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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2851RESOLUTION NO. 2851 RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH A REDLANDS COALITION Recitals 1. There are within the City of Redlands many different organ- izations through which its people serve community needs, including such public agencies as local, state and national government, and the school district, such private agencies as churches, schools, colleges, service clubs, business organizations, community agencies and others concerned with youth, recreation, music, art, etc. 2. Although more than 150 service organizations exist in Redlands, their potential effectiveness in treating community problems is ham- pered by a lack of coordination. A need exists for an organization to define our community concerns, assign suggested priorities, and offer coordination for the combined efforts of these organizations. 3 Because the various problems of the city tend to be inter- related, such as education, health, recreation, schools, and law en- forcement, there should be an organization to view both problems and proposals for solutions from the standpoint of the whole city. 4. The vast majority of community problems can best be solved by voluntary programs and are outside the scope of legislative action. Many new community programs designed to improve employment opportuni- ties, educational motivation, and establish such aids as rumor clinics, etc , can be accomplished by volunteer group action. A need exists for an organization to define and implement such programs as well as to call to the attention of the city and county governing/administra- tive bodies those problems requiring official action. 5 Such an organization, to be known as the Redlands Coalition, should be viewed as a resource, and not a substitute for City Council responsibility in providing policy guidance and leadership in a united effort to direct the resources of the community to certain issues with the intent of solving them IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED AS FOLLOWS: 1. That the City Council hereby urges the establishment of the Redlands Coalition. 2. That the Redlands Coalition shall have the following aims: (1) To bring citizens of Redlands together to discuss matters of common interest; To identify problems of the community; To develop suggestions and to establish priorities for solutions; and (2) (3) (4) To encourage public or private agencies in action programs or to initiate programs where necessary. 3. That the basic units of the Coalition are certain Task Forces, which may include representatives from major segments of the commu- nity: government, business, labor, education, church, civic and serv- ice organizations, and grass roots citizens (including representation from ethnic groups within the city). Each Task Force shall have a chairman and a vice chairman elected by the Task Force, and such other officers as the Task Force deems necessary. In addition to the monthly meetings, Task Forces, or subcommittees thereof, meet as their needs require. 4. In order to provide the Coalition with the latest city govern- ment planning data in areas of mutual concern and to assure a complete interchange of information, city offices are urged to appoint a volun- teer representative to serve on appropriate Task Forces. 5. That Coalition shall include the following Task Forces: Employment Health & Welfare Housing Public Safety Relations & Drug Education Recreation & Parks Communications 6. That the Task Forces should bring citizens together to iden- tify community problems, gather information, and develop solutions. Each Task Force chairman shall participate with other officers in the Coalition in recommending the development or improvement of action programs. 7. It is intended that the hearings and recommendations of the Task Forces and the Coalition will have full coverage by the local news media, so that the populace can be fully informed and organize their support or opposition to proposed programs based on accurate, complete, and timely information. 8. Adequate means are available in the city government where complaints about specific personnel actions or incidents can be heard and acted upon. Therefore, all such complaints will be referred to those channels and shall not be considered by the Coalition. 9, The Redlands Coalition has been designed to complement and not to replace elements of city government. Its intentions are to enhance the effectiveness of city government where a problem must be approached through legislative or administrative action. In those cases the Coalition shall interface with the appropriate office or element of city government by briefings or reports that detail the problem areas, such as public health, safety and welfare, business climate, economic conditions, and property values, and set forth recommended remedial action. Resolution No 2851 - Page two 10 As a community service organization, the Coalition will not endorse or assist candidates seeking political office. 11. That this City Council recommends the following procedures in implementing the Redlands Coalition: (1) Ad Hoc Committee: The Mayor, upon majority ratifica- tion by an Ad Hoc Committee, shall initially appoint a temporary chairman for the Coalition. He shall serve for a period of six months At the end of this period the chairman will thereafter be selected by the Execu- tive Committee. The Mayor, upon majority ratification by the Ad Hoc Committee, shall initially appoint temporary Co - Executive Directors for the Coalition They shall serve for a period of one year. At the end of this period the Co -Executive Directors will thereafter be selected by the Executive Committee. (2) Task Force Chairmen: Each Task Force will select its own chairman and vice chairman. The chairman will preside at all meetings of the Task Force. He will be responsible for coordinating the projects and activi- ties of the Task Force. He will communicate the actions of the Task Force to the Executive Committee of the Coalition, to the Executive Directors of the Coalition and to