City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: DECEMBER 7, 2021
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of an Amendment to the Membership of the City Naming Committee.
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of an amendment to the membership of the City’s Naming Committee to replace the City Manager appointed member with a member of City Council and have the City Manager’s Office designate the staff to the committee.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council: (1) amend the membership of the City’s Naming Committee to replace the City Manager’s Office position with a third member of City Council, and (2) request that the City’s Naming Committee meet early in 2022 to discuss the various naming policies and consolidate the naming process.
BACKGROUND: The City’s Naming Committee, formerly called the City Council Facilities Naming Committee, was established in 1998. See the attached docket memo (Attachment 1) establishing the committee. The City Code does not dictate a process for naming City facilities, other than City Streets, so the Committee was established, and a process was outlined in order for City Council to have a process for adopting names for important City facilities.
DISCUSSION: Currently the Committee is made up of three members which includes two City Council members and one designee from the City Manager’s Office. The staff has been instrumental in assisting the Committee with the processing of the naming of the facilities since the inception of the Committee, however roles would be clearer for the City staff to provide administrative support and input without being a voting member of the Committee. This would allow for the staff liaison to communicate with Committee members without running afoul of the Freedom of Information Act.
Additionally, there are currently three different policies for naming of City Facilities, including the original policy from 1998 which applies to non-recreation buildings, the Recreation Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA) naming policy updated in 2019, and the policy and code requirements for naming of streets. It is important to review each of these policies and consolidate the process and scope of the Naming Committee to ensure an efficient and consistent process for naming of all types of facilities. Therefore, it is recommended that the City’s Naming Committee review each of these policies and consolidate the policies where applicable.
FISCAL IMPACT: None.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. 1998 Docket memo establishing the City Facilities Naming Committee and first policy for naming facilities
2. 2019 City of Alexandria Naming and Renaming Policies and Procedures for Public Parks and Recreation Facilities
3. 2020 Planning and Zoning Department Street Naming and Renaming Policy
STAFF:
Joanna C. Anderson, City Attorney
Debra Collins, Deputy City Manager
Jack Browand, RPCA