Committee votes to set up sister-cities fund through city finance

The Mayor's Blue Ribbon Committee on Sister Cities voted to move forward with an account through city finance so committee funds can be drawn without seeking City Council approval for each withdrawal. Committee member Christie explained the change as a response to trustees who had required Council permission every time money was taken from the trust. The committee’s staff expert and trustees had earlier discussed the administrative burden of putting every small expenditure on the City Council agenda, Christie said. "If we discover that there's someone visiting next week, we can't get on the agenda for city council," she said. She described the finance office as willing to create a sister-cities account but noted a trade-off: interest earned would remain in the city's account rather than be credited directly to a sister-cities endowment. The group discussed tax-deductible treatment for donations. Christie said the committee can provide documentation used elsewhere in City Hall to show donors their gift is tax-deductible: "We should have that available for all of us so that when people do donate and give us money, that we have that ready to send a thank you," she said. Committee members noted that if the committee later received a large, endowment-style gift, they could revisit the trustees' preferences. A motion "that we move forward with an account through finance to set up a sister cities account" was made and seconded and the vote was taken with recorded "Aye" responses; the motion passed. The committee discussed where committee monies typically rest in other departments and agreed staff would follow up with finance to set up the account and the documentation donors would receive. Next steps identified during the meeting included: staff follow-up with the finance office to open the account and to prepare donor documentation; keeping records of past gifts and awards so future gift choices avoid duplication; and preparing guidance about whether the mayor’s or committee’s funds would pay for specific hospitality items when visitors arrive. The committee did not adopt a permanent endowment policy during this meeting; members agreed to revisit the trustees and options if large donations arrive that would warrant different handling.