HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Sister City Committee - 12/06/2021 w 1201 Leopard Street
City of Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi,TX 78401
cctexas.com
Meeting Minutes
Sister City Committee
Monday, December 6,2021 12:00 PM City Hall,3rd Floor Engineering Smartboard Room
Regular Meeting
The City of Corpus Christi promotes participation regardless of race, color, national
origin, sex, age, religion, disability or political belief. Reasonable accommodation is
provided upon request and in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. For
assistance or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact (361) 826-3300 at least
48 hours in advance. Upon request, this information can be available in larger print
and/or in electronic format.
A. Call To Order
Chairperson Melody Cooper called the meeting to order at 12:01 PM.
B. Roll Call
Liaison Jacob Warren performed Roll Call.
Present: 8- Susane"Westi" Horne,Almira Flores, Deacon Marck C.Arnold, Melody H. Cooper, Luis
F. Cabrera,Valerie Harbolovic, Mirza Pearson,and Adria Vasquez
C. Public Comment
No public comment was provided for this meeting.
D. Approval of Minutes and Action on Absences
1. 21-1669 Approval of minutes for the 11/08/21 Sister City Committee Regular Meeting
Member Valerie Harbolovic motioned for approval of the minutes from the 11/08/21
Sister City Committee Regular Meeting. Motion was seconded by Member Adria
Vasquez. Motion was approved unanimously.
E. Discussion /Action Items
2. 21-1676 Mexico Sister City Outreach - Mirza Pearson /Valerie Harbolovic
- Had productive zoom meeting with Mexico Sister Cities. Meetings led by Cleo and
City of Corpus Christi Page 1 Printed on 11412022
Sister City Committee Meeting Minutes December 6,2021
were focused more on Playa del Carmen. Food not discussed. Mirza Pearson has family
in Monterrey and will work with them to establish a relationship with the Monterrey Sister
City Program. Veracruz not discussed. Agreed to meet again and Mayor Guajardo is in
full support.
- First Sister City that wanted to re-establish a relationship was Playa del Carmen. They
are requesting a letter from our Mayor to Mayor of Playa del Carmen regarding
re-establishing a relationship. Mentioned a meeting in March 2022 with International
Sister Cities having agreed to be in attendance. Melody spoke with them and they were
completely unaware of a meeting in March 2022. Discussed with Arlene Medrano from
the Mayor's Office and requested that Arlene discuss with Mayor Guajardo. Further
discussions with Cleo are required to proceed.
- Meeting may have been recorded and stored at the San Antonio Consulate.
3. 21-1680 Student Exchange Program -Almira Flores/ Luis Cabrera/Susane Horn /
Valerie Harbolovic
- Safety issues currently exist due to COVID-19. Unsure if Student Exchange Program will
be utilized in 2022.
-Applications were previously emailed to Theresa or delivered to the CVB at the Jalufka
House. Currently hoping to have a City email address created for the committee to help
with credibility. Unsure if this is a possibility or not. Need to discuss topic with IT
Department. More likely that a staff member will have their email assigned to receive
committee emails.
-Applications are currently complete. Waiting for further developments before taking
action. Selections need to happen in March and applications need to be sent out and
collected soon. Hoping to have new liaison to the committee in January.
- If student exchange can't happen due to COVID-19, the committee is hoping to have a
summit instead where students can attend a Zoom meeting and share experiences.
- Suggested a member of the committee serve as a marketing manager for the
committee.
4. 21-1684 Cultural Exchange Program - Melody Cooper/Valerie Harbolovic/ Mirza
Pearson
-Trip to France undergoing planning phase. Lodging possibilities and dates were
discussed. Moving forward with plans to have two pianists from Del Mar College fly to
France for the cultural exchange. Must have Mayor and a Council member attend the
cultural exchange in France as well.
5. 21-1685 60th Anniversary of the Sister City relationship between Corpus Christi, Texas
and Yokosuka, Japan - Mirza Pearson
City of Corpus Christi Page 2 Printed on 11412022
Sister City Committee Meeting Minutes December 6,2021
Currently discussing logistics of hosting the Yokosuka delegation in Corpus Christi. No
action will take place until 2022. Tentative date of July 2022 for the event.
6. 21-1686 Funding Sources - Mirza Pearson /Luis Cabrera
The Funding Sources discussion tied in with the Budget Allocation discussion. All notes
can be found under the Budget Allocation item.
7. 21-1687 Budget Allocation - Melody Cooper/Luis Cabrera/ Mirza Pearson /Valerie
Harbolovic
Committee has determined there is enough funding for the student and cultural
exchanges, however, there does not appear to be enough for the 60th Anniversary Event
with Yokosuka, Japan. Planning to ask for additional funding through various resources
and sponsorships.
F. Identify Items to be placed on January 10, 2022 agenda
Committee members requested discussion on possible marketing strategies for the
January 10, 2022 Regular Meeting.
G. Adjournment
Vice-Chairperson Luis Cabrera motioned for adjournment. Member Adria Vasquez
seconded motion. Motion approved unanimously.
Meeting was adjourned at 1:04 PM.
This meeting may be held via videoconference call pursuant to Texas
Government Code § 551.127. If this meeting is held via videoconference call or
other remote method of meeting, then a member of this governmental body
presiding over this meeting will be physically present at the location of this
meeting unless this meeting is held pursuant to Texas Government Code §
551.125 due to an emergency or other public necessity pursuant to Texas
Government Code § 551.045.
City of Corpus Christi Page 3 Printed on 11412022