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Newberg council weighs whether to fund sister-city exchanges; staff flags ethics and budgeting constraints
Summary
After a staff presentation assessing Newberg’s two sister-city ties — to Japan (student exchanges) and Poisdorf, Austria — residents urged continuation and renewed fundraising, while staff warned accepting significant hospitality or funding for council/staff travel may trigger OGEC rules requiring a formal resolution.
City staff and residents debated whether Newberg should continue two long-standing sister-city relationships and whether the city should allocate budget for travel and hospitality.
Allison Lisonbee presented an impartial review of the city’s ties to Warayama/Asago (Japan) and Poisdorf (Austria), noting the Japanese connection is largely a student exchange that costs the city little, while the Poisdorf relationship, established about 2007, could entail city-funded travel and an estimated biennial budget of up to $20,000 if the council chose to cover some expenses.
Lisonbee said the relationships’ original mid-20th-century rationales are less compelling in a digital age and urged councilors to weigh cultural and economic value against optics and cost. "I think the decisions for council are to either continue both relationships as they are and allot budget funding," she said in the presentation.
City Manager Will and staff reiterated the absence of a formal city policy governing acceptance of travel or hospitality. Will told councilors that accepting hotel stays or other value above modest thresholds may create an OGEC (Oregon Government Ethics Commission) reporting or approval requirement, and staff recommended clarity on whether travel is a city duty or a voluntary, community-funded activity.
Residents and community volunteers — including longtime participants and school staff — urged the council not to end the relationships. Supporters said past visits were largely self-funded, described educational benefits for middle-school students and noted community plans to form a nonprofit (501(c)(3)) to raise funds so the city would not bear costs. Brandon Slider said his intent is to form a nonprofit to support both sister-city programs and "raise cultural awareness" without asking the city to cover travel.
Council direction and next steps: Councilors expressed differing views: several favored keeping the Japanese student exchange and shifting operational and fundraising responsibility to a community nonprofit; others said if the council or staff accepts meaningful hospitality it should be regulated by a resolution to comply with OGEC guidance. Mayor Rosacker proposed tabling the item and returning it as a work session with draft resolution options tailored to OGEC constraints and to clarify whether the city will allocate any budget.
