Title
Welcoming Gainesville (B)
This is a request for the City Commission to adopt a Resolution designating Gainesville as a Welcoming City and become a part of the Welcoming America Network.
Explanation
At the February 5, 2015 City Commission meeting, the City Commission approved a referral to the Recreation, Cultural Affairs and Public Works (RCAPW) Committee on Gainesville potentially becoming a “Welcoming City”. Welcoming cities support locally-driven efforts to create more welcoming, immigrant-friendly environments that maximize opportunities for economic growth and cultural vitality and position communities as globally competitive, 21st century leaders. Led by Welcoming America and launched in June 2013, the Initiative convenes U.S. city and county governments to share good ideas, develop new tools, and receive recognition for efforts to create more welcoming communities that improve the quality of life and economic potential for all residents.
The RCAPW Committee initially discussed this topic on March 12, 2015 and continued discussion with interested citizens and representatives from Welcome America through January 2016. On February 18, 2016, the City Commission heard a presentation from citizen stakeholders on the work they had done to organize the non-profit, Welcoming Gainesville, Inc. The City Commission approved the designation of Gainesville as a Welcoming City and asked that a formal resolution be brought forward.
City staff has worked with the City Attorney’s Office to prepare the resolution based on the draft prepared by Welcoming Gainesville. Questions were raised about the impact to the City of a resolution joining the Welcoming America network. Welcoming Gainesville has established itself as a community based non-profit organization dedicated to leading community efforts to make Gainesville an even more welcoming community. As such, Welcoming Gainesville will fulfill almost all of the responsibilities of Gainesville becoming a Welcoming City (similar to Gainesville Sister Cities for the Sister City Program).
Welcoming America requires that Welcoming Cities do the following as included in a commitment form:
• Advance a municipal or county-level proclamation or resolution declaring our locality to be a welcoming one,
• Find ways to institutionalize welcoming efforts through the adoption of policies and practices that promote inclusion within local government and the broader community,
• Join a cohort of cities and counties that have pledged to become more welcoming,
• Appoint at least one key municipal staff contact for the project,
• Participate in three conference calls each year to share and learn from promising practices from other Welcoming Cities and Counties, and
• Participate in an annual in-person meeting with other Welcoming Cities and Counties (dependent upon available travel resources).
City staff believes these requirements are all readily achievable through the efforts of Welcoming Gainesville with minimal City staff time needed interacting with Welcoming Gainesville and occasionally Welcoming America. The City’s efforts to become the most “citizen-centered” city in the world will also assist the City to become a more welcoming city by making the City government and processes more user-friendly and easily understandable to all.
City staff checked with Welcoming America to see if Welcoming Gainesville’s participation in conference calls and the annual person meeting would meet the City’s obligation and Welcoming America staff indicated that it would although they did indicate a preference for City staff participation as well.
Fiscal Note
Minimal staff time and an annual $50 membership fee are the required fiscal contributions.
Recommendation
The City Commission adopt the proposed Resolution #140739.