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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Sister City Committee - 01/10/2022 w 1201 Leopard Street City of Corpus Christi Corpus Christi,TX 78401 cctexas.com Meeting Minutes Sister City Committee Monday,January 10,2022 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 12:15 pm. B. Roll Call Chairperson Melody Cooper 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. D. Approval of Minutes and Action on Absences 22-0131 Approval of minutes for the December 6, 2021 Sister City Committee Regular Meeting A motion was made by Board Member Valerie Harbolovic, seconded by Board Member Susane Horn, that the December 6, 2021 minutes be approved. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. E. Discussion /Action Items 22-0138 2021 Annual Report - Melody Cooper Chairperson Melody Cooper led the discussion on the 2021 Annual Report. She updated the Committee by stating she would be finishing the report. City of Corpus Christi Page 1 Printed on 21112022 Sister City Committee Meeting Minutes January 10,2022 22-0132 Mexico Sister City Outreach - Mirza Pearson /Valerie Harbolovic Board Member Valerie Harbolovic led the discussion on Mexico Sister City Outreach. The Mayor of Playa del Carmen wanted a formal letter establishing mayor-to-mayor contact. Together, in tandem with Mayor Paulette Guajardo's office, three formal letters were prepared to be sent out later that week in order to foster a re-connection between Sister City mayors. Board Member Mirza Pearson noted that initial contact had been made with Monterrey in November. Contact with the Monterrey Mayor's Chief of Staff had yet to be established, although communication with the Monterrey trade office was made via the U.S. embassy there. Tammy Embrey remarked the group's first step should be getting out the letters to mayors. 22-0133 Student Exchange Program -Almira Flores/ Luis Cabrera/Susane Horn / Valerie Harbolovic Chairperson Melody Cooper led the discussion by asking how realistic the program would be moving forward in the midst of COVID-19, particularly the Omicron variant. Board Member Luis Cabrera shared his concern as well and recommended a virtual version of the program. His concerns included the possibility of parents being too worried about COVID-19 and electing not to apply for the program at all. A motion was made by Board Member Valerie Harbolovic, seconded by Board Member Luis Cabrera, that authorized the Student Exchange Program Subcommittee to explore virtual options for carrying out the program. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. 22-0134 Cultural Exchange Program - Melody Cooper/Valerie Harbolovic/ Mirza Pearson Chairperson Melody Cooper led the discussion by sharing that things seemed to be on track. Melody made a point about the cost of airfare and the donor-acquired funding that should be earmarked for travel. She expressed the benefit of allowing the pianists to book their plane tickets as early as possible, from a cost perspective. There was supposed to be $12,000 in a private fund, raised by donors, with $4,000 earmarked for these tickets. Board Member Valerie Harbolovic will no longer be attending, but Mirza Pearson and Melody Cooper will. Melody asked Tammy if additional funds could be utilized for reimbursing train fare after the event. Melody clarified that in order for this program to be an official event, our delegation had to have a Council member present in Agen. 22-0135 60th Anniversary of the Sister City relationship between Corpus Christi, Texas and Yokosuka, Japan - Mirza Pearson Board Member Mirza Pearson led the discussion of the 60th Anniversary of the Sister City relationship between Corpus Christi and Yokosuka, Japan. She noted the continued efforts to get in contact with the base in Japan. The official date of the event will be settled on once communication has been established. Tammy Embrey noted the upcoming City of Corpus Christi Page 2 Printed on 21112022 Sister City Committee Meeting Minutes January 10,2022 change of command. Melody Cooper suggested July 1-5, but Mirza expressed concern that too many days could be problematic as it was not previously budgeted. A potential alternative of November 9-12, 2022 was mentioned. A motion was made by Board Member Valerie Harbolovic, seconded by Board Member Luis Cabrera, that tasks Board Member Mirza Pearson with working with the base in Japan on two potential dates, July 2-5, 2022, or November 9-12, 2022, for holding the 60th Anniversary event. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. 22-0136 Funding Sources and Budget Allocation - Mirza Pearson / Luis Cabrera Board Member Luis Cabrera led the discussion by remarking that from a budget perspective, there was nothing to report at the moment but that future budget considerations were dependent on the outcome of the Student Exchange, due to the program's cost. 22-0137 Marketing Strategy - Mirza Pearson / Luis Cabrera Board Member Luis Cabrera led the discussion by noting a meeting had yet to take place to discuss this topic. Mirza Pearson remarked that a large focus was intended to be on the Student Exchange Program but noted the difficulties prevalent as we deal with Omicron and COVID-19. Tammy Embrey reminded the group of previous discussions regarding a greater social media presence for the committee. 22-0141 Sister Cities International Invoice Chairperson Melody Cooper led the discussion by reminding the committee of the $1,380 cost for a city of Corpus Christi's size. A motion was made by Board Member Luis Cabrera, seconded by Valerie Harbolovic, that authorizes the Sister Cities International invoice to be paid. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. F. Identify Items to be placed on February 7, 2022 agenda Virtual Student Exchange Program Cultural Exchange Program 60th Anniversary of the Sister City relationship Corpus Christi, Texas and Yokosuka, Japan G. Adjournment Valerie Harbolovic motioned to adjourn, and Almira Flores seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 1:04 PM. City of Corpus Christi Page 3 Printed on 21112022 Sister City Committee Meeting Minutes January 10,2022 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 4 Printed on 21112022