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CITY OF SAN LEANDRO <br />STAFF REPORT <br />DATE: <br />TO: <br />FROM: <br />BY: <br />December 1, 2008 <br />Stephen Hollister, Interim City Manager <br />Jacqui Diaz, Interim Assistant City Manager <br />APPROVED AND <br />FORWARDED <br />TO CITY COUNCIL <br />Stephen Hollister <br />Interim City Manager <br />Kathy Ornelas, Community Relations Representative <br />SUBJECT PROJECT/PROJECT DESCRIPTION: <br />RESOLUTION AMENDING SISTER CITY AND FRIENDSHIP CITY GUIDELINES IN THE <br />CITY OF SAN LEANDRO COUNCIL MEMBERS HANDBOOK RELATING TO TRAVEL <br />SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION <br />It is recommended that the guidelines within the Council Members Handbook for Mayor or City <br />Council travel to a Sister City or Friendship City be modified to address City funding of such <br />travel. <br />BACKGROUND <br />Analysis <br />In 2005, the City Council incorporated Sister City Guidelines into the Council Members <br />Handbook to establish a policy for adoption and management of Sister City affiliations with <br />cities in other parts of the world. In 2007, those Guidelines were modified to include Friendship <br />Cities. <br />In the past two years, Mayor Santos and Councilmember Stephens both traveled, at their own <br />expense, to visit San Leandro's Friendship City of Yangchun, China. Additionally, Mayor <br />Santos traveled to Ponta Delgada in the Azores Islands on a Sister City visit, also at his own <br />expense. <br />It has been suggested that the City provide funding for travel to Sister Cities and Friendship <br />Cities as the need arises. <br />Staff has drafted proposed changes to the San Leandro Sister City and Friendship City <br />Guidelines in the Council Members Handbook. It is suggested that, whenever possible, the <br />Mayor or Councilmember advise staff during the annual budget preparation period that travel is <br />being requested, so as to be able to recommend funding of the travel in the next Fiscal Year's <br />budget. <br />Another alternative would be for the Mayor or Councilmember to use their respectively budgeted <br />Transportation and Training allocation in lieu of attendance at a conference or training during <br />that fiscal year. Should advanced budgeting not be possible, the City Council, upon <br />