the Chairman of the Coalition. He will be responsible for calling meetings to deal with the problems of concern to his Task Force. He will maintain liaison with the head or heads of action programs in his area, and encourage other public or private agencies to undertake the action programs needed to solve problems. The vice chairman shall serve in the absence of the chairman and in assigned supportive duties. He attends all meetings of the Executive Committee. (3) Executive Committee: The Executive Committee is com- posed of the Coalition Chairman, the Executive Directors, the Task Force chairmen, and Task Force vice chairmen (without vote except in the absence of the chairman). It meets at the two -week interval between monthly meetings of the Task Forces. Its functions include coordination of Task Force activi- ties and determination of matters which should be referred to the Coalition membership. The Executive Committee is the policy -making body of the Redlands Coalition. Its chairman shall be chair- man of the Redlands Coalition. Resolution No. 2851 - Page three (4) Membership: Members of the Coalition shall be those who are Task Force members. A Task Force member must be living in Redlands A person is a member if: (a) he attends the first Task Force meeting as an individual citizen who wants to work on commu- nity problems assigned to that Task Force, or (b) he is designated as a Task Force representative by an organization that is invited to participate in the Coalition by the Executive Committee. Interested citizens in the Redlands area can attend meetings and can speak on the subject being considered. A person can become a new Task Force member with voting rights by: (a) having attended the two previous consecutive Task Force meetings; or, (b) being designated as a representative of an organi- zation whose application to participate in the Coalition has been approved by the Executive Com- mittee, or (c) accepting an invitation of the Executive Committee to be a grass roots citizen on the Task Force. Each Task Force will have a minimum of two grass roots citizens from each of the three major ethnic groups in Redlands A member may lose voting rights if he misses two con- secutive Task Force meetings without being excused in advance by the Task Force chairman or his deputy. Voting rights can be regained as in the second 4(a) above. Each member is encouraged to work at least two hours between Task Force meetings on current Task Force business. This work includes research reading and dis- cussion, telephoning, mailing activities; and committee meetings. It is unrealistic to think that a Task Force can deal with major problems without considerable homework between meetings by all members. The Chairman of the Coalition and the Executive Direc- tors of the Coalition are members of the Coalition. The Resolution No 2851 - Page four (5) Mayor and Councilmen of the City of Redlands shall be ex-officio members of the Coalition, the Task Forces and of the Executive Committee of the Coalition. Chairman and Executive Directors: The Chairman will be responsible to the Executive Committee; and the Executive Directors to the Chairman. As the organiza- tion develops, they will make continuing evaluations of requirements for Chairman's office staff. It is anticipated that, as the Coalition begins to function, volunteers will staff the organization but that at some point in the future it will probably be necessary to establish a paid position for an Executive Director. The Chairman shall be elected annually at the annual meeting of the Coalition and shall hold office as presiding officer over meetings of the general Coalition as well as meetings of the Executive Committee. He shall serve as an ex-officio member of all Task Forces and any committees which he shall appoint. He shall perform such other duties as usually attend the office of ChaiLman. Two Co -Executive Directors shall have charge of the on -going program of the Coalition. They shall have charge of all the books and records of the Coalition and shall prepare, or have prepared, and maintain a complete record of minutes of the meetings of the Task Forces and the Executive Committee. They shall be responsible for staffing the needs of the various Task Forces and the Executive Committee. They shall main- tain a list of names and addresses of all members of the Coalition and the Task Forces. They shall perfo.Liu such other duties as usually attend the office of Executive Director. (6) Interns: An intern program shall be developed for students in the community. The program is one in which the Coalition, the student, and the school benefit. Students are chosen for their ability and motivation and for their enthusiasm to become involved in community problems They are assigned to a particular Task Force, participate in formulating what they are going to do, and are given direct assignments by the Task Force Chairman. The Executive Directors shall have responsibility for establishing the intern program Interns are used for contact work, leg work, gathering information, and generating membership and participation in the Task Force. They pledge a certain number of hours per week and may serve more than one semester. Resolution No. 2851 - Page five (7) Communications: As the Coalition expands its functions, it may have a Coalition Newsletter to provide informa- tion both within and outside the Coalition. The Com- munications Task Force will be responsible for the Newsletter, with at least one representative from that Task Force on each of the other Task Forces. Other communication devices will be developed. (8) Volunteer Organization: It is intended that the Coalition will be a public service volunteer organiza- tion. (9) Duration: This Coalition shall last for a period of two years unless reorganized at the end of that period. (10) Financing: It is not intended that the Coalition shall seek city funding during its initial period of two years. ADOPTED, SIGNED AND APPROVED this 2nd day of February, 1971. yor of the City oedlands ATTEST: APPROVED FOR FORM: s/Edward F. Taylor City Attorney Resolution No. 2851 - Page six