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CC - (1) Consideration of Culver City’s Participation in the Revive Civility Cities Program Sponsored by the National Institute for Civil Discourse, Including Up To $14,000 in In-Kind Support; and (2) Direction to the City Manager as Deemed Appropriate.
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Meeting Date: March 12, 2018
Contact Person/Dept: Jesse Mays, City Manager’s Office
Phone Number: (310) 253-6000
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (03/06/18);
Department Approval: John Nachbar, City Manager (03/05/18)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) discuss Culver City’s participation in the Revive Civility Cities Program sponsored by the National Institute for Civil Discourse; and (2) provide direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
At the February 26, 2018 City Council Meeting, Vice Mayor Thomas Small requested that the City Council consider participation in “Revive Civility Cities,” a nonpartisan program of the University of Arizona’s National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD).
NICD works with and encourages communities to restore values of civility and mutual respect by working around a specific issue. The issue that NICD has proposed on which to structure its program in Culver City is future growth and development in Fox Hills, with the stakeholders being residents, the business community and the City Council.
The City's involvement with the program would include the following:
• The City would identify a representative sample of stakeholders of which NICD can conduct Assessment Interviews.
• If the Assessment finds there is room for a civil discourse process, the Mayor will issue a Revive Civility Proclamation, declaring a specific month as Culver City’s Revive Civility month.
• The City will work with NICD to identify up to three locations in Fox Hills to hold community visioning meetings.
• The City would work with NICD to issue meeting notices to the residents, including mailings produced and sent by the City. The City would help to design a process for the community visioning meetings. Each meeting would include an overview of civil discourse principles and will offer residents an opportunity to practice using civil discourse skills around the issue at hand.
• The City would provide the meeting venue(s) and light refreshments, and would print packets for the participants (including maps of Fox Hills). The community meetings will be highly interactive and utilize small group dialogue to ensure all participants’ are able to provide their input.
• NICD will synthesize the input heard at the community visioning meetings and, based on that input, create a community vision and action plan.
• NICD will present the Community Vision & Action Plan at a community meeting. This will be an opportunity for community members to provide feedback before the plan is finalized.
• NICD will present the Community Vision & Action Plan to the City Council for their consideration and/or adoption.
A tentative timeline is as follows:
• April 2018: Assessment
• May 2018: Assessment Report
• June 2018: Meeting Preparations & Notices
• June 2018: Revive Civility Proclamation & Community Visioning Meetings
• July 2018: Report Development
• August 2018: Community Presentation & Presentation to City Council
FISCAL ANALYSIS
Participation in the program would cost approximately $14,000 of in-kind assistance, not including City Staff time, which includes the following estimated costs:
• Citywide postcard mailer (printing/postage): $9,700
• Neighborhood specific postcard (printing/postage): $2,000
• Advertising (online and newspaper): $1,800
• Meeting Refreshments: $300
• Meeting Printed Materials: $200
The source of the funds would be General Fund reserves.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2018-03-12 - ATT Reviving Civility Design Document
MOTION
That the City Council:
1. Determine whether to participate in the Revive Civility Cities Program sponsored by the National Institute for Civil Discourse, including providing up to $14,000 in in-kind assistance; and
2. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City; and
4. Provide direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.