City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: DECEMBER 7, 2016
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of a Resolution to Establish an Ad Hoc Veterans Commission Advisory Group. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of a resolution to establish the Ad Hoc Veterans Commission Advisory Group to provide guidance to City Council with regards to the development of an Alexandria Veterans Commission.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Approve the attached resolution establishing an Ad Hoc Veterans Commission Advisory Group (“Advisory Group”); and
(2) Authorize the City Manager to appoint the seven members of the Advisory Group.
BACKGROUND: Per City Council direction, a resolution has been drafted to establish an Ad Hoc Veterans Commission Advisory Group with the mission of providing a recommendation to City Council regarding creation of a permanent Alexandria Veterans Commission (“Commission”) that would address the concerns and needs of veterans, service members, their family members and caregivers (Attachment 1). During the City Council Legislative Session on November 29, 2016, Mayor Silberberg brought forth the discussion of this Commission during Oral Reports (Attachment 2). Prior to this discussion, a letter was submitted by six citizens requesting the creation of the Commission (Attachment 3).
Composition:
The Advisory Group would be comprised of seven members who represent a diversity of interests in veterans affairs, including an Advisory Group Chair, to be selected by the City Manager through a nomination process.
Advisory Group Role:
The main purpose of the Advisory Group is to discuss and seek to provide recommendations to City Council at the first legislative meeting in March 2017 with regards to the development of an Alexandria Veterans Commission. The Advisory Group will assist in the development of a report that shall include comments and recommendations concerning:
• the need for the committee and possible duplications or conflicts with other committees;
• the appropriateness of a committee format to deal with the issues involved;
• the purview of the Commission through a defined mission, vision and strategies to better connect veterans, services members and their family members and caregivers to the City;
• the impact that creation of the committee will have on city staff resources, including:
o the estimated total amount of city staff time that will be required on an annual or other basis to staff the committee;
o whether the committee can accomplish its assigned work with existing staff; and
o if new staff will be required, the total amount of additional staffing that will be required and the projected annual cost of such additional staff.
• the responsibilities, duties, scope of work, and staffing and funding levels for a permanent Commission;
• the concerns and needs of veterans, services members, their family members and caregivers that will be addressed by the Commission; and
• the composition and term of office for the Commission members.
Responsibility of Members:
The members of the Advisory Group are expected to:
1. Support the City’s community engagement and outreach efforts by speaking on behalf of their representative groups and communicating their interests in this process.
2. Attend and participate fully in all Advisory Group meetings, in addition to attending work sessions and public hearings of the City Council as needed. If unable to attend, members are encouraged to notify staff in advance and provide comments on meeting materials in a timely manner.
Responsibilities of Chair:
1. Serve as a spokesperson for the Advisory Group;
2. Serve as a meeting facilitator; and
3. Work with City staff to set Advisory Group meeting agendas
Staff Support: The Advisory Group will be staffed by a representative assigned by the City Manager.
Sunset: Pursuant to City Code Section 2-4-8, the Advisory Group shall meet on an ad hoc basis as needed for the period of 3 months, with up to an additional 2 months if needed for completion of their stated tasks as defined herein, unless otherwise extended by City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT: The fiscal impact of establishing a permanent Commission will be outlined in the report to City Council.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Draft Resolution
Attachment 2: Citizen Request to Establish a Veterans Commission
Attachment 3: Request from Mayor to Consider the Establishment a Veterans Commission
STAFF:
Debra Collins, Deputy City Manager
Hillary Orr, Special Assistant to the City Manager