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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2.d. City Council Travel – Conference Registrations EXECUTIVE SUMMARY City Council Work Session: April 2, 2019 AGENDA ITEM: City Council Travel – Conference Registrations AGENDA SECTION: Discussion PREPARED BY: Erin Fasbender, City Clerk AGENDA NO. 2.d. ATTACHMENTS: None. APPROVED BY: LJM RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discussion ISSUE In order to ensure timely registration and allow adequate time for necessary approvals, staff is requesting feedback on which of the following conferences might be attended by Council Members this year: • League of Minnesota Cities 2019 Annual Conference – June 26-28, Duluth • 2019 NLC City Summit – November 20-23, San Antonio, TX Council Member Weisensel and Mayor Droste have both expressed interest in attending the 2019 NLC City Summit which will seek council approval at the council meeting following this work session. SUMMARY According to the City’s adopted policy, the conference must be approved in advance by a vote of the City Council at an open meeting and must include an estimate cost of the travel. In evaluating the out-of-state travel request, the Council will consider the following: • Whether the elected official will be receiving training on issues relevant to City or his or her role as Mayor or Council Member. • Whether the elected official will be meeting and networking with other elected officials from around the country to exchange ideas on topics of relevance to the city or on the official roles of local elected officials. • Whether the elected official will be viewing a city facility or function that is similar in nature to one that is currently operating at, or under consideration by the City, where the purpose for the trip is to study the facility or function to bring back ideas for the consideration of full Council. • Whether the elected official has been specifically assigned by the Council to visit another city for the purpose of establishing a goodwill relationship such as a “sister-city” relationship. • Whether the elected official has been specifically assigned by the Council to testify on behalf of the City at the United States Congress or to otherwise meet with federal officials on behalf of the City. • Whether the City has sufficient funding available in the budget to pay for the cost of the trip. The 2019 Budget includes $22,000 for City Council conference and travel expenditures.