City Council Announcements
September 21, 2006
A. Information Needed by Council Staff
1. Below is a list of ideas that may help streamline processes within the Council Office. Would the Council be interested in any of these approaches? Are there other ideas that Council Members would like to discuss?
Discussion will take place at another time.
A. Subcommittee Process:
a. Consider setting up a series of meetings within a two-month period, rather than setting up meetings one at a time. This could save scheduling time, allow Council Members to plan further ahead, keep the issue fresh in everyone’s mind so that re-work can be avoided.
b. Consider having quarterly updates from Subcommittees listed on the announcements. This could facilitate an opportunity for a check-in with the full Council and help determine whether the Subcommittee’s approach will have broad support from the Council.
c. Provide direction to staff on setting up the meetings – in some cases two Council Members are available on a number of dates, but it isn’t possible to find a date where all three are available in the near future. Staff isn’t sure whether to go ahead and schedule with the two available, or wait until all three are available.
B. Legislative Action Process:
a. Consider whether the Council would like to retain outside consulting or legal assistance on some Legislative Action items, in order to further refine, complete additional professional / specialized research, or actually get an ordinance prepared.
b. Consider whether the Council would like to review quarterly or semi-annually a listing of outstanding Legislative Action items (we have a list of items adopted in the past that we need to bring to the Council for review. At that time the Council could determine whether they would like more frequent updates.)
c. Many years ago the Council process for Legislative Action items in the Council Office included obtaining the support of two additional Council Members in writing prior to advancing an item to the Council (for a total of three either sponsors or one sponsor and two supporters). This approach did not violate the open meetings law, but seemed to provide the Council with information on the potential depth of support.
2. Council staff has coordinated the next quarterly luncheon meeting to take place on Friday, October 20th, 12 noon, at the SLC School District for the Council School Board Subcommittee (Council Members Love, Jergensen and Simonsen) to meet with the School Board subcommittee. The Council subcommittee is interested in asking their Council colleagues:
Are there any topics of interest that you would like the Council subcommittee to discuss with the school board members?
The School Board members plan to rotate members for each quarterly meeting based upon agenda topics. Is the City Council interested in rotating members as well?
B. For Your Information
1. Attached is a grant application submitted by the City.
Grant Submission Update Memo
TO: Rocky Fluhart, Steve Fawcett, Cindy Gust-Jenson
FROM: Grant Acquisition Team
DATE: 9/21/2006
SUBJECT: The Big Read Grant
FUNDING AGENCY: Arts Midwest
REQUESTED AMOUNT: $20,000 (The Library will receive these funds and will manage the grant)
DEPARTMENT APPLYING: Salt Lake City Library
COLLABORATING AGENCIES: Salt Lake City Reads Together, Salt Lake City Film Center, Salt Lake Community Writing Center, Utah Humanities Council, Salt Lake City School District, Night Flight Comics, Literacy Center, Horizonte, Utah Opera
DATE SUBMITTED: September 12, 2006
SPECIFICS:
Technical Assistance (Training) Equipment Only
Provides FTE Position(s)
Existing New Overtime Requires Funding After Grant
Explanation: Match Required 100% In Kind Cash The Match is met through Library salaries, venue rental and salaries of staff from the partners
Computer Software Development In House Contract Services
New Program (City not performing function now)
GRANT DETAILS:
The Salt Lake City Library, with its partners, has applied for the Big Read. The Big Read is a national community reading/literacy program that encourages a community to read, re-read and have community discussion surrounding one book. The library has selected Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and will develop a program that explores four themes; poverty, homelessness, climate change, and economic migration using literature, film, music, writing and community discussion and how it affects our community today.
Grapes of Wrath dramatically illustrates the lives of ordinary people striving to preserve their humanity in the face of social injustice. The Big Read in Salt Lake City will take the concept of the “Oversoul”, being concerned not only with your own welfare but the welfare of other people and the community and address four individual issues that are prevalent in the community. Those issues are; poverty, homelessness, climate change, and economic migration. The SLCPL will develop the program around these four themes to encourage people to read and re- read Grapes of Wrath and participate in a related activity or presentation that best suits their interests. The program will utilize a variety of media to attract the broadest audience possible. The Library will use film, music, literature, graphic novel, visual art, and the spoken word to address the themes of the program. Each presentation or event will be designed to initiate a public dialogue based on one or more of the themes. SLCPL will use its branch libraries to bring panel discussions and speakers on each topic to the community to further encourage participation and conversation.