CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Meeting: April 13, 2023
Subject
Consider authorizing City funding of up to $2,200 for the visit to Sister City Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Recommended Action
Authorize City funding of up to $2,200 for the visit to Sister City Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Reasons for Recommendation
The City of Cupertino has four established Sister City relationships:
Copertino, Italy, formalized in 1963
Toyokawa, Japan, formalized in 1978
Hsinchu, Taiwan, formalized in 2007
Bhubaneswar, India, formalized in 2012
Prior to 2020, City Councilmembers have regularly joined official delegation visits to these cities to foster international diplomacy, cooperation, and friendship. The COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to international travel in 2020, which impacted the City’s ability to maintain its relationship with its Sister Cities through delegation visits. Fortunately, international travel has recently resumed, and Cupertino can now continue its commitment to fostering its Sister City relationships.
The Cupertino-Hsinchu Sister City Association (CHSCA), a community-based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, has organized its annual Sister City visit to Hsinchu, Taiwan, which will depart on April 14, 2023. This delegation includes 21 Cupertino students from both Cupertino Unified School District (CUSD) and Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) and a six-person adult delegation, which will be led by Mayor Wei. City Manager Pamela Wu is a part of the delegation and will be supporting the Mayor on official City business.
In accordance with the Sister City Policy (Attachment A), half of all travel expenses for Mayor Wei will be covered by the City. For staff, the policy states that travel expenses must be funded by the Sister City Committee, or by the individual, unless authorized by the City Council. The Hsinchu Sister City Committee has committed to reimbursing the majority of expenses related to lodging and ground transportation within Hsinchu for both the Mayor and City Manager. Reimbursement of these expenses will occur once the trip has concluded, and all receipts are accounted for.
Remaining staff travel expenses, including the City Manager’s airfare and ground transportation to and from the airport, are estimated to cost about $2,200. Staff is working with the Sister City Committee to determine if and how much these expenses can be covered by the committee’s fundraising efforts. Once the trip concludes, the Hsinchu Sister City Committee Board will discuss the possibility of additional reimbursements to the City at that time.
To offset these expenses, the City Council may authorize the City Manager to use available funds from the City Manager Conference and Meeting budget. Currently, the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Conference and Meeting account has a remaining balance of $11,452. This account (600-629) is meant to be used for “[c]osts associated with attending conferences and meetings including travel, registration, etc.” Staff anticipates there will be ample funds left in this account to cover the estimated $2,200.
Staff recommends that Council authorize funding for the Sister City visit in an amount of up to $2,200, from the City Manager Conference and Meeting account (GL: 100-12-120 600-629). If the Hsinchu Sister City Committee provides additional funding, the amount of City funding required will be reduced.
Sustainability Impact
No sustainability impact.
Fiscal Impact
Approving the request would result in payments of up to $2,200 from the City Manager Conference and Meeting account (GL: 100-12-120 600-629). The funds from the Conference and Meeting account have already been allocated for use in this Fiscal Year. This request will not result in any further fiscal impact to the City.
California Environmental Quality Act
Not applicable.
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Prepared by: Astrid Robles, Management Analyst
Esther Kwon, Communications Officer
Reviewed by: Chris Jensen, City Attorney
Approved for Submission by: Pamela Wu, City Manager
Attachments:
A – Sister City and Friendship City Policy (2018)