn't we do it in the summer sometime is there any reason I don't think there's any said month we have to do it so anyway I liked Ellie's idea so I I mean I was dead scent on talking you into my idea but but since that's I mean if we don't okay but if we do I I think the three of them would be a nice packet I a nice way to do it and and Justified look at those letters we received Rec recomending this those people in Germany and to recognize somebody in Germany is kind of a cool thing and if we take another trip we could maybe send it along one year I the year that we wanted to do it we were going to send it along with Terry on a on a the trip and then we had to change the laws in sister cities or the rules in sister and we did we changed the rules so this so we could recognize people who consistently done well for sister cities in Europe for us personally not for them for us mhm great discussion uh again maybe looking into the rules and regulations revolving this award revolving around this re award um and seeing if there's any what the records are up an admin with that but it's it's good to have maybe more nominees yes I I agree than we you know feel we want to award at one in one year M um so great discussion any other disc discussion related to this topic of our sister cities award I mean the only other one I'll mention is that um our host work site this year of 2024 um was also awarded in the past yes um and uh you know host work sites I think do a fair amount of heavy lifting for our commission so that's just another um comment directed to the subcommittee anything else related to the award discussion if not we'll move on to new business item 8 8.1 committee preferences um okay so every commissioner is recommended to also sit on a subcommittee and so so please I don't know if we're going to take action on that here and now or if it's typically did didn't we usually um have it we' fill out a form a form and which ones that we uh the subcommittees and then everybody could put their choice like one two or three yeah yeah and then Tom you will tabulate it yeah so we got in the packet um the list of committee assignments for this year 2024 advertising committee hos exchange committee recognition committee and the German language Camp committee there's four committees denoted in our packet [Music] um okay Al righty well uh we will make certain that um an email comes out from admin related to the committee assignments um for next year and then at our next meeting we will plan to formalize those yeah you see in the packet here um the various sub commit committees have an entire page related to their duties so to speak so come prepared at for the next meeting to uh solidify um our assignments of 13 no 11 Commissioners onto these uh four subcommittees um okay any other comments or discussion related to our committee structure on the commission okay then we're nearing uh the end of our agenda here I see the next item is number nine announcements and there's information in the packet just to REM you know to keep ourselves um well-versed and refreshed on the open meeting law requirements um including especially those related to our board and commissions um and then as we email or correspond uh we want to make sure that we copy Lisa palel up in City Administration on everything um so that because she's the repository of our records and um Commissioners come and go but City admin is here for the Long Haul there will always be City Administration and they're the repository of our records so please keep City Administration through Lisa pel um a breast on all of our Communications and actions and uh discussions any topics or uh any any discussion related to that topic I think it's pretty you know clear that we're a public entity and that we um are certainly Bound by the open meeting laws and the transparency necessary um of any government at any level any questions or comments related to this topic okay well then um I'm not aware of any other business before us um any other final comments or thoughts before I adjourn the meeting silence befalls the commission okay well thank you all again for your commitment to the uh citizens of the city of New Alm and all of our various um programs so I declare this meeting adjourned and happy holidays to all oh