Commission Memorandum 169-91 Report on MB Sister Cities A
F L O R I D A 3 3 1 3 9
*%INCORP ORATED* "VACATIONLAND U. S. A. "
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER CITY HALL
1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE
TELEPHONE:673-7010
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM NO.
DATE: April 24, 1991
TO: Mayor Alex Daoud and
Members of the City Commission
FROM: Carla Bernabei Talaric
City Manager 14k
SUBJECT: REPORT. ON MIAMI BEACH SISTER CITIES PROGRAM
BACKGROUND:
Sister Cities International (SCI) is a tax-exempt, non-profit
organization incorporated in the District of Columbia in 1967,
pursuant to the 1956 "People-to-People" program. The association
is supported by private contributions, foundation grants and by
funding support from the U.S. Information Agency and the U.S.
Agency for International Development.
The City of Miami Beach is a member of SCI. Our annual dues are
$375.00. Our officially recognized Sister Cities are: Fujisawa.
Japan (1959) , Ramat-gan, Israel (1971) and Santa Marta. Colombia
(1979) .
SCI members are encouraged to develop support, participation and
funding for exchanges of people, ideas and culture in educational,
institutional, municipal, professional, technical and youth
projects. SCI assists its members with establishing and
formalizing Sister City relations; matching student exchange
grants; technical assistance programs with developing nations;
youth and education programs, special conference programs; and
research and information services. Sister Cities International
also administers the annual Eisenhower International Golf Classic
and Eisenhower Scholarship Program; the Reader's Digest annual
awards programs; the Kanazawa Scholarship - Program for
entrepreneurial exchange, and other training programs. .
The City Commission, in May 1990, discussed at length the Sister
City Program and deferred any action on the item. Since that time,
the Administration has worked to develop a strategy for reinstating
the City's active involvement in the official Sister Cities
organization. A start-up committee of active citizens was convened
earlier this year to explore community interests and benefits.
ANALYSIS:
Active involvement in the successful and effective Sister Cities
International organization can have very positive economic benefits
to the City of Miami Beach. Research and discussions with Mr. Ray
Schultz, Vice President of the national organization, has indicated
strong potential for tourism, education, humanitarian programs and
other areas of economic and cultural exchange.
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Costs, according to Mr. Schultz, can be kept to a minimum, far less
than the $10,000 potential costs discussed at last year's
Commission Meeting. Through member sponsorship and support, costs
of hosting delegations from Sister Cities can be defrayed.
Likewise, it was learned that typically, members of Sister Cities
committees, when they travel, pay their own airfare and the hosting
Sister City at its affiliate organizations pick up the costs of
their stay.
SISTER CITIES COMMITTEE
The success of a Sister City Program will depend on community
involvement. The national organization strongly urges the creation
of a community based committee. A prospective makeup of such a
committee is attached. The role of the committee will be to
formulate initiatives and programs, to develop support, to identify
funding sources and to review and recommend to the Commission
prospective Sister Cities. The committee, if it chooses, may also
apply for 501 (c) (3) non-profit, tax exempt status for the purpose
of conducting fund raising.
The committee members would be appointed by the City Manager with
the advice and consent of the Mayor and City Commission. An ad hoc
committee structure is recommended in order to avoid conflicts with
membership in other committees.
ADMINISTRATIVE RECOMMENDATION
The Administration recommends that the City Commission authorize
the City Manager to appoint members to an Ad Hoc Sister Cities
Committee with the advice and consent of the Mayor and the City
Commission.
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Attachment: Prospective make-up of Miami Beach Sister City Ad-
Hoc Committee
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CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
SISTER CITY COMMITTEE
PROSPECTIVE MAKE-UP
1. City Mayor and one City Commissioner
2. Chairman of the Visitor and Convention Authority
3. Chairman of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce
4. President of the Ocean Drive Property Owners Association
5. President of the 41st Street Merchants Association
6. Chairman of the North Beach Development Corporation
7. President of the Lincoln Road Mercantile Association
8. President of the Miami Beach Resort Hotel Association
9. Executive Director of the Miami Design Preservation League
10. Executive Director of the South Florida Art Center
11. Executive Director of the Miami City Ballet
12. Executive Director of the New World Symphony
13. Two Representatives of the Hotel Industry
14. Two Representatives of the Hospital Industry
15. One Representative of the Banking Industry
16. Two Representatives of the Public Schools
17. One Representative of the Private Schools/Pre-schools
18. One Representative of Miami Beach University of Miami
19. One Representative of the Airline Industry
20. One Representative of the Cruise Ship Industry
21. One Representative of the Retail Industry
22. One Representative of the Marketing/Communications Industry
23. Two Representatives of the Tourism Industry
24. Two Representatives of the Restaurant Industry
25. Two Representatives of the Nightclub/Entertainment Industry
26. President of the Miami Beach Rotary Club
27. President of the Miami Beach Kiwanis Club
28. President of the Miami Beach Jaycees
29. President of the Lions Club
30. Chief of the Miami Beach Police Department
31. President of the Beacon Council
32. President of the Concert Association
33 . Representative of Spectacor Corporation
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